Kentucky lands their 6th 5* of the 2013 class...

[CrazyforNUHOOPS]

And the money isn't coming from the university.  It's coming from boosters who live in the South where paying recruits is accepted and a way of life.  It's been done for decades.

This is correct. Money doesn't come the universities, but, like in "Blue Chips", it comes from "friends of the program". You can take it to the bank that these kids going to Kentucky are costing someone a hefty amount of money.

[Hooper]

 

If these guys were getting paid it would have been discovered already.  You don't think that with his previous NCAA violations that the NCAA isn't watching the program like a hawk?

 

Cal is a great recruiter and has proven that he can win and get players into the NBA.  That is why all these talented players are coming to him.  Not because he is handing out $100 bill handshakes.

 

Are you serious? The NCAA is overwhelmed. They can't begin to police this stuff. SEC cheating especially is rampant. Alabama scholarship football players are getting a minimum of $10k-$30k per year. Much of it is funneled through churches. It's totally out of control.

 

You're telling me that six NBA-type kids in one year, all 5-star recruits, want to play at Kentucky, knowing how hard it will be to get playing time, in addition to the guys who are already there? That's really hard for me to believe. These guys are each getting $100k plus.

 

You seriously think that Alabama is paying 85 guys $10,000-$30,000 a year?  That's $850,000 - $2,550,000 a year at a minimum.  Do you understand what you just said?  Whatever your drinking/smoking you need to put it down.

 

Yeah I'm telling you that good players want to go to a school where they can win, play for a year, and then go to the NBA.  Yeah that never happens.  Players only go where the money is.  That means that Louisville must have offered Akoy more money than Nebraska could.

 

I'm not going to argue with you Gov, because I honestly don't believe you're well informed about the issue of paying players in the SEC and elsewhere. I've been told too much from people who've been involved with this stuff to believe it's not rampant, and the info I have on Bama comes from a very good source. We had a football player transfer to Tennessee in the late-90s. You should hear what he had to say about what goes on there. 

 

I happen to know firsthand that Le Kevin Smith, the DT from Georgia, had to eliminate Auburn from consideration after they gave him a gold watch on his visit and he and his coach reported it to the NCAA. And that's just a very minor example.

 

Some reliable Alabama info:

 

Every player is paid, both up-front and on-going. Players with kids get more cash. If it can be given directly to them, they will do so, otherwise a popular way to funnel money is through the kid's churches and giving it to their family (church gets a little donation in order to "help out."). Known amounts vary between $10k to $30k. Every player gets something -- no exceptions. Most of the SEC operates the same and turns a blind eye to each other because they are all guilty of breaking the rules. 

 

 

The cheating in basketball is as bad or worse than what goes on in football. 

[cipsucks]

  Don't get all twisted when I say this, but he's the closest thing I've seen to a physical specimen rivaling LBJ. 

LBJ was definately imposing.  A lot of congressmen were strong-armed to vote for his Great Society....

[49r]

Whether it's legit or not, UK is going to have signed 6 of the top 18 High School kids in the country this year.  That is impressive.  I heard something on the radio today that they'll end up with 11 McD's AA's on their roster for 2013-14.

[TheGov21]

 

 

If these guys were getting paid it would have been discovered already.  You don't think that with his previous NCAA violations that the NCAA isn't watching the program like a hawk?

 

Cal is a great recruiter and has proven that he can win and get players into the NBA.  That is why all these talented players are coming to him.  Not because he is handing out $100 bill handshakes.

 

Are you serious? The NCAA is overwhelmed. They can't begin to police this stuff. SEC cheating especially is rampant. Alabama scholarship football players are getting a minimum of $10k-$30k per year. Much of it is funneled through churches. It's totally out of control.

 

You're telling me that six NBA-type kids in one year, all 5-star recruits, want to play at Kentucky, knowing how hard it will be to get playing time, in addition to the guys who are already there? That's really hard for me to believe. These guys are each getting $100k plus.

 

You seriously think that Alabama is paying 85 guys $10,000-$30,000 a year?  That's $850,000 - $2,550,000 a year at a minimum.  Do you understand what you just said?  Whatever your drinking/smoking you need to put it down.

