Memphis is being forced to vacate its 2008 Final Four appearance that featured freshman sensation and future No. 1 pick Derrick Rose and Jon Calipari. Somehow I’m not surprised, rumors surfaced months ago about Rose’s eligibility and where there’s smoke there’s typically fire. Memphis now has to face the indignity of having its lone Final Four appearance for an awful long time stripped from its grasp. A Final Four appearance that ultimately could have been a Memphis National Championship has become a black eye on college basketball. Imagine stripping National Championship rings, banners, shirts, and honor from this university. Imagine Memphis basketball fans ashamed of the “accomplishments” of their team, because they had one (albeit the best player in the country that year) ineligible.
Four things upset me about this.
1) Derrick Rose should have never stepped on that campus for an official visit, unofficial visit, recruiting trip, and for damn sure not to play basketball. Derrick Rose knew after his junior year of high school he was going to play one year at some college and be in the NBA the next season. It’s a shame he was forced to pretend to be a student-athlete at Memphis, when his sole focus was going to the NBA.
2) Kentucky basketball. Coach Calipari is now at the University of Kentucky. It is only a matter of time before he has the program up and ready to contend for a National Championship. Likewise, it is only a matter of time before he has that program up and ready to snatch more banners and vacate more wins. Calipari has been at two universities with two Final Four appearances and he has two vacated Final Fours. Kentucky fans may be excited about this March and the prospects of winning a National Championship. I will be disappointed when a year from this March when it comes out that they have to vacate all the wins and potential accolades from their season.
3) The look on College basketball. College sports in general actually. We want to believe these are college students playing the sport they love. We want to believe that these players are doing things the right way. What would should see is that these amateurs are taken advantage of from the precise moment it appears that any of them can become professionals. They are used and led to mistakes that benefit their handlers more than themselves.
4) The worst part about all of it is that it doesn’t matter. It’s all about money and entertainment in the long run. Derrick Rose and Jon Calipari brought more fame and money to the University of Memphis than any of its students or faculty. You think the president of the university is really upset about this when he/she has a couple extra million in the school’s account? Highly doubt it.
My solution: Let high school players enter the NBDL Draft and play one or more seasons in the developmental league. This will eliminate those players that truly want to go to school and be a student athlete from those that do not.
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