Sidelines

In defense of the one-and-dones

This incessant and quite convenient griping about the one-and-dones in college basketball is really quite comical.

Coaches crave control. They want to control the local media, the national media, the fans of his team, the fans of the opposing team, the internet, the message boards, the talk-show hosts, the talk-show callers, the officials, the director of officials, the workers at the scorer’s table, the athletics director, the media relations director, the boosters, the alumni association, and, of course, players.

What they can’t control is a player with options. And a player talented enough to be in position to jump to the NBA after just one year of college has options. That player can stay, but he’ll probably go. That is a player who is going to do what is in his best interest, not what is in the best interest of the coach. And a coach has very little control over that.

Are there problems with such a system? Of course. (Poster boy: O.J. Mayo.) Does the system fly in the face of what college athletics is supposed to be about? Of course. But so does $30 million practice facilties, 9:30 p.m. tipoff times for television and multi-million dollar coaches contracts.

Is Kansas State basketball worse for having Michael Beasley for a single season?

Was Texas basketball worse for having Kevin Durant for one brilliant year?

The best system would be the baseball system. A high school grad can either go straight to the pros, or spend three years in college before being eligible for the draft again. But we're not there yet.

That’s why, to me, Arizona coach Lute Olson sounded darn near ancient last week when he grumped about the selfish one-and-dones, and claimed he would never ever recruit another one-and-done after Brandon Jennings decided he’d rather get paid of his pre-NBA year in Europe rather than play for free, and Lute, in Tucson.

It’s also why I liked Billy Gillispie’s attitude at yesterday’s press conference when he said of the one-and-dones, “I’d like to have 13 guys every year that are good enough to be lottery picks.”

That’s a coach who understands that the game is about the players. That’s a coach who understands that it takes good players to win, and great players to win championships. Even players with options.

Billy G. and Billy D.

They’re even-steven, 1-1 against each other on the court, but the real-deal, take-no-prisoners battle between Billy G. and Billy D. is in the recruiting rounds.

And during the SEC’s summer basketball teleconference yesterday, Billy G. made it more than clear that, to paraphrase the great Gainesville native Tom Petty, he won’t back down.

Issue: The NABC’s memorandum asking – all the non-governing body can do is ask – its member coaches to refrain from offering scholarships to high school players before the summer prior to their junior years.

Reason: All the national flak thrown at Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie for his knee-jerk scholarship offer to California eighth-grader Michael Avery, an offer that Avery eagerly accepted.

Result: After the NABC issued its memorandum, Gillispie said he would abide by the wishes of the coaches association.

But then . . .

Two weeks later, Florida coach Billy Donovan accepted a commitment from Austin Rivers, who had just completed his ninth grade year.

Rivers was a special case, not that it makes much difference to Kentucky fans angered that Billy D. got a free pass for doing what Billy G. was ridiculed for doing. Rivers’ father is Doc Rivers, current coach of the world champion Boston Celtics, former coach of the Orlando Magic. Rivers and Donovan are friends. Austin Rivers’ sister, Callie, plays volleyball for the Gators. Donovan was very familiar with Austin Rivers’ game and potential. It’s hard to say the scholarship offer was not an uninformed choice.

Yet, it did violate the NABC memorandum. And yesterday Gillispie said, “You always want to try to do what the coaches' organization asks. But you're not going to sit by the wayside while other people are getting ahead of you.”

Put plainly, Billy G. is not going to sit on his hands and watch Billy D. take advantage of him in the recruiting wars. (Billy G. was hired specifically to beat Billy D.) The guess here is that’s exactly the way Kentucky fans wanted their Billy to react.

Told you this Billy G.-Billy D. thing would be fun.

Game on.

Audio: Gillispie on SEC summer teleconference

The SEC held its summer basketball teleconference this morning with all 12 coaches.

• Here is Billy Gillispie's 8:50 taking questions on the teleconference.

Don't be so surprised over quarterback's interest in UK

A surge of surprise accompanies the news, reported by Jeff Drummond over at The Cats’ Pause (subscription required), that highly-regarded high school quarterback Ryan Mossakowski, a flamethrower from Frisco, Texas, includes Kentucky in his final four college choices, along with Auburn, Texas A&M and Alabama.

No need to be shocked, when you think about it.

Starting with Tim Couch, the No. 1 pick in the 1999 NFL draft, Kentucky (yes, Kentucky) has seen a string of record-setting quarterbacks, each of which has earned at least a cup of coffee in the NFL ranks.

