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Readers Sound-Off On Their Beloved Teams
U Of L's Ellison Sparks Interest In State Fans |
Readers write and things. Sports fans. I love 'em, no matter what teams they root against...ah, for. Sometimes I hear from some of them. From Paul and Renee Willard of Shelbyville: "I read your column, but one more article is about all I can stand. I am sick and tired of reading about Kentucky, Kentucky, Kentucky. The one on Rookie Cedric Jenkins. What do you mean rookie? He's a sophomore! Most, if not all rookies are considered to be freshmen. How can he be the "Key" factor. What has he done?
"Richard Madison is the only hope Kentucky has off the bench. Let's talk about real rookies like Pervis Ellison of the Louisville Cardinals. Check his stats! Compare them to any rookie at UK.
			
		Bob Watkins Cats' Pause Columnist	
"If you insist on writing about Kentucky's fine players, you don't have much of a selection. Kenny Walker carried the team last year and will have to this year. What rookies last year scored in double figures for the Wildcats? What rookies this year are playing over 30 minutes a game and averaging 15 ponts a game? If you want to write about great rookieswatch a true rookie, Ellison. Cedric Jenkins, Robert Lock and or any Wildcat rookie or sophomore can't begin to compare to Ellison.
Watch Louisville one time and Kentucky against a Top 20 team. If you can still write only about Kentucky after that, you are a true, blue, blind, cat-head."
Comment I: Jenkins is a sophomore, however, his playing time and experience last season were minimal thus (arguably) qualifying him as a rookie. Certainly UK is counting on Jenkins to blossom this season just as UL, without Barry Sumpter, was counting on Ellison.
There is no argument that Ellison has blossomed. Through six games the 6-10 freshman is averaging 13.8 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, shooting 63.2 percent from the field, 78.6 from the foul line, had 15 blocked shots and 10 steals and had committed only five turnovers.
Amazing. Rookie-of-the-year numbers too.
Comment II: Considering Ellison's progress one wonders how (academic redshirt) Barry Sumpter fits into UL's plans with 7-1 Felton Spencer coming in next season?
Comment III: Cat head?
From Pikeville, Chris James writes: "Kentucky has always been the most liked team in the state. I, myself, like UofL. Do you think that Louisville should be known throughout Kentucky as the best team or is UK the best?"
Comment: One man's opinion: This season, talent-wise Louisville is the better team.
Popularity-wise, by most indicators the University of Kentucky still enjoys broader popular support across the state. However, some interesting signs tell us times (and chemistry) are changing.
1. Media. Louisville, because of its talent and exciting style of play, has become a hot item with television moguls. And the state's premier radio outlet, WHAS will make UofL its primary sports team next season.
2. UL's recruiting successes, winning tradition and liberal style of play, struck a chord with fans in Kentucky. Items heretofore enjoyed exclusively by UK. Louisville made big gains too when Joe B. Hall did the following:
1. Converted the Wildcats to power ball 13 years ago.
2. Refused to schedule Louisville.
Footnote: Eddie Sutton may be changing things, reverting to more a Ruppian style UK fans grew up with  man-to-man defense and hell-bent-for-leather offense.
3. UK has suffered, and may still be suffering from an image problem pointed up by a 47-year-old basketball fan in Elizabethtown who said recently: "A lot of things have changed about UK since I was growing up as an avid Wildcat fan. Word is today, if you want your kid to grow up to be a socialite, send him to UK."
The next letter comes from a UK fan who says she will miss Joe B. Hall. "He was a class act," says Virginia Harvley of Sonora, Ky.. "And I always have felt so proud of him."
Ms. Harvley writes (in part): "I'm concerned about the current flap at our University (of Kentucky). My main concern is that someone will see to it that the upcoming investigation (an internal as well as the NCAA) stops short of what I consider it's real purpose should be.
"It's my belief that Cliff Hagan is at the very roots of the entire thing. His animosity toward Coach Hall and all that's behind that animosity should be thoroughly looked intoout of a wish to vindicate the University and everyone who is connected to itJoe B. Hall included.
"Are we to believe it took 13 years for a Lexington newspaper to wake up and smell the coffee? Why has it taken all these former players 13 years to suddenly acquire a conscience? Are we to believe that only during the past 13 seasons have players received all these lucrative hand-shakers and whatever? Moreover, isn't it simply amazing that all these misdeeds just happened to occur during only the years Coach Hall was at the University? I'm no genius, nor am I brilliant, but neither did I come in on a banana boat just this morning.
