one thing about grant won't change
long term view is important and something you need to know
I know that Coach Grant has taken a lot of grief regarding his recruiting. No doubt we would like to have real post player and a full roster. The shortcomings of Grant may be representative of his personal beliefs about his unwillingness to compromise this personal beliefs.. Let me just put it the short way - Grant will not cheat. If he was going to lose his job he would not cheat. Anthony Grant is a breath of fresh air in a game where cheating has been perfected. You also will not find Coach Grant's assistant coaches cheating either.
Most college coaches cheat some. Some steal big and some steal little. After following the recruiting game for four decades I've seen a lot of shady things. Some coaches will tell you that if they cheat a little to keep up with other schools because they can't compete otherwise. If they can't compete they will ultimately lose their jobs, the boosters won't be happy, and revenues drop.
I've talked with a couple of kids we almost got to come to Bama and suddenly changed their minds. Selling integrity against materialism is a tough sell in America. We are in a society where "things" have become for important than values. I find it refreshing to find a man who just refuses to cheat. It's nice to have a coach who will not look the other way. Our short roster may say more about high school players than the coach.
There is an old saying about basketball recruiting. You can either cheat big or cheat little. If you are going to cheat a little you will end up cheating big. A coach will always justifies what needs to done because other do the same. I always thought that Jim Calhoun cheated. I know one player from our area who suddenly jumped to UCONN. Some coaches don't get caught but leave trail of tears at places they left. John Calipari has done that everywhere he has coached and the same will happen at Kentucky when he leaves. Some coaches feel bad about cheating, but most view it as a necessity to stay competitive.
The other unspoken method to cheat is let your assistants do the cheating. If the school gets caught the assistant coach will fall on his sword to protect the head coach.The quid pro quo is that the assistant always lands a new job. Anthony Grant won't do that. So here is the fan's catch 22. Do you want to a have clean program that teaches values and basketball, or a school that buys players and teaches basketball? I was talking to a recruiting expert who said that since Grant won't cheat it makes things much harder. At one time my personal opinion was the kids should get whatever they can negotiate for with a coach. I know feel that is wrong but feel very strongly the NCAA and Schools shortchange all of our players while they rake in millions. If I was a great recruit I'd do a couple of things - first of all I would copywrite my name and image. That way if a school wants to sell a jersey with number 3 on the back they are finally going to have to share revenue. One reason why you don't see as many names on the back of sports wear is that's what some players have done. Does that make you a professional? Not to my way of thinking. You are not getting money to play but you are getting money to let someone use your image. If an NCAA member school can do the same thing to make money, why shouldn't a player be allowed to do the same.
So here is my question. If winning really big time means rampant cheating is that ok with you, or would you rather have fewer wins and know rules are followed? This is kind of left brain right brain thing. Post what you think.
long term view is important and something you need to know
Most college coaches cheat some. Some steal big and some steal little. After following the recruiting game for four decades I've seen a lot of shady things. Some coaches will tell you that if they cheat a little to keep up with other schools because they can't compete otherwise. If they can't compete they will ultimately lose their jobs, the boosters won't be happy, and revenues drop.
I've talked with a couple of kids we almost got to come to Bama and suddenly changed their minds. Selling integrity against materialism is a tough sell in America. We are in a society where "things" have become for important than values. I find it refreshing to find a man who just refuses to cheat. It's nice to have a coach who will not look the other way. Our short roster may say more about high school players than the coach.
There is an old saying about basketball recruiting. You can either cheat big or cheat little. If you are going to cheat a little you will end up cheating big. A coach will always justifies what needs to done because other do the same. I always thought that Jim Calhoun cheated. I know one player from our area who suddenly jumped to UCONN. Some coaches don't get caught but leave trail of tears at places they left. John Calipari has done that everywhere he has coached and the same will happen at Kentucky when he leaves. Some coaches feel bad about cheating, but most view it as a necessity to stay competitive.
The other unspoken method to cheat is let your assistants do the cheating. If the school gets caught the assistant coach will fall on his sword to protect the head coach.The quid pro quo is that the assistant always lands a new job. Anthony Grant won't do that. So here is the fan's catch 22. Do you want to a have clean program that teaches values and basketball, or a school that buys players and teaches basketball? I was talking to a recruiting expert who said that since Grant won't cheat it makes things much harder. At one time my personal opinion was the kids should get whatever they can negotiate for with a coach. I know feel that is wrong but feel very strongly the NCAA and Schools shortchange all of our players while they rake in millions. If I was a great recruit I'd do a couple of things - first of all I would copywrite my name and image. That way if a school wants to sell a jersey with number 3 on the back they are finally going to have to share revenue. One reason why you don't see as many names on the back of sports wear is that's what some players have done. Does that make you a professional? Not to my way of thinking. You are not getting money to play but you are getting money to let someone use your image. If an NCAA member school can do the same thing to make money, why shouldn't a player be allowed to do the same.
So here is my question. If winning really big time means rampant cheating is that ok with you, or would you rather have fewer wins and know rules are followed? This is kind of left brain right brain thing. Post what you think.
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