Wow, this is shocking

[Tim_T]

Cal's UK team had the worst GPA of the entire athletics department at UK and the worst of all the basketball porgrams in the entire SEC.

http://www.kentucky.com/2010/05/02/1...#ixzz0mnBsVgBC

[elnutsmalljaws]

Cal's UK team had the worst GPA of the entire athletics department at UK and the worst of all the basketball porgrams in the entire SEC.

http://www.kentucky.com/2010/05/02/1...#ixzz0mnBsVgBC

But when you get 1 and done's, by the time the GPA is any issue at all they are off to the Professional circuit.

[Tim_T]

Wonderful student athlets he gets!

[MrSplitshot]

Good ole Jerry Tipton...

I'm just going to copy my post in response to all of the "Sky is Falling" responses on The Cats Pause, Tim. LOL

Florida 2.96
SC 2.82
Vandy 2.74
Alabama 2.67
GA 2.65
Ole Miss 2.4
Ark 2.33
LSU 2.15
UK 2.02

A few random thoughts...

Some kids are smarter than others when it comes to classwork. Maybe they try harder, maybe they retain information better, maybe they just care more. I think the Freshmen turning pro deal probably has less to do with it. When I was at UK, I found that Freshman level General Ed courses were sometimes more labor-intensive than higher level courses. You may not have to think as much, but the sheer workload is sometimes higher. There is a reason why the number of students in the incoming freshman class gets smaller every semester - Some can hack it, some can't.

UK Men's Tennis GPA is a mere 3 tenths of a point higher than UK Men's Basketball. Are we up in arms at the Tennis boys too? They are only 3 tenths of a point higher than those "dumb basketball players" if we are talking stereotypes.

Speaking of stereotypes, boy am I PISSED if I'm Vandy. They take crap all the time about being "the smart kids" when in fact some Gators and Gamecocks are taking the protractors out of their shirt pockets and smacking the Commodores in the forehead with them.

Bottom line: They passed. Not with flying colors, but they passed.

Of course Todd "Isn't happy" about a 2.0 GPA. What's he supposed say when asked that question? "I'm ecstatic that the team 'got by' in the classroom and kicked ass in basketball." But do you honestly think that's not what he's THINKING? Of course it is! I'll guarantee he would have been a lot more "Not Happy" if they had been a 1.9 average GPA and had some players who couldn't take the court. He has to be politically correct and say that he's upset, and Sandy Bell is upset, and Coach Cal is upset, and they are going to "work on it." They don't want to cut it down to the wire at 2.02, but I'll guarantee they would be just fine with a 2.5 average.

Why, you say? Because let's not forget why these basketball players are recruited to UK...or any other school. It aint for their eloquent use of the English language and their ability to score well on Chemistry exams.

They paid John Wall (scholarship) to come in and raise the level of basketball competition at UK by using his skills to play basketball. Check.

They paid me (scholarship) to come in and raise the level of academics at UK by using my skills to complete coursework, learn, and ace exams. Check, if I do say so myself.

I did my part. John did his part. We both gave UK what they wanted, and left UK with what we came there for. Countless others have done the same at UK, Louisville, or Southeast Missouri State...it doesn't matter. I say GO TEAM for both types of "students", whether they are students of the textbook or students of the play chart.

Keep it real. Quit trying to make these 5-Star recruits out to be students, who happen to be excellent at basketball. The occasional one is, but it's not reality. They are basketball players, for the most part, who want to "get by" in the classroom and chase dreams of making a career of basketball in the NBA. Fans, coaches, and University Presidents want to see exciting college basketball and the revenues it brings...Blue Chip Recruits want to earn life-changing dollars in the pros. Who cares if the kid struggles in Algebra? He wouldn't even be at college without basketball. College sports is a business, simple as that.

You hire a plumber to fix your crapper.
You hire a fishing guide to put you on bass at Kentucky Lake.
You hire a transmission man when the rear end goes out of your truck.

You don't recruit a 5-Star basketball phenom out of high school to bring up your GPA.

I'm perfectly fine with the athletes "getting by"...if the rule is 2.0 or greater to play, keep it at 2.0 or greater. Simple as that. Tipton is just a hometown hater that likes to spew negativity so that all of the crazy UK fans will give him attention.

[Tim_T]

Typical of sports fans across the country, blame the writer, not the folks actually putting on this charade. Sure it is all Jerry Tipton's fault, because lord knows in this day and age, we sure don't want anyone to have any personal responsibility!

I guess this part didn't bother you:

"Bell noted that UK players must have had at least a 1.8 grade-point average in the fall semester to be eligible in the spring, according to NCAA rules. Yet two UK players had GPAs below that standard: 1.667 and 1.765.

The minimum GPA requirement of 1.8 does not take effect until the start of an athlete's second year, so the 1.667 and 1.765 averages apparently belonged to players in their first years."

That should be fixed by the NCAA yesterday!

[MrSplitshot]

I don't blame Tipton at all, Tim...I don't think he said anything that wasn't fact. I just don't like his delivery and routine backhanded slaps at The University of Kentucky.

