SouthEastern Wildcat Review

So, before John Calipari was hired at Kentucky, how many of you had the same opinion as Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio? Not that there is anything wrong with jumping on the bandwagon, tons of sports fans do it all the time. The only thing I hate is the fan who in the wake of the new "it" team winning big proclaiming to all that "Oh, I have liked them for a long time now, you didn't know that?" Or in the same category, the fan who hates/has a problem with the way a player or coach goes about their business until the moment that person becomes a member of their favorite team. But again, nothing at all wrong with it (except the aggravation bestowed upon the bandwagon jumper's friends/family) as long the reasons for the change of heart are explained. For example, how about this little nugget posted by moderator Matt Jones of KSR:

"Kansas vs Memphis….it is time for Kansas to win another. Memphis is a great team, but I simply cant pull for Calipari and the way he runs a program. Rock Chalk Jayhawk…."

Now in case you're wondering, this was posted on April 5, 2008 after the national semifinal game of UCLA versus Memphis. In the comments section of that same post, read for yourself this little exchange:

1.Cat Fan Says:
April 5th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Go Tigers. Memphis is absolutely loaded.

2.Cat Fan Says:
April 5th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Not sure why everyone wants to pile on Cal. He can absolutely get the best players in the country to come to Memphis and he plays an exciting brand of basketball.

3.Matt Jones Says:
April 6th, 2008 at 12:01 am
All the while running one of the dirtiest programs in America….

4.Wildcat81 Says:
April 6th, 2008 at 12:06 am
3) Matt you r dead on!

Again, I want to emphasize that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and also entitled to change their opinion. Also notice that poster Wildcat81 agrees with Mr. Jones' thoughts, as do quite a few more posters in the thread. But the negativity continues:

Matt Jones Says:
April 6th, 2008 at 12:57 am
I am not going to make a post on the subject. But travel in recruiting circles and you won’t find anyone who thinks that program is clean. You are free to have any feeling about Calipari u wish but I am not a fan of his tactics on building a program.

OK, again perfectly fine to speak your mind, especially if it's on your own blog (I mean, what do you think I do here?) Let's check and see if there are any more....

The Final Four kicks off tonight with the UCLA Championships playing the Memphis Arrest Warrants.

That one was a little earlier in the day in a post previewing the Final Four matchups. While not a direct shot at Calipari, it definitely alludes to a perceived lack of discipline in his program. Maybe I'm wrong, Lord knows I could make a career doing that, but how about this one:

You just knew it was gonna happen deep down. Karma is a weird thing and it strikes at weird times and you just couldnt imagine that Memphis would really be allowed to win a national title. With a team full of players that had run-ins with the authorities, after the fight earlier this season at UAB, after their constant problems with free throw shooting and Coach Calipari’s mocking of it as an issue and the coach’s less than stellar reputation with the NCAA, you just HAD to think that it would catch up with them.

As for Memphis, you just knew this would happen. All year, they have laughed in the face of those who said you didnt need to hit free throws to win, and it was those free throws that lost the game. I make jokes about this Memphis team and I do have some problems with how Calipari runs his program.

Digging back a little further in the KSR archives produced this comment in a post previewing the 1st round matchup of Memphis and the University of Texas at Arlington:

March 18 2008
Game One
Starting out- you have Memphis playing the University of Texas at Arlington. Think of this 1 vs. 16 match up much like you would Coaches vs. Cancer: as much as you would like to see the upset here, you already know the outcome. While University of T at A boasts a recent Southland Conference Championship and an upcoming performance of Aladdin in Texas Hall, they are playing Memphis in Little Rock, Arkansas. The smell of unsolved homicides may distract UTA but surely not the fine fellows of Tunica East.

Again with the suggestion (albeit jokingly) that Calipari allows murderers on his teams. OK, now let's go forward six months to December 11, 2008 when Jones made a post listing his version of UK's top ten current rivalries:

10 UK rivalries
(8) Memphis: EDITED…..Because now I love Calipari!

Because now he loves Calipari. I would love to know what opinion he had then, but alas it has been changed for all time. [EDIT BY ROB: Obviously there has been some confusion here, I should have clarified. This post was apparently edited by MJ to remove some negative comment he had there against Cal when he originally wrote the post. I don't have the original post and have no idea what it said. Common sense tells me it was something negative.] Now fast forward to the eve of the press conference at the Joe Craft Center announcing the hire of John Calipari as the new head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats:

What a day! Actually forget about a day….what a week! Remember where we were just five days ago? We had just gotten rid of a controversial coach in a bizarre scene that left no one with a smile on their face and questions as to who could be the coach for a program that looked to be in turmoil. Now five days letter, and as Gregg Doyel suggests in this article, the Kentucky basketball juggernaut is back! Since the first inkling that I received on Saturday afternoon that this could happen occurred, I have been afraid to get too excited. There simply cant be a better marriage than Kentucky basketball and John Calipari. A charismatic winner who is dying to take a place among college basketball’s all-time elites joins a program that needs reassurance it is the best in the land. A perfect marriage and one that is exhilirating for the Big Blue Nation.

