Comments » 116

pkoentertainment#666414 writes:

I see, hear and agree with the many who feel R.C. Johnson has worn out his welcome. I feel the debacle leading up to Josh Pastner being named coach is the most recent example.

However, is Johnson the "king" at the UofM, or does he answer to a boss, namely Shirly Raines. The "Queen" needs to be brought on the carpet for her lack of leadership as it pertains to the entire athletic department.

Shirly Raines is AT LEAST as responsible as Johnson, if not more so. It starts at the top, and obviously, UofM has little administrative control.

Perhaps U of M does need a thourough house cleaning. Man, and I thought it was bad when "Crazy Lane" was singing his stupid and long forgotten Tiger Fight Song in New Orleans years ago. We rid ourself of that idiot, now we need to move on.

New blood = new attitude!

jmarler#616515 writes:

My BIG question is why would we have our final four appearance and 38 win season stripped from the record books due to an ineligible player, when Kansas won the national title that same season with an ineligible player, does anyone remember Darrell Arthur, and they did not have their title taken away?

joebertjunk#657162 writes:

My guess is that the reason RC hasn't addressed this isn't because of some sneaky, well-thought out cover up. I think RC is just that incompetent. No vision, no character, no abilities, no accountability.

minniemouse writes:


Whatever the reason, it's nice not to have to fight with Bovine and Mag today. Are things so bad they are taking pity on us? I'm ready to move forward too. Even if we don't win every game, I'm ready for someone who doesn't bring the sleaze factor with them. It was fun while it lasted with Coach X, but we need to get rid of all of the questionable ethics.

I hope D Rose can clear his name. He seems like a good kid.

joelm#238514 writes:

More info on World Wide Wes here:

jonnylaw writes:


i agree that we could not have stopped it, but the allegation is that we knew about, didnt report, and still admitted him to the U of M. U of M should have ruled him ineligible the minute they found out about the allegations or at least reported themselves.

gotigersgo420 writes:

Not sure how much is true. This is a great article on Worldwide Wes, but it's very long.

baseline writes:

My sound card has crapped out. What does Pastner have to say on the video?

gotigersgo420 writes:

Sorry joelm, didn't mean to be a copycat.

incentvay#414943 writes:

So now we know why Cal would give up the best recruiting class in the history of college hoops, surprize, it has absolutely nothing to do with his life long desire to be the coach at KY, heck Memphis would have been his legacy (like louisville,duke,NC etc)with his history and those recruits. Make me think of UMASS. Regardless, he remind me of Tuberville, yes I'm a hate monger. Fire CAL now before he does his thing, remember he has sat test takers that he really don't know about ..............great guy

sportslip writes:

Good post Moundboy. I have tried hard to ignore the snubs, but it is even harder to deny them. The "talking heads" make their jobs easier by promoting elitism and exclusivity. UM, Gonzaga, UNLV, etc. are nuisances when they are good enough to hang with the establishment. They don't dislike us; they just don't want to fool with us. For some reason we were Calipari, not Memphis, but Duke is Duke, not Coach K. This attitude is why the BCS exists. It is why the term "mid-major" is used. Division 1A is not succinct enough for these types. I wish I thought I would live long enough to see this change.

sportslip writes:

Dan, I apologize for rudely ignoring your very fine article. It is just the right medicine for this troubling time.

Alabama_MemphisFAN writes:


You hit the nail on the head. I'm a huge Alabama football fan and when Utah beat us in the bowl game last yr the state, heck, the nation (other than utah) was angry that "a small school" would beat such a power house as an SEC elite football team..
That is how the nation looks at Memphis..."how dare they ruin UCLA's chance at playing for the National title!! How dare they beat up on MSU and Texas!!! Don't they know there are suppose to lose to us power houses!!!"
It is a hard pill for "the Money" makes to swallow.

Go Tigers!

