As the summer winds down and the thought of school begins to pop up in everyone’s mind once more, the University of Kentucky is dealing with a national media frenzy aimed directly at the city of Lexington.
Kentucky has handled the spotlight—good or bad—on numerous occasions in the past. The 2010-2011 seasons will be no different.
The basketball program is led by second year head coach John Calipari who has given UK fans a reason to believe that the team’s 8th National Championship will be coming in the near future. Joker Phillips is now the head football coach, a position once enshrined to then head coach Rich Brooks.
The future is bright for the athletic departments at not only Kentucky, but around the entire SEC.
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Since Calipari’s arrival on Kentucky’s campus, recruiting has become the No. 1 topic on everyone’s list. Who is the next star? Where will the next John Wall come from?
Questions abound, Calipari finds plenty of ways to answer them.
The 2009-2010 recruiting class was one you can only imagine. The aforementioned Wall was the most coveted recruit in the nation, the No. 1 player at the point in which Calipari took UK’s offer to roam the sidelines of Rupp Arena. DeMarcus Cousins was the No. 2 player in the nation, quickly deciding he’d follow Calipari to Kentucky rather than stick to his original verbal commitment at Memphis—Calipari’s old stomping grounds.
In a matter of days, Calipari had turned Kentucky’s once putrid recruiting class into the SEC’s and nation’s best.
Despite the elation Wildcats fan felt with the hiring of Calipari and the success he had on the recruiting trail, many around the nation scratched their heads in wonder. How could Calipari already do such a thing?
Recruiting success doesn’t just happen on the basketball however, with the ‘Cats finding similar success on the football field under new head coach Joker Phillips.
Phillips’ predecessor put an emphasis on better recruiting, an idea Phillips has to heart.
Football recruiting became stagnant due to recruiting violations under then head coach Hal Mumme. From that point forward, Mumme’s successors struggled to get a grip on the elite prospects in the nation, creating plenty of headaches throughout the Bluegrass State.
With Phillips at the helm, ‘Operation Win’ and recruiting have become the No. 1 topics on everyone’s list.
While schools like Texas, Southern California, and SEC rivals Florida and Auburn are racking up the recruitment points, a school like Kentucky still lags behind. The ‘Cats landed the No. 50 recruiting class going into the 2010-2011 seasons and while the elite schools wouldn’t bat an eye at such a ranking, it’s importance speaks louder than words.
Headlined by 4-star tight-end Alex Smith and 3-star linebacker Tim Patterson, Phillips has used his recruiting prowess early and often. It’s apparent that 5-star athletes don’t come out in droves for Kentucky, but this is just the start for Phillips and ‘Operation Win.’
One thing is certain; Calipari is the best at what he does and Phillips is getting the hang of things, but for some, their time in the SEC just makes them another two more fish in the pond. ESPN’s Dana O’Neill takes a deeper look into the ‘mystique’ behind SEC recruiting:
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The SEC has recently been rattled by the fact that have takenNCAA policies have taken a back seat to expensive and lavish parties, agents and runners, as well as individual’s turning a ‘blind eye’ to a very serious dilemma.
Schools like Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama have all made headlines in recent weeks because of potential NCAA infractions, including premature contact with an agent, off-the-field issues, as well as shady recruiting tactics.
Should anyone be shocked though?
Quite honestly, no they shouldn’t.
The Southeastern Conference has dealt with its fair share of criticism in the past and the present is no different, with one coach giving his diagnosis of the SEC saying,
"The perception is the SEC doesn’t have a good reputation. I don’t know if that’slegit or fair. I was on the other side 10 years ago. If a program starts gettingbetter, starts getting kids, the question is always the same: What’s he doing?He’s gotta be doing something. And that adds to the perception."
Another coach expounded on the idea of the SEC being the ‘shadiest’ conference in the nation saying,
"Oh no, it’s not just a myth. It’s the truth."
As mentioned in Tuesday’s article regarding the shadiness behind recruiting, Kentucky is no stranger to dealing with recruiting violations.
The question now becomes, how will Calipari and Phillips deal with the added pressure behind recruiting success?
Calipari is on the up and up, securing his second straight No. 1 recruiting class. Phillips, although only ranked No. 50 is expected to continue his torrid start on the recruiting path, likely bringing in higher ranked classes in the future.
Will this success be further questioned by those in and around the program?
Kentucky has dealt with the issue time and time again, and is expected to continue under a guy like Calipari as head coach of one of the nation’s most illustrious basketball programs. Phillips could very well encounter similar circumstances if the Wildcats suddenly become a player in the SEC football race.
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The state and so called ‘health’ of the SEC must be upheld, not through agents or run
ners, but through legitimate individuals who care about the well-being of their student-athletes.
As fans of our respective teams, we can only hope that head coaches, parents, and administrators are doing everything they can to ensure that the rules are not being broken.
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