As you can tell, I cant wait. I am getting up at 6:30 am to get there early and get ready. I hate mornings but I am not going to hate tomorrow morning. UK basketball as I know it is back….and I could not be happier. Dont believe me? Then read what Calipari said to the AD at Memphis when he asked how much money Calipari needed:

“You don’t have to give me anymore. It’s Kentucky.”

Once again, it certainly is…..

This post was made on March 31, 2009 and it echoed my feelings about the Cal hire exactly. The only thing I'm curious about is at what point did his feelings change from he runs one of the dirtiest programs in America to a perfect marraige?

There was a guy I used to work with that was the epitome of a bandwagon jumper. No matter what team won the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or NCAA Championship, he had loved them for YEARS!! He would talk about past games and quote player stats, most of which were way off base, and we would have a nice chuckle at his expense. Even when called out that just a few weeks or months earlier he had said team so-and-so was his favorite, his defense was always that we didn't hear him correctly. Defend and deny, his motto to the bitter end.

Not that I am trying to compare Matt to this guy, I don't know Matt or anything about him, other than he has a great site that is probably the most visited UK site on the web. If the only thing that made him change his feelings about Cal was his move from Memphis to Kentucky, fine. Like I said earlier, everyone is entitled to their opinions and to change them at any given time. It's just as popular as he is and his site is, I would love to see a post explaining the change of heart. I would be willing to wager a guess that many, many 'Cat fans out there thought Cal to be a sleazy coach until UK hired him. I know a lot of people I know did. But I'm sure that bandwagon jumping has been around since the dawn of sports, and it will no doubt continue to be a popular practice.

I just want to go on record stating that now and forevermore, my teams are as follows:

1. The Almighty Kentucky Wildcats
2. The Atlanta Braves
3. The Detroit Pistons
4. The Dallas Cowboys

And that's the end. Maybe Matt will grant us an explantion, maybe not. He definitely doesn't have to, as my little site is nothing compared to the monster he has built, but it would be nice to satisfy my curiousity. See you guys tomorrow I will have some more great stuff up in the morning!! Have a good weekend!

YouTube user ukcat8fan continues to put out quality Kentucky highlight videos. This one is his list of the ten biggest clutch plays in UK history:

I have to say that I can't argue at all with any of these. He does an excellent job, check out his channel on YouTube, he has quite a few more like this one. I really could watch these over and over and over.
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I used to think that summer recruiting was one of the best times of year to be a college coach. You don't yet have the pressures of the season, and you get to travel all over the country doing nothing but watching high school players trying to one-up each other and make a bigger name for themselves. After listening to Coach Cal's numerous diatribes on the subject, I must say that I agree with his stance on eliminating summer recruiting. To me it makes total sense to put the recruiting back into the high schools, as that was the norm for many many years, and things had a way of working out then. My the times, how they have changed! Now onto the various goings-on around the UK universe.....
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Please don't let these rumors turn out to be true. I sincerely hope that this is one of those cases where the names of the teams and athletes involved have caused this rumor to blow up. UT sites are reporting it, UK sites are discussing it, message boards are lighting up about it, and yet nobody in the mainstream media has even mentioned it yet. I'm not going to rehash the story, check the excerpt from CatsPause.com below. For the life of me, I just can't understand why these athletes continually get caught in situations like this. In light of the national stories about Adam "PacMan" Jones, Plaxico Burress, and seemingly a million others just like it, one would think these guys wouldn't even own a gun, let along leave the house with one on their person.

Six UT players were at an apartment complex that was discussed above and were harrassing multiple people. A female called the UK players (not sure if this was the female who invited them or another one) and asked them to come over and help her get them to either leave their apartment or the complex. The UK players showed up and a donnybrook ensued. During this bru ha ha a shot was allegedly fired by UK player into a wall. There is a 4th (UK) player invovled who's name has not been mentioned yet.

No one has been charged with anything yet and the police are not releasing any names to anyone. There are apparently dozens of witnesses to this event and the police are taking their time determining who to charge with what.