MSMD writes:

Anybody else get the eerie feeling this is UNLV all over again? Just waiting for the pictures of Dorsey and CDR in a hot-tub with a bookie...

moundboy writes:

Wuzup sportslip: Finally someone recognizes what I see. I believe it is fear more than anything that causes the prognosticators to snub us. They fear what almost and should have happened in 08 when we nearly took the championship. The nerve of a "mid-major" being that good drives them up the wall. We are a point guard and a Noel Johnson or Lance Stevenson away from being in the top ten THIS season. They are plum scared. More than a coincidence to me this news leaks a day after we sign Latavious; smells like sour grapes to me.

johnjohn writes:

SEE THIS... 4 of Rose's HS team mates are apart of the SAT/Grades scam.

1 of the HS players is thought to have cheated on his SAT.

4 other players on his HS team are invovled in a HS transcript scam.

2 of the players play DiV I basketball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CitizenUS writes:

I'm sure someone has already discussed this, but why would a player seeking admittance to the U of M take the SAT when 95% of all students applying take the ACT?

bluetaxi writes:

Why is there not a picture of Jenny Bruun and a discusion of the womens golf program. That is where most of the violations occured.

sportslip writes:

Moundboy I like your wish list, but I am also confident we will see a "born again" quality PG in Willie Kemp. I also believe Witherspoon can develop there. With LW and Shawn returning (my prediction) and the remaining class we will make serious noise at the Big Dance. The rankings will most likely downplay us, unless we kick butt against strong non-conference opponents. Lance and/or Noel, however, could get us the respect anyway.

gthom writes:

It is comical how people use any excuse to call for RC's head. If you read the NCAA letter, no where does it imply that anyone at the school knew about Rose's lie (if it is true). Tough to hold RC accountable for something that happened behind everyone's back. Frankly, I fail to see how the NCAA can hold a school accountable for the actions of a player BEFORE he came to the school. Rose's SAT was certified by ETS and he was cleared to play by the NCAA. The school is not psychic for crying out loud, Memphis did all the necessary due dilligence to verify eligibility that is required by the rules. Unless they can prove that Cal or someone connected to him had a part in this, it is unfair to hold the school accountable.

minniemouse writes:

I agree gthom.

Fredhtims writes:

Pretty funny to see this Mainecat fellow bashing one poster for bringing up WWW on the other article and then begging people to let him know if WWW is a problem on this one. UK fans are rather weird.

TigerBasketball writes:

Who in the h*ll is "Worldwide Wes" and why is he so important? I agree with you all above...RC "Ridiculous hairCut" Johnson should be fired. I don't believe he knows what he's doing anyway. Calipari can kick boulders for the rest of his life. It's STILL all about the Tigers baby!

minniemouse writes:

Fred, I think MaineCat's just trying to figure out what's going on. Of all the UK fans coming here, he is the least offensive by far.

AlwaysMemphis writes:

This will go away if the guy never says he took the test for Derrick. Experts or not it has to be 100% conclusive which at this point it clearly is not.

Fredhtims writes:

Just gets worse for Derrick. As for Mainecat, sure he is harmless but he seems to feel he is moderates our board and is to me more of a passive agressive type hanging out here to buid ones ego.

minniemouse writes:

Lol, yeah, maybe MC is being passive-aggressive.

Poor Derrick. I still like the kid. He always seemed so innocent to me, eating those gummy bears!

warchant writes:

i feel awful for CDR, Dorier, Anderson and Dorsey. They're college basketball careers will all be tainted. Just a shame if all this is true.

msu83 writes:

I still want to know who reported this.

DestinTiger writes:

Both UM and UK will now be under the NCAA microscope for signs of recruiting violations. UK's top-ranked 2009 recruiting class may vanish into the air as fast as it did when Calipari left UM, maybe faster. The SEC is full of extremely well-funded competitors, highly motivated to keep Calipari from getting on the roll in the SEC that he did in CUSA. The level of operational security that Cal would need with his intermediaries and the recruits themselves would be impossible to achieve. It may be amazing how fast his legendary recruiting ability fades.

