Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: It has to be "In Cal We Trust" on Tony Woods situation

There’s a storm a brewing in the BBN and unlike the ones John Calipari has weathered by Pete Thamel, this one would be self inflicted.  And plain and simple, the storms name is Tony Woods.

In case you were unaware, Woods is the troubled yet talented former Wake Forest Deamon Deacon who was suspended indefinitely for an altercation in which he pushed and kicked his girlfriend and she ended up with a fractured spine.  It appeared for the longest time that Woods was headed to Louisville as he seemed close to being a Tim Fuller grab.

Kentucky fans clucked their tongues and shook their heads and wondered aloud about how desperate Rick Pitino must be to even entertain the idea of Woods on campus.  But then a funny thing happened.  Tim Fuller left Louisville and Wood’s interest in the Cardinals waned. Then on Friday, we learned that Woods had been on the UK campus not only meeting with John Calipari, but also AD Mitch Barnhart and President Lee Todd.

Since Calipari has called Todd “his greatest recruiter”, it seems that something was fishy in Lexington.  And then this report came out, with quotes from Mike Maynard, who was the director of player development for Wood’s AAU team.  Maynard told Jerry Tipton that Woods came in UK in part to see how his past can affect his basketball future.  But the direct quotes from Maynard sound like it was a pure recruiting visit:

"“To make sure he had the clearance of all levels if he was to attend Kentucky, that there’s no problem,” Maynard said Saturday.When asked if Woods got such an assurance, Maynard said, “He said he felt comfortable. He doesn’t think there’s going to be a problem at all. It was a real good visit. (Woods and his parents) were very happy.”The visit did not complete Woods’ search for a new school. The player also plans to visit Texas, Maynard said. Kansas and Georgia Tech have also tried to get involved.The Longhorns represent a serious contender. Woods enjoys a good relationship with Texas Coach Rick Barnes, the Georgia Stars official said."

So what to think?  At this point, I do not know.  Calipari is known to be a coach that is fond of giving second chances, but we also like to say that Cal truly “gets” what it means to be coach at Kentucky.  And so far, the BBN has spoken out and for the most part, they want no part of Woods.

I have opinions on this, but I am going to reserve judgement until an offer is actually made for Woods.  I have no way in knowing what the purpose of the visit was and I’m not ready to castigate Calipari based on what I think may have happened.

Until the truth comes out, we have to believe that John Calipari has the best intentions for the University of Kentucky program and we have to trust in Cal.

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