This is total speculation but I would not be suprised to see 4 UK players charged with disorderly conduct (or something along those lines) and 1 of them given the additional charge of something like Second Degree wanton endangerment (a class A misdemeanor) if he did in fact discharge a firm arm into a wall. I would also not be suprised to see UT players charged with something.

Fact of the matter is that the Lexington Police chief will have to charge someone with something since this is very much becoming public. However, he was raked over the coals pretty hard by Rich Brooks (who's teams have a very good reputation) and the press for the Stevie Johnson incident. If he is going to charge a UK player with a crime, while he was defending a female from UT PLAYERS, he's going to have to charge the UT players with something. If not, that would be VERY unpopular in Lexington.

Like I said above...I'm guesssing at what will happen here. I think you're going to see misdemeanor charges brought against multiple UK players and possibly against UT players.

Let's just hope none of this comes to fruition, Brooks' defense is still reeling from the news and loss of Jeremy Jarmon. If any more players, especially those slated to be major contributors fall by the wayside, it could turn out to be a looooong time until basketball season starts. And if this poster is telling the truth, I bet Steve Brown has quite a few sleepless nights ahead of him:

I got an update, to what I posted earlier. Most of what has been said is the same. Several new pieces of info. One of the girls that lived there, is friends with the UT players, I believe even dates one.Micah, and several other players were called by someone in the apartment. The door was busted down, and a fight did break out amongst UK players and the UT players.
The girl who lives there, and several of her friends inside the apartment are accusing Micah of breaking the door down, and also accusing him of brandishing a gun.
Micah says he did not break down any doors, and did not even have a gun on him that night. Thats his version. At some point during the fight, the UK players left because the police where on the way. He was not arrested, not detained and as of yet hasn't even been questioned.
There is and has been animosity between Micah and that girl, so perhaps her credibility is what is leading to this delay. Can't find out who's version is true, but those are indeed her accusations.

I hope that's not the sound of a season going down the tubes. What shame if off-the-field incidents end up costing the 'Cats their 4th straight bowl and a decent season.
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Another quick football note, UK defensive lineman Corey Peters finished runner-up to a South Florida player for the honor of receiving the Emmitt Smith Award. It is given only to members of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, specifically to one who demonstrates athletic achievement, academic success, and fraternity and community involvement.
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Jodie continues to impress his new NBA bosses and show all the doubting Wildcat fans that not returning to UK was in his best interests. In his 1st Summer League game his line was 14 pts, 2 rbs, 0 ast. Meeks increased his scoring in his 2nd game to a tune of 16 pts, 2 rbs, 2 ast. And typical of Jodie, another increase in his 3rd game to 20 points. I believe he will not only make the team, but be a big contributor during his rookie season.
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Chuck Hayes. Keith Bogans. Tayshaun Prince. Three of the greatest players in Wildcat history. If you'll notice the fourth person in this picture, I believe he has every right to be mentioned with these guys. After his career is finished, I really believe he will not only be remembered as one of the best 'Cats to ever don the uniform, but also as the one who preservered through two of the worst seasons in UK history only to come back and lead UK out of the dark ages. Speaking of the dark ages, it looks like UK is going to fight the Clyde lawsuit as hard as they can, recently approving $100,00.00 to be used to hire Dallas-area lawyers. The train wreck continues....... Mark Story's Fast Break Points column is usually an interesting read, and this one is no different. Do you know the story behind the most successful coach in the history of the Kentucky Wildcats? If not or if you just need a little reminder, check out the first part of a two-part series on the Baron of the Bluegrass.
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Jerry Tipton was complaining wrote in his article in Sunday's Lexington Herald-Leader that Cal was selling the NBA more than he was selling the Kentucky program. Ummmmm, What's wrong with that? If that keeps the program on top and is the perception of the recruits, I for one am definitely all for it. When you land a class like this along with the starting lineup possibilites, I say let the man sell the brand however he wants. Does Cal's or any other coaches use of Twitter violate any NCAA rules? Not necessarily, but it does come really close. The previous link also has a list of the 50 most prolific sports Twitterers (?)
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Joe Jackson is a Memphis-area point guard that UK has a lot of interest in just in case Cal doesn't land Rivals #1 prospect Brandon Knight. He has some competition from his replacement at Memphis, Josh Pastner, who wants the kid so bad he's willing to do this. Wow.
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Former Billy Clyde era commitment and still current 'Cat target Dominique Ferguson is apparently changing high schools. Rumors of this circulated a while back, but D-Ferg has consistently denied them. For some reason I'm not real high of this kid. All kinds of talent, just seems kind of aloof to me.
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And from the department pictured to the left, one of the great past Wildcat players has made the news for something you don't want to make the news for. Surely this is not what 122 million in career earnings gets you. Please tell me it was just a bank error. Actually, that's what I'm going to believe until more facts come out. Changing the subject, has Yahoo Sports passed ESPN as the new "source" for breaking sports news? It certainly seems to be that way, for now at least. And finally, the 10 most overrated things in sports. See you guys tomorrow.

