Thursday, April 20, 2006

Point shaving and cheating in college

Sorry, I had to write about "point shaving" so we could get more hits. LOL It seems to be a favorite subject.

When it really comes down to it this is still just a rumor. Of course the UK fans all think that UK is squeaky clean and of course all of the other fans, from institutions that shall remain nameless, think that UK is center of all that is evil in this world and that they cheating us all.

Personally, I believe that if anyone thinks any school is completely clean is a little naive. Sure we hear about the ridiculously huge cheating or rule breaking stories, but that's usually after disgruntled personnel or players blow the whistle about gifts of money or women.

I'm not going to say everybody does it, but if pushing the envelope just a little and maybe breaking the occasional rule was really frowned upon then Bob Huggins and Jim Harrick would be looking at cheating on different continents at this point. How many times have they been in trouble? Baker's dozen? Surely by now they would have worn out their U. S. coaching privileges if what they have done was actually viewed as morally or ethically reprehensible.

But no, no, no, Harrick will eventually land a job and Huggins is at Kansas State and I've heard that he's looking at landing O. J. Mayo as a recruit. Mayo was practically viewed as a god in the Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia tri-state area as an eighth grader and was a USA Today first-teamer this year. Here's his list of 10 schools from a USA Today online chat.

cincinnati, ohio: o.j have you started your college selection and what are your top choices
O.J. Mayo: I have about 9-10 choices. I like Florida A&M, Louisville, Texas, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia, Cincinnati and North Carolina. (not in any order)

But thanks to the good people at FireTubby.com who posted a link to Mayo's myspace.com site, we know that he doesn't like school. Don't believe me? I added the emphasis.

About me:
I am just a guy from North College Hill that loves sports and to hangout with friends. There isnt nothing better than home cooked meals. My favorite food is Fried Chicken. I hate school.

That mystery is solved.

The good news is that Huggins doesn't like graduating players. Heck he couldn't even graduate the benchwarmers. So, they're a match made in heaven. However, you have to wonder how Huggins could lure Mayo to Kansas State of all places. But depending on how much Mayo really hates school, that might be the place for him since he'll only have to be covered up for a year.

Anyway, no successful college is squeaky clean and some colleges that suck aren't squeaky clean either. Some infractions may be bigger than others, but no student or fan really knows because none of us are on "the inside." And the fact of the matter is, with UK, as long as you wore the uniform and sat on the bench you'll be taken care of when you graduate. So it's in a player's best interest to keep their mouth shut.

We aren't on the inside because we talk too much and can't be trusted to keep our mouth shut. Which is why we attach the term "rumor" to the possible point shaving that may or may not have been going on.

However, just because it might not ever come out still doesn't mean that it might not have actually happened.

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