by Paul Jordan
So THIS is what it means by “embrace the hate”.
You have to love the local sportswriter. Usually they are blind and loyal to a fault. And really don’t care who they attack unless it is someone on their team. But sometimes their unbiased reporting is an unnecessary slam job.
For today’s episode of “Embrace the hate”, we travel to Tar Heel country, where the defending national champs are on a three game losing streak, next to last in the ACC and sport a NIT bubble like record of 12-7. Instead of investigating how the Tar Heels dropped from National Champs to National Chumps in just 17 games, Eddy Landreth of the Chapel Hill News decides to throw in his two cents on why Roy Williams did not recruit this John Wall kid.
He really should have said “Holy cow, Roy Williams. Get over yourself. How could you be so arrogant and so stupid as to not have gone after this John Wall kid just a little bit?” Landreth does that sort of. He goes over the Tarheels problems at the guard position and acknowledges that the Tar Heels woes could probably be resolved by John Wall. Instead of be-moaning Williams idiocy, Landreth goes the moral authority route and says he was pretty sure that “Williams was right in turning down the best player in the country, who just happened to live 30 to 40 minutes from Chapel Hill.”
Whaaaaa?
Landreth goes on:
No, seriously. Williams has established certain standards he will accommodate in players, and, for whatever reason, Wall did not meet those.
There is nothing wrong with that, either.
Williams has brought in kids who have represented the school in the highest regard, off and on the court, since he became the coach in Chapel Hill.
But here is a fact. Regardless of why one chooses to do anything, there are always ramifications.
Wall seemingly had an unscrupulous character clinging to him, and Williams did not want any part of that. Given the ugly underbelly of college sports, that makes sense.
Williams had every right to basically ignore a kid who wanted in the worst way to play for Carolina. It’s Williams’ program. He’s responsible for the conduct of his players, their class attendance and their impact on the other players in the locker room.
Are you serious? Has this guy ever seen a UK game (I am sure he saw Wall and how he impacted the player on his team when UK beat his Tar Heels) and has he ever seen an article written about Wall or seen an interview that Wall has done? Has he seen the way Wall has handled himself and the humility he displays despite being nicknamed “Blue Jesus” by Wildcat fans?
If any player in college basketball wanted to be a headache, a prima donna, or a pain in his coaches ass, it could be Wall. But instead of marking his days until he can leave UK and head for the riches of the NBA, John Wall has actually been a very good student and is as proud of his academic standing as he is of his on court play. Wall has become an ambassador of sorts for the Big Blue Nation, embracing the history of the school and the fans, as well as helping to recruit players like C.J. Leslie and Michael Gilchrist to follow him to UK when he knows he will not be there.
And as for the whole “unscrupulous character”, I assume that is a slam at he and Brian Clifton and the supposed “Wall will put UK on probation” chatter that haters like to post on message boards. For the record, that matter has been vetted by the NCAA and Wall has been cleared to play at Kentucky, unlike Mississippi State’s Renardo Sidney.
Once again, facts really don’t matter when it comes to random hate articles. The author does say Williams is suffering the ramifications of not taking Wall, but it is wrapped up in the smugness of faux moral superiority. The fact that he is admiring Roy Williams faux sense of moral superiority borders on nausea inducing. This is the same Roy Williams who landed Kansas on probation for letting boosters provide his players with cash “graduation gifts” for about 15 years.
It’s all the same when it comes to haters whether its Memphis trolls like Wolken or the assorted media of all the other 12-7 schools that can not stand the fact that Kentucky is back and atop the basketball world.
Enjoy your 12-7 season, your Helms national titles and your up coming appearance in the NIT, Tar Heels. We have bigger fish to fry than jealous sportswriters. Enjoy losing to NC State this week.
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