World Wide Wes. One might think that with all of the stories floating around out there in rumorville about one William Wesley that maybe, just maybe, this is not a photoshopped picture after all and he actually was in the limousine with JFK on that fall November day in Dallas when he was shot. So who is the man given the public moniker of "World Wide Wes?" In the simplest terms, he is a connector, meaning that if one were to disassemble the various mechanisms involved in getting a player to the NBA such as: the players themselves (high school, college, and pro), front office executives, shoe companies and their representatives, agents, marketing people, and coaches (college and AAU), Wesley is the missing link the completes the entire chain.

Where did this guy come from? What is John Calipari's relationship to him? Does it mean that the NCAA will be knocking on Mitch Barnhart's door asking to see travel and recruiting expenses? Will he do for the Kentucky program what he did for the Memphis program? Which is to say nothing with the exception of a few high-profile recruits showing up on campus in Lexington. If what few stories there are turn out to be true, then William Wesley will be a blessing to the program and an indespensible ally.

The Beginning.

"Whether college, professional, or youth basketball, shoe companies or media, U.S. or international, I would guess that Wes is as connected as any individual that I've observed," said Jim Delaney, the Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. "That said, I still don't know much about him."

William Sidney Wesley was born August 14, 1964 to a middle class family. He attended Pennsauken High School, and while not a standout athlete, he played basketball and football. Basketball was said to be the better of his two sports, and he received the nickname "Beast of the Best." Pennsauken football coach Vince McAneney recalled that he was a likable and outgoing reserve with a gap-toothed smile. (He later had it fixed.)

For a likely precursor of what was to come, Wesley was voted "Class Loudmouth" in 1982. In reference to his smile, childhood friend Brad Vespe said, "I wish I had that tooth--I'd put it on eBay." He attended Brandywine College, now known as Widener University, for one year, and during the summer after his freshmen year the true evolution started when he began working at a Cherry Hill athletics store called Pro Shoe.

The store was a hangout for young local high school, college, and professional players, many of whom had already made somewhat of a name for themselves. Billy Thompson, a star basketball player at Camden High School who would later attend the University of Louisville and play in the NBA, was one of Pro Shoe's frequent customers.

"It wasn't just a sneaker store," said Thompson. "It was THE sneaker store."

Milt Wagner, another local star who played at Louisville and whose son DaJuan would be the main reason that Wesley and John Calipari rekindled their friendship many years later, was another one of Wes' nephews. (A term he still uses to describe the players he takes under his wing). Wesley's outgoing personality, ability to talk to people, and overall likability drew players into the store in droves. Greg Mark and Jason Hicks were two standout football stars from Wesley's alma mater, Pennsauken High. Jimmy Johnson, then head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, was traveling to New Jersey recruiting both these young players.

"He is such a good person," Johnson said. "He is extremely friendly, and you can trust him right away."

So how did a twenty-something college dropout basically end up as a part of two of the most powerful college programs of the 1980's? One of the main reasons was as all the local stars matriculated off to college, Wesley kept up the relationships. If he was getting close to the Cardinal program, he was that much closer to South Beach. Jason Hicks was quoted saying, "If you have the gift of gab, the gift of likability, it can take you a long way if people trust you. In his business, it's all about trust." He would fly to Louisville and Miami and visit with his "nephews." He would stay up all night with his guys, talking, gambling, and playing cards. Rumor has it that Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin even won the Nikes off of Wes' feet playing poker the night before a game.

"What Paris Hilton has done in Hollywood, Wes has done in the sports world," said Irvin. "Whoever is winning a championship, Wes is there associated with them. He's never played a down or shot a basket. But he's a superstar anyway."

The Network Expands....

"If someone brought him in for show and tell, I'm not quite sure what Wes would present," UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun said. "It was easy to identify Sonny Vaccaro because of Nike and later Adidas. It was easy to identify David Falk (NBA Superagent) because of the players he represented. It's difficult to identify Wes, but in some ways he's a power broker of the same scale."