After the shock of Calipari's departure passed, and we UM fans met Josh Pastner, I posted that UK may have bought the wrong UM coach. Now, I am sure of it. I would rather have Pastner + his reputation now, than Calipari with his reputation and associations. UM may have to take a temporary step back in the win/loss column to move forward again with integrity and dignity, but, Pastner appears to be the perfect choice to do the honest work. On the other hand, what is the solution to UK's predicament now? Even the wins which UK will likely pile up in the near future won't produce real joy for UK fans, because they will have that ticking to worry about --- the ticking timebomb named John Calipari who they just gave the biggest contract in college basketball history. It would take a huge debacle to permanently tarnish the image of UK basketball, but, this may be the beginning of just such a debacle.

tampatigergirl writes:

Someone asked why the women's golf violations aren't being discussed. No disrespect to the players, but women's golf simply does not hold the same place in college athletics as men's basketball, especially at Memphis. Women's golf is not a cash cow for the university. So it is only natural that most of the attention is being paid to the men's basketball violations, even though there are far more alleged violations for the women's golf program.

Fredhtims writes:

My peeps tell me the golf stuff was self reported once the U of M learned of the players/teams concerns. The Johnson kid is in Jail for aggrevated robbery and is suppose to be the one who took the SAT so I am thinking he wanted some hush money to pay for an attorney. AS for the story now me thinks it was Lexington to cover up for why Cal will be in Indy meeting with the NCAA.

docwkm writes:

Granted, there is no proof at this point in time that anyone associated with U of M knew about Rose's SAT. However, as bad as Calapari wanted the kid, I wouldn't put it past him to be involved. Hopefully, nothing comes of the allegations. Hopefully, if someone took the SAT for Rose, he will keep his mouth shut. Hopefully, we can move on and let Kentucky worry about Calapari and WWW. There seems to be a consensus that so far, WWW's involvement has not been illegal. In fact, some think that what Cal has been doing may not be illegal as much as it is probably unethical. Seems to me that associating with someone like WWW is playing with fire. Sure, we enjoyed the benefits that WWW apparently brought to our program.

Sometimes I think the picky restrictions the NCAA has on benefits is hypocritical. Sure, these kids get an education, but they also are the ones who are generating millions of dollars. It's a shame that the golf coach is being charged with the awful crime of giving a student a $20.00 Christmas gift. It is a horrible crime that when one student's place burned, the coach let her stay in her house for 2 days, which the NCAA claims is a $200.00 benefit. Sure, there should be guidelines, but they should be reasonable. Don't tell me that this is not going on everywhere. I guess we were unfortunate to be caught with our hand in the cookie jar.

Tonyjaa writes:

Ok, now I understand why all those coaches that UofM was interviewing decided against coming to Memphis. I am sure the university informed them of this during the interview process.

gefrost#400991 writes:

R.C. wore out his welcome when he fired Larry Finch.

minniemouse writes:

docwkm, I admit I've read nothing about the golf story. Those are the allegations against the golf coach? That's it???? She sounds like she cared about the kids, is that a crime?? That is ridiculous.

docwkm writes:

I'm sure the SEC and ESPN are estatic about Calapari bringing his pony and dog show to Kentucky. Just think of the publicity that will be created with this #1 rated recruiting class. Just think how much buildup there will be when Kentucky plays the other contenders in the SEC, such as TN, FL, LSU, etc. I'm sure the powers that be will do everything within their power to cover up as much as possible and cover Calapari's butt.

Also, I think Kentucky was so desperate to return to its prior glory that their eyes were blinded. All they could see was a NC, and they thought Calapari would ensure that. How does this look for the Kentucky AD who blew it in checking out Gillespie? Now it seems like there is at least a cloud of doubt hovering over their last hire. For KY's sake, they need to pray that they don't get slammed with another NCAA violation. That would place them close to the death penalty, wouldn't it?

docwkm writes:

Minniemouse, the majority of the letter from the NCAA covered the allegations against the golf coach. There were several other incidents, such as paying some of the students way to the movies, as well as giving other small gifts--apparently nothing much larger than $25. In fact, one of the allegations concerned her giving some of the kids a coupon to Starbucks.

Tonyjaa writes:

OK, let's be real, deep down, everyone knew something like this would come up with Coach Cal. It's just in his blood to cheat. But as long as the team is winning and he pumps up his team during ESPN interviews, we, the fans, are happy and just look the other way, just hoping we get that championship before he gets caught.