"I could have strangled Cliff Hagan during our last NCAA tournament when he bowed and scraped to Herky Rupp over our seats in the arena. I have long held
him in utter contempt, but this was an outright disgrace to the Commonwealth itself. And Bob, I heard from several people who feel the same as I feel on this. People who sent requests and checks, only to have them returned because no seats were available. Herky Rupp stayed away from our ball games for all of 13 seasons. Were it not for Cliff Hagan, he'd have missed the tournament and should have missed it. Adolph Rupp, there are many Kentuckians who felt nothing short of relief when he finally was retired. Moreover, he was paid for every year he was at the University. My Lord, was he ever paid! While Mr. Harry Lancaster, a good and decent man, got none of the glory and precious little of the memory. And did much of the work!
"The NCAA has too many rules. Some of them are silly rules, some of them very bad rules. But rules they are and they should be obeyed by all those people they cover. Assuming some of those rules have been violated by former players, I think nothing can be done, by anyone, after the fact. I still believe it's Cliff Hagan's brain-child, bringing the news media in, and as a direct slap in the face to Coach Hall."
Ms. Harvley's next item is in reference to "suggestions" by other fans that I have become anti-University of Kentucky.
"I'm sorry you've 'slowly turned anti-UK.' My Lord, I must be blind and dumb. I could have sworn you're about as unbiased (in your reporting each day) as any sports reporter could be. Also, I'm such a rabid basketball fan, I'd be about the first person you'd hear from should you become anti-UofK."
Comment: Thank you for writing.
It might be a good idea of Kentucky fans such as Mrs. Harvley did not expect too much from an "internal investigation."
They said it...
College athletics, the NCAA, coaches, alumni groups, fans the sports media. We're all taking turns beating on each other these days. Presented here is one morer demonstration of chest thumping by a sports writer (Bob Ryan of Boston), followed by a few ideas by some among us who genuinely care about the well being of student/athletes, keeping perspective on the entertainment value of the games they play. A few men who are willing to offer a hand in helping clean up college sports.
Ryan: "...to be a fan of Division I college basketball is, for the average person of some education, to be a hypocrite, is it not?
"Most players on rosters of Division I basketball teams don't belong in any 4-year college that I can think of. Notice that I said most players don't belong in college. That's conservative. I should have said almost all and been closer to the truth. The entire enterprise is an elaborate charade, but we endorse it. We do it I because we are selfish. The product is enticing. It is entertaining. It is exhilerating.
"But, as I said before, I'm talking about hypocrisy. I'm talking about the infantile thought process of "boosters" who care more about bragging rights with a business associate than they do about the academic integrity of the school they profess to love."
Are things that bad?
What follows are some points of view offered by a few influential people in and out of the games.
Charles 'Jock' Sutherland, former coach and now TV basketball analyst for the University of Louisville: "The NCAA has too many rules. I'd like to see 'em throw the (rules) book away and start all over again. I would pick about 16 coaches out of Division I and sit down and make a completely new set of rules. Rules that everybody could follow."
Jack Mills, attorney and sports agent in Denver: "I don't think there's any question that recruiting is at the root of most of what ails college sports. The problems are caused by recruiting. I'd suggest 3 steps to try and eliminate these problems.
1. Prohibit alumni and friends of the program from having anything to do with recruiting.
2. Create some system to penalize coaches involved in illegal recruiting, rather than penalize the institution.
3. (Make) college presidents responsible for illegal practices. They can know as much or as little as they want to know about the athletic program, and it seems to me a lot of them don't want to know very much. They should be held responsible."
Jack Hartman, basketball coach at Kansas State: "The freshman rule is bad for student/athletes. They are not allowed to make the transition to college without the intense pressure college athletics brings."
Hartman would rescind the freshman eligible rule. "It's not that they can't play, they have proved they can. But the percentage is minimal and the attrition rate high."
Ken Hatfield, football coach at Arkansas: "The main problem with college athletics is it is always being compared to the professionals. There should be something special and unique about college athletics. An athlete should be thankful for having a scholarship and should enjoy football while preparing for his life after football. I think a scholarship should be expanded to cover some of an athlete's incidentals and it should be done without any harm to college athletics.
"Any smack of professionalism in college athletics should not be allowed. It should be reserved for when and if a young (person) finishes (the) college experience."
Seat belt rule
High school basketball's new rule to keep coaches on the bench is drawing increasing criticism.
Last week brought two interesting reactions. One from an 18-year veteran high school referee, and the other from University of Kentucky Coach Eddie Sutton.
"I don't like the rule at all," said Paul Wilson of Irvington in Breckinridge County. "I like it when the coaches are up. They don't bother me at all."
Gasp!
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