For the second time since last spring’s Mario Miracle, the NABC has put out a statement that squarely fixes its crosshairs on Kentucky’s second-year coach, Billy Gillispie. Certainly you remember the June directive the NABC made to stop recruiting junior high players in the wake of the media firestorm over Gillispie’s recruiting of 8th grader Michael Avery. We wrote at the time:
Luckily, this may be a situation where coaches were doing it because they felt they needed to avoid a competitive disadvantage. Now that the NABC has effectively disavowed this as a strategy (although it is still legal), coaches [including Gillispie] appear to be supportive of the line-drawing.
(Ed Note: apparently another Billy, as in Billy Donovan, didn’t get that memo from the NABC.)
The NABC board of directors said that “skill development events should not be open to the public.” The NABC said the initial intent was for coaches to assist their players in skill development and create stronger relationships. But by “making such skill development sessions public events, they appear to be geared more for recruiting than skill development sessions.”
Coach Gillispie, godlovehim, just cannot resist pushing the envelope when it comes to the NCAA rulebook. We’re not saying that he’s breaking any rules – hell, we’re not even saying that he’s bending them – but like any fastidious attorney, he manages to consistently find the gray nether-regions where legislative intent meets bright-line rule, and he forces those in charge to make decisions.
Bring It On, NABC! (photo credit: AP/Ed Reinke)
Our take on these early Midnight Madness celebrations is such: we tend to like orderliness when it comes to college hoops, as in… we’d like to know with assurance when Opening Night will be or when the Final Four will be. So we’re 100% in agreement with the NABC on this one – can’t we just all agree to have Midnight Madness on the same night, and preferably, AT MIDNIGHT? If the NCAA has to mandate this, so be it – add another page to the 17-lb rulebook.
Update (10/1): Jeff Goodman weighs in with this background information about the NABC:
Word is that there were numerous coaches on a conference call who were less than thrilled with Gillispie’s decision. They feel that the NCAA allows the coaches the two hours per week for skill development and Gillispie is taking advantage of the rule. It was the unanimous decision of the Board that skill development events should not be open to the public.
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1 2 3 Next »It's guys like Gillespie and Donovan that make the NCAA rulebook 17 pounds.
"It’s guys like Gillespie and Donovan that make the NCAA rulebook 17 pounds"
Yeah, definitely not guys like Roy, who've been up to the same tricks for 15+ years. Roy would never get his team together for practices during the "no contact" period to show off the team before a presidential candidate, get NBA players to "show up" for pickup games when recruits "happen" to be in town, or suggest that alums could send gifts to graduating players. Yup, its Gillespie, Donovan, and these new whippersnappers that are the ones bending the rules, dadgummit.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8586946
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/no_sanctions_for_unc_on_obama_game
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/709830.html
I would rather have a coach push the envelope than cry everytime something doesn't go the way he wants it. The NCAA strokes Roy to keep him happy. Have fun playing all your tourney games at home and still not winning another title.
The only one's POed about Gillispie moving up the date of Kentucky's Big Blue Madness are the one's that were not smart enough to take advantage of the situation themselves.
Yes Tarheel,not that Roy Williams has ever had any NCAA violations or crossed any recruiting lines now has he?
Its people like Tar Heel Fan in Minny that make me wanna throw up. He's not breaking any rules so i dont see what the problem is. I guess it's wrong now for a coach to want to help his team win. Your just another ACC fan that wants to put down the SEC and it's coaches simply because we're better than you.
There's a stripper convention in town next weekend? I've got to find out more about that.
I love it! The whole country understands that Gilispie has woke the sleeping giant UK.
I love it that everyone is starting to get really scared that UK is tired of letting everyone else play ball and has showed up to the playground to take name's.
Who really cares when they pratcice. You could schedule Kentucky to pratcice in China and they would still sell out the arena. That is the advantage. Just because they fill the seats dosen't give other teams room to whine.