Couch’s pro career was unfortunately buried under a smothering pass rush when his expansion Cleveland Browns failed to address their woeful offensive line issues. But Couch was still the top overall pick in the draft, an honor that goes to just one player each season.

Dusty Bonner was next in line, and all the kid from Valdosta did was lead UK to the 1999 Music City Bowl before coach Hal Mumme clumsily cut him loose in favor of Jared Lorenzen’s cannon.

Lorenzen set a slew of school records himself, all in entertaining wide-body fashion, before moving on to earn a Super Bowl ring as backup quarterback for the New York Giants. Yes, the Giants cut J-Lo recently, but there are plenty of us who still believe Lorenzen will get another shot come training camp time.

Lorenzen’s successor, Shane Boyd, didn’t produce the numbers of his predecessors, but his athletic ability has enticed more than a couple of teams to give him NFL training camp sites. He keeps hanging on.

Then came Andre Woodson, currently a rookie hoping to make the New York Giants’ roster after being drafted by the world champs. All Woodson did as a three-year starter was guide the Cats to two bowl victories, place his name atop a few school passing records, have his name mentioned for the Heisman, and lead UK’s win over then top-ranked and eventual national champs LSU.

Who was Woodson’s quarterbacks coach? Why Randy Sanders, who is still plays a large role on the UK staff.

And who was Woodson’s offensive coordinator? Why Joker Phillips, who has already been tabbed as Rich Brooks’ successor when the time comes. You don’t think that might be a prime factor in Mossakowski’s interest in the Cats.

Continuity counts.

Joe Crawford update

Some tidbits from Joe Crawford's NBA Summer League stint, where he is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers team:

• Crawford scores 16 in a losing cause.

• Video interview with Joe on Lakers.com.

• Crawford working hard for a spot says Las Vegas Review-Journal.

• Some comments on this LA Times Lakers blog give opinions on Joe.

The necessity of covering camps

Let’s just say I’m trying to climb back into the swing of things. Had a great time on vacation. Spent the week in Hilton Head with family and extended family, etc. We go there most every year because it is beautiful, and warm, with a beach, and by now the kids know the area well enough that we can let them all run wild.

Tip: If you desire to be thought of as a good uncle, take the little nephews and nieces “mini-golfing” with a post-match treat of McFlurries.

Anyway, having arrived back home, last night I went to see my former colleague, former Herald-Leader columnist Bill Bishop at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Bill is one of the smartest people I have ever had the pleasure of being around. Also, he is one of the nicest. His wife, Julie, has roots in Paris, where her father, Phil Ardery, himself and author, grew up. I was born in Paris. There are connections.

Now a Texan, as in an Austin, Texan, Bill has written the acclaimed book “The Big Sort,” about how the country has sort of sorted itself into like-minded neighborhoods. I take that back. Bill has written a book that has been endorsed by Bill Clinton, apparently on more than one occasion.

As I was standing in line to have Bill write something pithy in my copy, the man in front of me struck up a conversation. He was complimentary. But he said he had one complaint about the Herald-Leader. Or one complaint about the Herald-Leader sports section. He said he didn’t like that we covered the summer basketball camps. I replied that there was surely interest in the camps in that a lot of the players on Kentucky’s recruiting lists were at the camps. He said he understood, that he once lived in Chapel Hill so he knew about hoops interest, but he still objected to a newspaper covering a summer spectacle that involved teens, and in some cases pre-teens.

“You’re writing about players who are the same age, or aren’t much older than my daughter here,” he said, pointing to his offspring who had accompanied him to the bookstore. “And she’s 14.”

I could see his point. And I told him so. But it’s much like the subject matter in “The Big Sort.” It is what it is. We are a newspaper, like most newspapers these days, fighting for survival. To some extent, we have to give the people what they want. We also are a newspaper, like most newspapers these days, making the transition to the internet. And when it comes to college sports, the biggest draw, by far, is recruiting news. The “Most Read Stories” list on Kentucky.com offers near-daily proof of that.

I told the man that I could see his point, that covering summer basketball camps was a “little unseemly” when you think about it.

But these days, it’s also required.

Game over: Billy Packer out at CBS

The Miami Herald is reporting this morning that the analyst college basketball fans love to hate, Billy Packer, is out at CBS after 28 seasons.

We posted back in April the existence of a strong rumor in San Antonio that Packer's 34th consecutive Final Four would be his last. Turned out that was true.

Packer confirmed the story to the Herald. He is to be replaced by Clark Kellogg, who will move from the studio to join Jim Nantz at court-side.

