SEC
Southeastern Conference's teams, coaches, style of play.
Any day now, Mississippi State could get some really good news. At least, that’s what Renardo Sidney’s lawyer thinks.
The 6-10 forward is one of the nation’s top freshmen, but he’s been in NCAA eligibility limbo because of amateurism issues rising from his family’s two-year stay in the Los Angeles area. Basically, rumors flew that they couldn’t afford that house they were living in, so someone else was paying. The family says it’s hogwash.
After a long investigation into the matter, Sidney’s lawyer says the NCAA will come to the same conclusion and clear Sidney to play.
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Via John Calipari’s Twitter account, Kentucky’s athletic department has translated Coach Cal’s speech at Big Blue Madness into eight different languages. This is not a typo.
Maybe it’s just the next step in creating an unstoppable Kentucky basketball force in a 24-7 Internet world, but … it just leaves me kind of speechless. Now Kentucky fans can see Calipari’s speech in Spanish, Kazakh, Russian, Chinese, Afrikaans, German, Arabic and American sign language.
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Those seeking a quick resolution to the questions surrounding John Wall’s eligibility won’t find any answers today. Just a lot of Internet chatter.
The mess – Wall’s former AAU coach, Brian Clifton, was once a licensed sports agent and the NCAA has questions about that relationship – will probably end up being less than a mess. More like a hiccup. Wall could miss a few games.
And it won’t loom over Kentucky’s head all season. There’s already a report that Wall will be cleared before the Wildcats’ opener against Morehead State on Nov. 13.
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This is every Kentucky fan’s worst nightmare. Kind of.
Star point guard John Wall, the nation’s top recruit, is dealing with an eligibility issue that could affect his season. SEC commissioner Mike Slive confirmed the report to ESPN.com on Thursday.
It question centers around Wall’s former AAU coach, who was a certified agent. The school has been investigating Wall’s the situation for months. Mississippi State recruit Renardo Sidney also is dealing with eligibility issues. It goes back to 2007 when Wall made two unofficial visits to the UK campus but it’s unclear how much money he may owe for the visit.
Slive says the NCAA’s agents, not NCAA enforcement, is handling the investigation.
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Without even coaching a game, John Calipari’s given Kentucky basketball fans everything they could want.
National attention. A recruiting class for the ages. Making himself accessible to fans and generally being an exceptional ambassador for the program.
And somehow, Calipari keeps topping himself. The response to his speech at Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness has already reached mythical proportions among the Big Blue Nation.
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Plenty of fan bases – Kansas, Duke, Indiana, UNC – go nuts for their schools. But I’m with The Dagger on this one: Kentucky fans just go above and beyond.
Big Blue Madness, the school’s annual midnight scrimmage, is set for Oct. 16. Tickets go on sale Oct. 3 at 6 a.m. ET. Fans are camping out en masse for those tickets – and have been for days.
Wow. That’s equal parts devotion, excitement and a little bit crazy. Even new coach John Calipari is blown away by the number of tents filled with fans.
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Tennessee isn’t messing around when it comes to Emmanuel Negedu’s basketball career.
Regardless of what the Vols need on the court – like a promising 6-7 forward – docs must have told coach Bruce Pearl just how serious hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be.
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It’s not summer heat John Pelphrey’s feeling in Arkansas. That’s good ol’ fashioned job pressure.
Any grace Pelphrey earned during his first season in Fayetteville (a 23-12 record and NCAA tourney berth) is quickly disappearing. His team dropped to 16-14 last season – ending on a 2-15 skid! – and has dealt with some serious attrition issues.
More fuel for the fire came when former guard Patrick Beverley said he had a paper written for him while in school. And, earlier this season, the NCAA notified the program that its academic-progress rate was too low.
The latest mess?
Three players were recently investigated for allegedly raping a woman at a party. They won’t face any charges, but it’s the kind of news that only hurts a team, especially when it has other issues.
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Say this for Kevin Stallings: he’s a man of principle.
The Vanderbilt coach passed on a $100,000 raise to fund his team’s 10-day trip to Australia earlier this month. The school had made cuts of up to 20 percent this spring, leaving the trip in jeopardy. But Stallings decided the money would be better spent on his team.
I’d like to think most coaches would do the same, but I’m not sure. That’s a chunk of change. But maybe Stallings just understands how money should be spent.
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Jarvis Varnado may be the ultimate team player, what with his help defense and shot blocking.
And what had been a memorable summer – making Team USA for the University Games and being listed as a preseason Wooden Award candidate – got even better because it could ensure Miss State having a big season in 2009-10.
He’ll pay his own tuition this year so another Bulldog player can have his scholarship.
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