I have no problem at all with personal responsibility, but the fact is that the two kids with <1.8 GPA were freshmen and the minimum 1.8 GPA rule doesn't take effect until the start of the athlete's second year.

So a couple of freshmen athletes struggled in class. That's all there is to see there. They broke no rules, nor did Coach Cal in playing them. If everyone is up in arms about the rules, then change the rules - That falls on the NCAA. Programs will have to operate within their set of rules. As long as they do, then I don't see the call to arms for having these kid's heads on a platter for struggling in school...either because they were freshmen who didn't put forth effort because they knew they were going pro (Cousins, Bledsoe, Orton) and the NCAA's rules promote it...or because they legitimately struggled. Not everyone does well in college. I knew people going to UK on Daddy's money, driving the car that Daddy gave them, who had never worked a day in their lives - And they couldn't make a 1.8 in freshman level classes. In that instance you are either dumb, or really don't care enough to assert yourself academically...either way, college isn't for you.

The 1-Year rule that requires a kid out of high school to play a year in college before going pro is the problem. You have these stars that are good enough to get drafted to the NBA, but the NBA is forcing them into a year of college. College isn't for everyone. They are being forced to go, in order to chase their aspirations of a professional career in basketball because they are good enough. I am not going to criticize some kid straight out of the hood who has the God given ability to play lights out basketball, wants to go Pro and make some money, but can't until he sits through a year of college...that system does not promote him to give 100% effort in class and keep a high GPA.

Why do you think that 1-Year rule is in place?

It's NOT for the sake of a kid's education. It's for the NCAA's benefit, because again...college basketball is a big business and these kids are recruited to play competitive basketball, not be students with high GPAs.

If I could go pro and make a million bucks straight out of high school, I would definitely do it. I can always come back to college later and get an education, but the body won't always be able to perform like an NBA star.

It's all about the bucks...and while that may be sad, that's just the way it is. Playing in college for the love of the game, back when it was pure and these were legitimately kids going to school who were not going to have pro careers in basketball, is dying...or dead...at least for these 5-star blue-chippers.

[pontooner]

So a couple of freshmen athletes struggled in class. That's all there is to see there. They broke no rules, nor did Coach Cal in playing them. If everyone is up in arms about the rules, then change the rules - That falls on the NCAA. Programs will have to operate within their set of rules. As long as they do, then I don't see the call to arms for having these kid's heads on a platter for struggling in school...either because they were freshmen who didn't put forth effort because they knew they were going pro (Cousins, Bledsoe, Orton) and the NCAA's rules promote it...or because they legitimately struggled

Do you think Cal has role in this at all? Coaches monitor these kids grades and yes Cal did because I heard him talk about John Wall's high GPA about 100 time throught the season so I would assume he knew the other players GPA as well. Then again Cal usually doesn't know about the negative stuff that goes on in his programs so maybe I'm wrong for thinking he knew about the others GPA.

But anyway coaches sit players for grades all the time until they get them up or at least make sure they are trying but I guess UK just got a dim bucnch this time around.

Did Cal sit anyone for grades this year or ever for the matter.

Just Cal making a joke out of the term "college athelete" again.

[MrSplitshot]

Of course Cal knew their GPA and had a role in dealing with it...

But do you honestly think he would sit Cousins and Bledsoe, if they were the two freshmen with a nasty GPA, when he wasn't required to by the NCAA rules? And when he knew that they were likely going pro anyway? How well would that go over at KENTUCKY when we lost a couple of games. All of those hollering that "We need to do something about GPA" would be the same ones calling for Cal's head because he was sitting a couple of studs to prove some point about academics.

Again, the system is not setup to encourage academic performance by these one-and-done players. They come in for a year after being declared eligible, light up the stat sheet, do just enough in the fall semester to get by, and don't really have to care about academics that much. Either remove the 1 year of college requirement to go pro so that they don't enter the college ranks at all, or make them stay 3-4 years and keep up their academics for playing time once they get here. Opposite ends of the spectrum, but pick one. I would rather see the latter, because I'm selfish and I like college sports over pro sports, but the former is probably more fair on the kids with a realistic shot at looking to become pro athletes.

You don't have to go to college to become BASS Angler of the Year. Why should you have to go to college to become NBA Freshman of the Year? If they are good enough, the NBA wants them, and they want to go...let em go right out of high school.

[DJD]

Does anyone sit star players out for grades? If so what Conference and what are the GPA's? I'm curious.

[GeoFisher]

YES..........Coach Knight Routinely did..........

AND the NCAA required a 2.0 GPA........to play for Coach Knight, he REQUIRED a 3.0.

BUT integrity and academics in the game are no longer important.

[Tim_T]

Guys, this is an NCAA problem that belongs to the NBA. The one and done rule has hurt the college game more than it has helped it. kids going to college that should not be there and the only reason they are there is because of a stupid rule the NBA (who uses the college game as a free minor league) put in to help themselves in PR and the draft.

I am going to make a post in the next couple of days with Tim T's (my last name is Tipton, but not kin to Jerry) solutions to fix college basketball.

[lil skeeter]

i dont imagine that if they played for another team, lets say a red one, that this would even be a issue. they did what they had to do to play and that should be good enough for the one and dones.