WOW FACTOR!

Saw a link on Seton Hall Board from HallDan that led to one of the most interesting stories I have seen this year. Ray Mernagh in his blog said many of the things we tend to whisper about for years. At last someone says what he thinks. If you really have read my blogs I have said some similar things without ever mentioning names. All I can say is this is a major reason certain high D1 schools will never be able to win a conference championship, or seriously compete for the NCAA title. Yes the reason is cheating, and alot of schools do it. It is much harder for some to do than others. And in a system where there is not a coaching tenure system, coaches do all they can to stay employed because they can be fired even after 26 years at a school that would never compete for a NCAA championship even if it hit them in the face, based on budget, facility, and financial issues.

We can cheer for good ole U, but keep in mind the difference in money spent that is not reported in an effort to get great recruits would surprise you. A great, not good, great example is a month ago I recieved a phone call from a very good person who works very hard surrounded by Kentucky, and Memphis Boasters in his everyday job. I mean these guys live and die for those teams despite being strong religious men. For years I have asked my buddy, who again is a great guy, to seek out venture capital dollars from his very rich friends for a project I am working on. So when he called I thought it was about my project. It was not! Those guys wanted to know what they had to do to get Lance Stephenson to attend Memphis! Now keep in mind they were net affiliated with the university, just rich fans. I do not even know Lance Stephenson, and if I did I would not be brokering any illegal deals. I guess my buddy gave them the impression I knew some people lol. By the way I hung up on them although I did call my buddy back later to apologize. Plus it might have been all talk!

But that's the passion of fans at big money schools all over America. They live and die by the wins and losses. When a team like SHU gets to the Championship game at the final four it is a HUGE accomplishment. It was almost like Hoosiers! No knock on SHU, who really draws well at the Pru (And it should be better this year), but more a knock on the huge cheating programs in the country that have made it hard to get the truly elite players to attend Regular high D1 programs unless that program hires the HS coach, AAU coach, Advisor, etc. Because the new College Basketball is really a huge business and even Sam Gilbert who did get in trouble with his UCLA involvement could not compete with many of today's boosters, the playing field has become very uneven.

FDU Update

Seems the AD at FDU is interviewing the 3 assistant coaches at the school for the position of interim head coach. Rumor has it that all 3 will be employed regardless, but if that interim person does not do a good job a certain coach might be there in the very near future depending on .. . . . . . . !

Now I know who is most qualified. That does not mean this candidate will have the strongest people calling for him. It means he is best the equipped out of the 3 to get the job done. But when certain folks call, others listen. A call from certain power brokers in the AAU/Sneaker world can do wonders for a career. All 3 guys are good folks but this position requires marketing insight as well as coaching and recruitment ability with a strong connect to the tri-state area.

Lets see how this plays out. My fingers are itching on this one and I hope it is done right!