 

Yeah I'm telling you that good players want to go to a school where they can win, play for a year, and then go to the NBA.  Yeah that never happens.  Players only go where the money is.  That means that Louisville must have offered Akoy more money than Nebraska could.

 

I'm not going to argue with you Gov, because I honestly don't believe you're well informed about the issue of paying players in the SEC and elsewhere. I've been told too much from people who've been involved with this stuff to believe it's not rampant, and the info I have on Bama comes from a very good source. We had a football player transfer to Tennessee in the late-90s. You should hear what he had to say about what goes on there. 

 

I happen to know firsthand that Le Kevin Smith, the DT from Georgia, had to eliminate Auburn from consideration after they gave him a gold watch on his visit and he and his coach reported it to the NCAA. And that's just a very minor example.

 

Some reliable Alabama info:

 

Every player is paid, both up-front and on-going. Players with kids get more cash. If it can be given directly to them, they will do so, otherwise a popular way to funnel money is through the kid's churches and giving it to their family (church gets a little donation in order to "help out."). Known amounts vary between $10k to $30k. Every player gets something -- no exceptions. Most of the SEC operates the same and turns a blind eye to each other because they are all guilty of breaking the rules. 

 

 

The cheating in basketball is as bad or worse than what goes on in football. 

 

I don't think your as well informed as you think you are.  Do some players get some money from boosters.  Yeah.  That's happen for a long time in multiple sports and it's well documented.  

 

But to think that boosters or schools are paying every single scholarship player at a school is just ridiculous.  Alabama is getting so much talent because players want to play for a winning program, Alabama is sending tons of players to the NFL, and Nick Saban is one heck of a good coach.  Is some funny business going on down there?  I'm sure there is some, but to say that every single scholarship player is getting paid is just flat out dumb.

[Hooper]

 

 

 

If these guys were getting paid it would have been discovered already.  You don't think that with his previous NCAA violations that the NCAA isn't watching the program like a hawk?

 

Cal is a great recruiter and has proven that he can win and get players into the NBA.  That is why all these talented players are coming to him.  Not because he is handing out $100 bill handshakes.

 

Are you serious? The NCAA is overwhelmed. They can't begin to police this stuff. SEC cheating especially is rampant. Alabama scholarship football players are getting a minimum of $10k-$30k per year. Much of it is funneled through churches. It's totally out of control.

 

You're telling me that six NBA-type kids in one year, all 5-star recruits, want to play at Kentucky, knowing how hard it will be to get playing time, in addition to the guys who are already there? That's really hard for me to believe. These guys are each getting $100k plus.

 

You seriously think that Alabama is paying 85 guys $10,000-$30,000 a year?  That's $850,000 - $2,550,000 a year at a minimum.  Do you understand what you just said?  Whatever your drinking/smoking you need to put it down.

 

Yeah I'm telling you that good players want to go to a school where they can win, play for a year, and then go to the NBA.  Yeah that never happens.  Players only go where the money is.  That means that Louisville must have offered Akoy more money than Nebraska could.

 

I'm not going to argue with you Gov, because I honestly don't believe you're well informed about the issue of paying players in the SEC and elsewhere. I've been told too much from people who've been involved with this stuff to believe it's not rampant, and the info I have on Bama comes from a very good source. We had a football player transfer to Tennessee in the late-90s. You should hear what he had to say about what goes on there. 

 

I happen to know firsthand that Le Kevin Smith, the DT from Georgia, had to eliminate Auburn from consideration after they gave him a gold watch on his visit and he and his coach reported it to the NCAA. And that's just a very minor example.

 

Some reliable Alabama info:

 

Every player is paid, both up-front and on-going. Players with kids get more cash. If it can be given directly to them, they will do so, otherwise a popular way to funnel money is through the kid's churches and giving it to their family (church gets a little donation in order to "help out."). Known amounts vary between $10k to $30k. Every player gets something -- no exceptions. Most of the SEC operates the same and turns a blind eye to each other because they are all guilty of breaking the rules. 

 

 

The cheating in basketball is as bad or worse than what goes on in football. 

 

I don't think your as well informed as you think you are.  Do some players get some money from boosters.  Yeah.  That's happen for a long time in multiple sports and it's well documented.  