Have to say I never got as worked up about Packer as most college hoops viewers. In Packer's defense, he concentrated on the game, unlike a couple of other high-profile color men we might mention. He said what he thought, which at times created controversy and pricked the skin of many fans.

Personally, Billy was/is as confrontational as he often is on the air. The first time I attempted to interview him for a story -- Denny Crum's decline at Louisville -- he wasted no time informing me that was an incorrect premise. I remember once being on a flight with Billy around the 2000 presidential re-count in which Packer was debating a legal student over the merits of each case. He doesn't go along to get along.

''I think Billy has given the most professional accounting of basketball in the history of our game as a commentator,'' Louisville coach Rick Pitino says in the Herald story.

I would go along with that. Love him or hate him, Packer was and is a professional. Considering his mini-rivalry with Dick Vitale, wouldn't it be something if Billy ended up doing some games for ESPN this year? My guess is that's where Packer will land.

On vacation

I'm on vacation this week, but will be checking the blog from time to time.

Program note: Filling in for Chris Cross

I'm filling in for the vacationing Chris Cross today at 4 p.m. on WLXG-1300 in Lexington.

Asmussen's attorney replies to column

Received an e-mail from Maggi Moss, horse owner and attorney for trainer Steve Asmussen, concerning the column I wrote Sunday about drugs, penalties, Rick Dutrow and Asmussen.

Here is the e-mail in its entirety:

Dear Mr. Clay,

I was just forwarded your blog on Dutrow and my client, Steve Asmussen.   I am not familiar with Dutrow's case but am very familiar with Steve's case for I am his attorney,  I know him , and I know the circumstances of his case.

I am also all too aware of  real horrors in this business of horse racing and I  have to beg to differ with you.
Until we have a uniform system of no drugs or any uniformity, do you really want someone ruled off that might be innocent or have a case of contamination.  Is that the United States we want to live in?

If there is something to write about racing as it exists today,   I would hope all of us would come together to try and deal with the realities and truly grave horrors;

1.  We are still breeding so many horses that we still have racehorses going in inhumane trucks to be taken to Mexico and Canada slaughterhouses and having their spines cut with knifes,  some of which don't die right away.

We are still dealing with owners and trainers that sell these horses  ( they might not be Eight Belles but they are all kind and wonderful animals)  for 300 dollars to die an insufferable death.

2.  We still have trainers that are blocking horses,  injecting horses and running horses that are terribly lame and simply break down for they cant take it anymore.

3.  We have things going on in racing that is out and out cruelty to horses,  from lack of feed, to inhumane training and drugs that actually block horses that have suspensories or tendons jeopardizing horse and jockeys.
 
What if a trainer or his assistant  used  lip balm hand creme or any of the over 1000 substances in stores that has metobolites of lidocaine in them and then groomed a horse or  gave it water and that metabolite got into the horses system???   The leading scientist in the country , Dr Barker from LSU has given a preliminary opinion in Mr. Asmussen's case of that likelihood in his case.   He is not a paid expert but the very scientist that testified against Mr Asmussen in his case of two years ago.
  
So, Texas has zero tolerance and doesn't care whether this was given to this horse or  doesn't care how it got into her system.  SO,   if hard proven scientific evidence shows this horse did not have injectable lidocaine but such an insignificant amount, and its a metabolite and of such minute proportion, that science shows no one injected lidocaine -  should we then just ban Mr Asmussen for life from this game?

His horses are fed, taken care of, his owners find homes for their horses -  but he's the one we should ban?  Let the ones that truly brutalize horses keep at it?

Shouldn't we maybe think of taking our science and labs into the 21st century so those that deserve to be punished with scientific evidence are punished and those perhaps not guilty are allowed to continue their trade?

Or perhaps,  if you have prior offenses,  you simply are  bad and guilty. I'm hopeful you really don't think like that.

I went to school at the University of Kentucky and every time I come there,  or Keeneland -   is it really so blue-blood that everyone is closing their eyes to the rest of the racing world and what goes on?

I'm truly angered by your article,  not because of Steve, but its articles like this that do not help our game, or point out anything positive but really just jumps on the frenzy to the public, that we are all a bunch of thieves, dopers and spend our time with syringes - I assure you that is not true.

My interest is racing and doing everything I can to fix it and fix the images -   perhaps Steve's case can be the catalyst to fix the real and brutal problems -   and we can all join forces to try and fix our image without just writing as you just did.
 
Maggi Moss