Lady Luck herself must have William Wesley on speed dial. In the early 1990's, Rick Mahorn of the Detroit Pistons and one of the original "Bad Boys" hired Wes as the doorman of his brand new Cherry Hill nightclub. True to form, Wes worked his way through the ranks of "Mahorn's" making general manager and becoming the contact for important clientele.

"Everything that Wes has done for me is wonderful," said Mahorn. "It's not only that he works hard. It's his aura."

His already extensive network of contacts expanded to include musicians as well as athletes. The teen rap group Kris Kross even went so far as to serenade Wesley at the club, singing "Daddy Wes make you jump, jump." His highly publicized friendship with Jay-Z and Beyonce was also started during this time.

Wesley moved to Chicago in the mid-90's to open another nightclub for one of Mahorn's business partners. He reportedly still owns a condo there and a house in suburban Detroit. Shortly after moving to Chicago, Wes' magic struck again as this was the time period in which he was introduced to and inducted into Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan's inner circles.

The Arrival of World Wide Wes

"I think that lots of people are more powerful than me," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "I don't know whether World Wide Wes is more powerful." When he was asked if a complaint about Wesley had ever been filed with his office, Stern adamantly replied, "No. Never. Not one word. Just positive things."

Even better, this quote from Reggie Miller during the infamous Brawl in the Palace: "What the hell is he doing out there? I mean what is he doing? He has no business out there! He injects himself into the middle of everything!!"

The role call of people World Wide Wes has been connected with reads like a who's who of.....well anybody and everybody. John Calipari, Jim Boeheim, Phil Martelli, Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, Mike Krzyzewski, Deron Williams, John Tyson (of Tyson's chicken), LeBron James, Richard Hamilton, DaJuan Wagner, Eddy Curry, Phil Knight of Nike, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Mark Cuban, Vivica A. Fox, Usher, and the list still goes on.

As much as Wesley doesn't like to be in the public eye, it's very hard not to be when fans routinely see him every year in the best seats at the best sporting events, concerts, and awards shows. He was spotted on national TV on the sidelines after the Cowboy's third Super Bowl win. He was photographed (see above) trying to get Ron Artest off of the floor during the "Brawl in the Palace" in 2004. Again on TV crying tears of joy when Memphis won the Midwest Regional in Houston to advance to the Final Four. And yet again behind the bench when Mario Chalmers hit the three to send Kansas to overtime in the national championship game.

"I don't have a clue what he does or how financially he benefits from this," said Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim. "I don't know. But he's just there. He's around. He knows all the pro guys, their agents, the sneaker people, the coaches, general managers, media people. There's no one he doesn't know."

World Wide and Cal
John Calipari and William Wesley first met during his effort to recruit Kevin Wells, a player from Camden who eventually signed with Louisville and played on the '86 National Championship team. Calipari was an assistant at Kansas at the time working under Larry Brown. They apparently fell out of contact for quite a few years. Martin Newton, UK's current Director of Basketball Operations, who worked for Nike at the time, brought Wes back to Cal's attention when he was first hired at Memphis. It was also during his recruitment of high school All-American DaJuan Wagner, Calipari's first one-and-done player.

"Martin Newton reconnected us when I was going to Memphis because DaJuan was thinking of coming to Kentucky," Calipari said. "Then Martin said, 'Hey, Cal's getting back into the college coaching business.'"

It was during this time that Cal was quoted as saying "William Wesley is a goodwill ambassador to the Memphis program." When he was hired for the Kentucky job, of course one of the first questions he was asked regarded what function Cal thought that Wesley was going to take within the UK program.

"William Wesley knows what he's allowed to do and what he's not allowed to do," Coach Cal said right after leaving Memphis. "He will never represent the University of Kentucky or me in any kind of recruiting."

At the end of the day, I believe World Wide Wes will be a great addition to the program. There is no documented evidence that he has committed any wrong doing whatsoever at any time during his career. He knows where the line is and knows not to cross it. All big time schools have people like him on the fringes of the operation, his name is just better known than most. His influence with recruits and friendship with Cal will do nothing but help the 'Cats stay at a high level. Granted Cal is such an incredible recruiter that he doesn't need much help. But every little bit counts, correct? To close, I believe I will just re-read the following quote from World Wide Wes, and trust that Cal knows what he is doing, and that if he needs it, help is there in the form of Wes.

"What's going to happen at Kentucky is going to be monumental for college basketball," said Wesley. "It's going to be exciting. It's going to be great."

[Sources:Lexington Herald-Leader, NY Daily News, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, Chicago Sun-Times]