BrownGradIn38122 writes:

Does anyone seriously think that Shirley Raines is going to lose standing with the U of M community because of what goes on in the athletic department? Ohh yeah, I forgot about the number of people who only view the University of Memphis as an administrator of major college athletic teams.

adlib9 writes:

NO don't fire Bovine. He put up half his annual salary. We need to collect!

UKBloo32 writes:

Much ado about nothing....

Calapari is not under investigation and he is already being hailed as a legend in Lexington.

In only 2 months he has recruited possibly the greatest class of incoming freshman in history and has returned UK to elite status and energized an already fanatical fan base to a frenzy.

For that alone, he is a hero and a cultural icon in the bluegrass. Imagine how much larger his reputation will grow once the season begins and UK begins it's accent to the top?...

Hopefully Memphis and coach Pastner will also be a tremendous success. Congrats on landing LW! That's a great start.

Fredhtims writes:

Lordfly2 get it straight last thing we need is more rumors. The former Ladies golf coach gave players arund 3,100 in gifts. not 31k. Basic items from golfs shoes to shirts, dinners and paid for a boyfreind to come visit and allowed said boyfreind to sleep over. Once Memphis learned of the infractions she was forced out and they reported it.
The golf aligations are minor.

Our next big concern is from the Chicago sun Times stating that Derricks High changed his grades for one month. You just have to love how corrupt Chitown is period.

jab60#213936 writes:

Sir Dan the Man; I notice You read Your Comments also. Awsome job Sir Thank You...

Mainecat writes:


Just a clarification. Zeek and I were mainly arguing logic behind the NCAA letter of major violations. I was trying to tell him if you're arguing within that context, throwing WWW or other theories based on conceptions didn't hold water. Sorry for the confusion and no, I'm not weird.

I did come over here to ask more about WWW because I'm sure in the future we at UK will want to know who potentially kills our university if he is not held in check.

Mainecat writes:


You can pretty much s u c on it if you'd like. I'm not passive aggressive and I can spew vitral with anyone, but what is the sense. You jump down the throat of anyone who does that so I'm giving you and Zeek a big UF, flip it please. I'm been nothing but non-combative trying to have real discussions on this board and Kentucky's board, but you and Zeek have had major problems with me, and I believe it's mainly one of two things.

1. You can't stand the fact that I'm not a real troll, therefore you can't react.

2. You can't stand the fact that I make sense and try to be civil and argue logically. So, again, a big UF, flip it please, to you and Zeek.

Samara writes:


I am a little late to the party, but I wanted to share with you what I have heard about WWW-

He is a "broker" who has deep connections throughout college BB, not just Memphis. He is allied with major pro sports agents, and basically does their bidding for them as a "legal" liason between the top high school talent in the country and their(agents) interests in getting them "fast tracked" to the pros. He has cultivated an intricate web of relationships with both HS and AAU coaches, who steer the top talent to him, and he then negotiates with a select group of college coaches who promise to prep the players for "one and done" star making positions on their teams...then into the hands of the pro agents. Calipari is only one of the involved coaches. I don't know who they all are, but word has it that Tim Floyd is one of the other coaches, and that the OJ Mayo fiasco is WWW's work...stay tuned on that one, and good luck.

msu83 writes:

Um..ukblew32..the class was already in place on Memphis dime. You did not wait 5 years to build your program, ky bought it. And if you or any of the ky fans think Memphis is dirty..then cal must be also.

Fredhtims writes:


Must have hit a nerve or the truth of what you really are all about. Lets see what do you really talk about. Yes you tone it down but in a self rightous way telling the U of M fans that we should respect the thoughts of a UK fan who hangs out on this board because you feel since UK took our coach we would give a flip about you or your school. So yes maybe passive aggreesive is not the best term but instead a term like a Narcissistic UK fan. Yes that fits a bit better. No need to flip it b/c UK did when they hired our coach. We will have a clean program, and you well, will have Cal. Good luck.