 

But to think that boosters or schools are paying every single scholarship player at a school is just ridiculous.  Alabama is getting so much talent because players want to play for a winning program, Alabama is sending tons of players to the NFL, and Nick Saban is one heck of a good coach.  Is some funny business going on down there?  I'm sure there is some, but to say that every single scholarship player is getting paid is just flat out dumb.

 

This is my last post on this issue. You're entitled to believe whatever you want, but I'm bringing actual information, while you're the one who's speculating. You can call my statements "flat out dumb" and call me uninformed, but I'm confident in the information and what I said. I'm not saying everyone at Bama is getting a ton of dough, but everyone gets something, even if it's only a few grand. Of course the long snapper isn't getting the same money that guys like Julio Jones and Trent Richardson get.

[hskr4life]

This board is going to get the entire South Eastern Conference the death penality!

[HuskerFever]

 

 

 

 

If these guys were getting paid it would have been discovered already.  You don't think that with his previous NCAA violations that the NCAA isn't watching the program like a hawk?

 

Cal is a great recruiter and has proven that he can win and get players into the NBA.  That is why all these talented players are coming to him.  Not because he is handing out $100 bill handshakes.

 

Are you serious? The NCAA is overwhelmed. They can't begin to police this stuff. SEC cheating especially is rampant. Alabama scholarship football players are getting a minimum of $10k-$30k per year. Much of it is funneled through churches. It's totally out of control.

 

You're telling me that six NBA-type kids in one year, all 5-star recruits, want to play at Kentucky, knowing how hard it will be to get playing time, in addition to the guys who are already there? That's really hard for me to believe. These guys are each getting $100k plus.

 

You seriously think that Alabama is paying 85 guys $10,000-$30,000 a year?  That's $850,000 - $2,550,000 a year at a minimum.  Do you understand what you just said?  Whatever your drinking/smoking you need to put it down.

 

Yeah I'm telling you that good players want to go to a school where they can win, play for a year, and then go to the NBA.  Yeah that never happens.  Players only go where the money is.  That means that Louisville must have offered Akoy more money than Nebraska could.

 

I'm not going to argue with you Gov, because I honestly don't believe you're well informed about the issue of paying players in the SEC and elsewhere. I've been told too much from people who've been involved with this stuff to believe it's not rampant, and the info I have on Bama comes from a very good source. We had a football player transfer to Tennessee in the late-90s. You should hear what he had to say about what goes on there. 

 

I happen to know firsthand that Le Kevin Smith, the DT from Georgia, had to eliminate Auburn from consideration after they gave him a gold watch on his visit and he and his coach reported it to the NCAA. And that's just a very minor example.

 

Some reliable Alabama info:

 

Every player is paid, both up-front and on-going. Players with kids get more cash. If it can be given directly to them, they will do so, otherwise a popular way to funnel money is through the kid's churches and giving it to their family (church gets a little donation in order to "help out."). Known amounts vary between $10k to $30k. Every player gets something -- no exceptions. Most of the SEC operates the same and turns a blind eye to each other because they are all guilty of breaking the rules. 

 

 

The cheating in basketball is as bad or worse than what goes on in football. 

 

I don't think your as well informed as you think you are.  Do some players get some money from boosters.  Yeah.  That's happen for a long time in multiple sports and it's well documented.  

 

But to think that boosters or schools are paying every single scholarship player at a school is just ridiculous.  Alabama is getting so much talent because players want to play for a winning program, Alabama is sending tons of players to the NFL, and Nick Saban is one heck of a good coach.  Is some funny business going on down there?  I'm sure there is some, but to say that every single scholarship player is getting paid is just flat out dumb.

 

This is my last post on this issue. You're entitled to believe whatever you want, but I'm bringing actual information, while you're the one who's speculating. You can call my statements "flat out dumb" and call me uninformed, but I'm confident in the information and what I said. I'm not saying everyone at Bama is getting a ton of dough, but everyone gets something, even if it's only a few grand. Of course the long snapper isn't getting the same money that guys like Julio Jones and Trent Richardson get.

 

[lang]

Whether it's legit or not, UK is going to have signed 6 of the top 18 High School kids in the country this year.  That is impressive.  I heard something on the radio today that they'll end up with 11 McD's AA's on their roster for 2013-14.

I wonder how he is going to keep all of them happy with enough PT ?

