Gillispie - Money well spent

[BD80]

According to Jeff Goodman, UK outspent its competitors 3 to 1 in hiring for "speaking engagements" the father of recruit Daniel Orton.

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox/2008/10/13/KENTUCKY_COMMIT_NO_SURPRISE

Orton's credentials?


a couple years of junior college ball, a cup of coffee at Old Dominion capped off at Cameron University in Oklahoma. He’s also an assistant AAU coach on his son’s team.

And yet he gets paid the same amount as serious speakers. And Ky hired him to speak three times.

It may be time for Calhoun to share the podium as the sleaziest active coach.

[Turtleboy]

I agree that it's sleazy. However, I didn't see where in the article he stated that UK outspent it's competitors 3 to 1. He admitted he did not know how much was spent, which makes assigning a ratio problematic.

[BD80]

I agree that it's sleazy. However, I didn't see where in the article he stated that UK outspent it's competitors 3 to 1. He admitted he did not know how much was spent, which makes assigning a ratio problematic.

Billy hired him three times, competing schools only once each.

[El_Diablo]

I agree that it's sleazy. However, I didn't see where in the article he stated that UK outspent it's competitors 3 to 1. He admitted he did not know how much was spent, which makes assigning a ratio problematic.

The exact dollar-to-dollar ratio may not be 3-1, but since UK hired him to speak three times (whereas the two other schools each hired him once), the ratio is probably about 3-1.

You gotta love the comments from Wildcat supporters at the bottom of the article. My favorite:

" Goodman you are a ####!!!!! "

[gotham devil]

Putting a coach like Gillispie
in a place like Kentucky
was always going to be a dangerous cocktail

[Huh?]

Can't something be done about this?????

[Diddy]

Sadly, there is nothing wrong with this. It is not illegal. We may think it is sleazy, but to the Ivy Leagues it is probably sleazy for a brand name coach to speak for free at a high school clinic or coaches conference when said brand name coach usually charges thousands of dollars for a speaking engagement.

Sleazy is subjective, and who is anyone to judge morality. No rules were broken, and the NCAA has been effectively neutered. When was the last major sanction levied in a Revenue Sport? The NCAA is chasing the money, and the money flows when super teams are super good.

Duke recieved nothing for the Myron Piggie Correy Maggette Boondoggle. Did K know? Almost certainly not. But he probably should have known. In the law it is known as willful ignorance, and in the sports world that is a great strategy.

What about Reggie Bush at USC? They haven't given back those NC trophies, and they never will.

As long as there are no pictures of a staff member handing a kid a big wad of cash, the NCAA will look the other way.

The only reason other coaches cry about it is that it means the other coaches will have to work harder and pony up the cash to compete.

[Carlos]

When was the last major sanction levied in a Revenue Sport?

Hard to say since the new approach when caught is for schools to impose their own penalties in the hopes that the NCAA doesn't come down too hard on them. Witness what's going on at Indiana these days.

[RP_McMurphy]

Forgot to add that Billy Gillispie had a personal relationship with Mr. Orton since the late 90's as Gillispie had recruited his other son while at Baylor. So this was not a unknown person to Gillispie. So yes he got to speak a lot at Kentucky's camp. Yes he spoke of what the recruiting process entailed as the father of two recruits. Much ado about nothing if you ask me.

[BD80]

Forgot to add that Billy Gillispie had a personal relationship with Mr. Orton since the late 90's as Gillispie had recruited his other son while at Baylor. So this was not a unknown person to Gillispie. So yes he got to speak a lot at Kentucky's camp. Yes he spoke of what the recruiting process entailed as the father of two recruits. Much ado about nothing if you ask me.

You mean the older son that had been out of basketball for years, is not a top 200 level recruit, and yet now has a basketball scholarship at Kentucky? No, not illegal, but sleazy.

[RP_McMurphy]

Call Terrence Crawford a scrub. While not a NBA superstar he was a good college player and is still in the NBDL.

[BD80]

You mean the older son that had been out of basketball for years, is not a top 200 level recruit, and yet now has a basketball scholarship at Kentucky? No, not illegal, but sleazy.


Call Terrence Crawford a scrub. While not a NBA superstar he was a good college player and is still in the NBDL.

My bad, I was thinking of Xavier Henry, who's brother CJ is now a scholarship player at Memphis, after having been in baseball for several years. Complete coincidence that Xavier is Calipari's top target.

It is not a compliment that Gillespie is of the same ilk as Calipari.

[JasonEvans]

Forgot to add that Billy Gillispie had a personal relationship with Mr. Orton since the late 90's as Gillispie had recruited his other son while at Baylor. So this was not a unknown person to Gillispie. So yes he got to speak a lot at Kentucky's camp. Yes he spoke of what the recruiting process entailed as the father of two recruits. Much ado about nothing if you ask me.

I am guessing then that Billy G has had Orton's dad speak at camps for year then. After all, the father has all this wonderful perspective and knowledge about this subject. Billy surely knew about the father's expertise almost a decade ago when he first recruited the older son.

Wait, you say that the father has not been a speaker at Bill's camps for years. Hmmmm. I wonder why billy would have had him speak this year -- 3 times -- but not in the past. Is there something happening that makes this year different from the past decade?

This is unquestionably not illegal but also unquestionably appears unethical. A school and a coach that really cared about the rules would want to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. At Kentucky and for Billy Gillespie, there is no such concern.

--Jason "FWIW, if Duke ever hires an unqualified father of a recruit to appear at one of K's camps I will be equally disgusted" Evans

[BD80]

--Jason "FWIW, if Duke ever hires an unqualified father of a recruit to appear at one of K's camps I will be equally disgusted" Evans

Yeah. And it is a likely problem too. Think of the "bums" on the list of "unqualified" speaking candidates Coach K could have had:

Bob Hurley Sr.

Mike Dunleavy Sr.

Jeff Capel II

Doug Collins

Bob Ferry

Gerald Henderson (2 time NBA champion)


Coach K could also have pandered to stiffs such as:

4 time Pro Bowl running back (and Yale Grad) Calvin Hill

Olympic bronze medalist hurdler Thomas Hill Sr

Astronaut Frank Borman II

Former Sudanese menber of Parliment Aldo Deng.