[AuroranHusker]

  Don't get all twisted when I say this, but he's the closest thing I've seen to a physical specimen rivaling LBJ. 

LBJ was definately imposing.  A lot of congressmen were strong-armed to vote for his Great Society....

 

Doesn't seem like the kind of New Deal to get punk'd over... 

[bison husker]

 

Kentucky has become a place where you can make some quick cash and play on a good team for a year or two while you wait for the NBA to call your name. It's just a bunch of mercenaries playing for themselves with no concept of team. It warmed my heart to see them go down in flames last night.

 

Umm, they won the national title last year...

 

Hey, I'm not saying it's not a viable model for building a team if you can do it. I feel it's unquestionably boom or bust though, as you saw how far Kentucky fell once their mercenaries from last year left.

 

It's the kind of model where you could win a national title one year if everything comes together, and then be a train wreck the next year, and managing all of those egos and demands for playing time is not easy. The annual turnover makes it hard to build a cohesive unit, but in Calipari's case, the talent level is so great at times that it overcomes any other deficiencies.

 

Obviously, Nebraska will never be that type of team, not by choice, but simply because we're not capable of landing that type of player outside of rare circumstances.

 

I'm jealous of Kentucky basketball for sure, but I don't like the one-and-done rent-a-mercenary culture, and no team exemplifies that culture more than Kentucky.

It is not Kentucky's fault they get one and done players.  That is the NCAA as they need to make it like football and baseball once you step on campus you have to be there 3 years or the NBA needs to let them go pro out of HS.

[bison husker]

I was told by a D1 coach that Calipari pays his players through an agent. The agent actually pays the players with the agreement that the players return to him when they go pro. Is this true, or sour grapes? I don't know. He even told me the name of the agent but I can't remember who it was now.

BS or he would drop a name to the NCAA

[bison husker]

If these guys were getting paid it would have been discovered already.  You don't think that with his previous NCAA violations that the NCAA isn't watching the program like a hawk?

 

Cal is a great recruiter and has proven that he can win and get players into the NBA.  That is why all these talented players are coming to him.  Not because he is handing out $100 bill handshakes.

 

Are you serious? The NCAA is overwhelmed. They can't begin to police this stuff. SEC cheating especially is rampant. Alabama scholarship football players are getting a minimum of $10k-$30k per year. Much of it is funneled through churches. It's totally out of control.

 

You're telling me that six NBA-type kids in one year, all 5-star recruits, want to play at Kentucky, knowing how hard it will be to get playing time, in addition to the guys who are already there? That's really hard for me to believe. These guys are each getting $100k plus.

You are so full of it.....no way this would stay quiet.....ppl believe the only way you win is pay players......So I ASSume when we start winning we have to be paying players too as we have sucked for so long no way we can win without paying players too.

[bison husker]

I coached against Randle in AAU, their team Texas Titans has a billionaire booster traveling all over the country and free for the top kids to play for them and he pays college coaches to coach them Jeff Webster from OU is one of the assistants....any way when he was in 6th grade he was already 6' and stole the ball went around his back to his left hand and layed it up hitting the back board with his hand almost dunked then and I just turned to coach and said we have nobody that can do that.

[CrazyforNUHOOPS]

You people that don't believe the reason Kentucky is getting these players is because of money are extremely naive. Wake up, it's not just the culture of the SEC, it's the culture of college basketball.

[basketballjones]

Wiggins > Randle... But they're different players, of course. 

 

For comedy sake - take a look at Wiggins Prep team roster, http://rivals.yahoo.com/nebraska/basketball/recruiting/recruit-search-results;_ylt=Alf_3PWXQXMZmpXh15w_6TJVs5B4?sport=basketball&year=2013&highschool_text=Huntington+Prep&highschools=23324&state=West+Virginia

 

[atskooc]

7'3" 300lbs...damn!

[Silverbacked1]

Andre was bigger.

[nebrasketball10]

 

If these guys were getting paid it would have been discovered already.  You don't think that with his previous NCAA violations that the NCAA isn't watching the program like a hawk?

 

Cal is a great recruiter and has proven that he can win and get players into the NBA.  That is why all these talented players are coming to him.  Not because he is handing out $100 bill handshakes.

 

Are you serious? The NCAA is overwhelmed. They can't begin to police this stuff. SEC cheating especially is rampant. Alabama scholarship football players are getting a minimum of $10k-$30k per year. Much of it is funneled through churches. It's totally out of control.

 

You're telling me that six NBA-type kids in one year, all 5-star recruits, want to play at Kentucky, knowing how hard it will be to get playing time, in addition to the guys who are already there? That's really hard for me to believe. These guys are each getting $100k plus.

You are so full of it.....no way this would stay quiet.....ppl believe the only way you win is pay players......So I ASSume when we start winning we have to be paying players too as we have sucked for so long no way we can win without paying players too.

 

Not saying it's the only way. Saying it's a prominent way.

[colhusker]

7 recruits in a class?  Is he expecting a mass exodus yet again this year?  What if only the few SR he has go?  At what point does not graduating players kick in and cost him tournament time?

[FredsSlacks]

Cal can do whatever he wants. If the NCAA brings the hammer, he knows there will be another big time job waiting for him.

 

He is one of the few coaches that can build a final 4 team in 1 year. Some NCAA teams are ok with a couple years of sanctions if it can bring a national title.

[GoBigRed]

If these guys were getting paid it would have been discovered already.  You don't think that with his previous NCAA violations that the NCAA isn't watching the program like a hawk?

 

Cal is a great recruiter and has proven that he can win and get players into the NBA.  That is why all these talented players are coming to him.  Not because he is handing out $100 bill handshakes.

 

Lol. I hope this is sarcasm.

[GoBigRed]

After continuing reading, clearly it's not sarcasm.

 

Straight from a DI coach I know, most of the top recruits in the country are getting paid to go to the schools they go to (some names might be surprising to you, you've probably heard of them). It's really not arguable. It's a fact. The NCAA doesn't police all of it because they know many schools cheat. Kentucky isn't the only one, they just do it the best. If the NCAA wanted to stop all of it, all of these schools would just secede from the NCAA. Bye bye $$$.

[GoBigRed]

7 recruits in a class?  Is he expecting a mass exodus yet again this year?  What if only the few SR he has go?  At what point does not graduating players kick in and cost him tournament time?

 

I could be wrong, but I thought if players end up in the NBA they don't count against the APR. Is that true or false?

[BigTexHusker]

Randle is a monster.  Doesn't have the same game as LeBron, but is equally imposing and dominant at the HS level.  Don't get all twisted when I say this, but he's the closest thing I've seen to a physical specimen rivaling LBJ.  I know he's NOT LeBron, and I don't think his ceiling is as high, but d*** this kid is off the charts impressive.  Been around him and watching him play since he was in the fourth grade.

 

I know "one and done" and "future lottery pick" are monikers that routinely get hung around the necks of nearly every 5* player in every class, but mark my words, he IS every bit each of those.

 

If we can ever become a traditional contender in the B1G, I'm not so sure we can't start to lure some of these type guys to Huskerland.  Lincoln and Lexington are very similar, our facilities are very similar, and our fan base has the potential to be very similar.  Not out of the realm of possibilities given the right set of circumstances.

 

Aside from dealing money under the table, we could be attractive to a prospect in much the same way as UK is to prospects, given the right dominoes falling.

 

 

must not have seen Andrew Wiggins play yet.  He is graduating HS a year early just so he can get to the NBA draft a year early.  Draftexpress.com said he would've been the #1 pick last year as a sophomore in high school, especially after destroying Team USA at the Hoops Summit.  Having watched him 3 times in person I can agree. Oh and kentucky is in his final 4 with UNC, KU< and FSU where his dad went

 

 

Thanks for the vid and short bio Kamdy, but I'm very familiar with Mr. Wiggins, and have seen him play as well.  I'm assuming you're implying that you disagree about JR being the closest thing to the physicality of LBJ?  I also assume you believe AW is the closest thing physically to LBJ?

 

If so, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because I don't see AW the same way I see LBJ.  They do have similar skill sets; however, they utilize them in different ways IMO.  AW is silky smooth.  LBJ is power personified.  Both are hellacious athletes; however, I don't think LBJ is as fluid in his hips as AW, and I don't think AW will ever be as broad and powerful as LBJ.

 

In my humble opinion, AW reminds me more of Vince Carter.  But I've definitely seen AW, and fully considered him when I made the above statement.