DiminutiveRocker said:

What's wrong with a kid going pro if he thinks he's ready? He wants to pursue the dollar, take care of his family and live the American dream(just like everyone else). F--k the NCAA. They're nothing but a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites anyway. Of course they love the new two-year rule David Stern's pushing through. It's puts more loot in their pockets, making money off the "kids" they love so much - please. And don't get me started on coaches with phat sneaker contracts. The NCAA is no different than any business - the bottom line rules.

Like Coach Calipari said, if Rose wants to help Coach's family, he'll stay. If he wants to help his OWN family, he'll turn pro. College fans should stop being selfish and think about what's best for the kid(most of whom come from poor backgrounds).

uPtoWnNY said:

Maybe I'm just more pragmatic and call me old fashioned but I think that a FREE education is a good thing - not so selfish. Nothing in life is certain - just because you turn pro early on is no guarantee. Sure - you do get the money and ala Hoop Dreams it's a major bonus for kids coming from poverty... but if they get hurt and there's no more career and the money is spent? Nothing to fall back on. I'm no so sure you'd call all of them fiscally responsible kids.

I don't know - I totally see your point, though. I like college hoops because it can be unpredictable with the teams always changing, kids going in and out over a few years time.

Just my
[Edited 4/7/08 13:53pm]

THe ones going pro make up about 5% of the teams.

There are a lot of players that go pro too early and it jacks up their career. College hoops is different than NBA, but you can't tell a kid that. For instance, Sean May (UNC 2005 champ player) went pro on the Charlotte Bobcats team. Dude has been out injured the majority of his career. Yeah he was the man while in college, but in the pros....it's Sean Who?

In any case everything is about the dollar bill. If you want to come down on this tournament we may as well discuss the CIAA, MEAC, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, etc. The cities that fight tooth and nail and pay out $$$$ to be host cities, etc. are also a part of this too.

This particular tournament is one of many and it's not just the schools that pay. I know when the CIAA was courted away from Raleigh, NC Charlotte offered a million and amenities to get the tournament there. And the CIAA is a small Black College b-ball tournament.

If you want to call one out, it's like pointing out one oil company when they all are raping us in the pockets.


Tournaments like this also do a lot for student enrollment as well. I grew up in Omaha, NE. I remember when the Huskers won the Orange Bowl in 1994...enrollment at the University skyrocketed.

It is what it is...

Dammit! Western Kentucky just won $100,000 for the "Game Changing Moment" of the tourney---beating my Drake Bulldogs.

Oooh, what's that I hear?




I think it's the sound of Kansas choking!

KatSkrizzle said:

Oh absolutely. I'm with you on that. See, once TV got involved, college sports(football & basketball) as we used to know it changed forever. It's no different than any big-time cold-blooded American business - money, money, money, money talks. College football & basketball players aren't amateurs - they're semi-pros/hired guns used to sell the universities. A free education is nothing to sneeze at, but we're talking millions here. I just get ticked off when I hear these NCAA hypocrites and their lackeys(Dick Vitale, Billy Packer) wailing about 'the kids' staying in school. Yeah, because it helps the colleges and puts more loot in THEIR pockets. I've seen the classes some of these cats take and it's a joke. F--k that shit. Let a kid go pro if he thinks he's ready and understands the risks. Get paid and take care of your family(like Coach Calipari said).

All I'm saying is, if I'm making money for you, and you're using my likeness to sell your school, I want my cut. That's the American way.

WOW :=o what a final game! I just turned it to CBS to see who won... and it's in OT!

I can't believe this! Memphis would have won the game if they could have made those last few free throws. Free throws are always key. I can't believe this is going to OT....at least it's a good game, but I really want Kansas to LOSE.


?

DiminutiveRocker said:

I've been wondering where everyone has been all night... I've been posting to myself!

DevotedPuppy said:

It's a great games and these two teams are so well matched!
I agree free throws are SO important!!

Memphis is essentially beating themselves! Kansas isn't playing *that* great right now, but Memphis wasted so much time during the last minute of regulation trying to make 3 pointers when they didn't need to, and then missing their free throws.

DevotedPuppy said:

That's it! Wow - a heartbreaker for Memphis for sure!

Well, at least it was a close game. Not a single one of my 10 brackets had Kansas winning.

DevotedPuppy said:

it was quite a tournament!

It goes to shit after the draft...All those teams have to rebuild...their boys will be gone.

I would hate to be a coach for those teams...your stars leave one to three years in and you have to stay courting these little bad ass high schoolers..

KatSkrizzle said:

Memphis had the game won, but despite their excellent overall record this season they had always struggled making free throws. I applaud Kansas' coach Bill Self for changing his strategy late in the game and forcing Memphis to beat them from the free throw line. I also couldn't figure out why when Memphis was up by three points with 10 seconds left that they didn't try to foul the Kansas players so that they couldn't shoot a 3-pointer to tie the game, but in post-game interviews the Memphis coach John Calipari said that they did try to foul them but it wasn't called by the refs.

At any rate, it seems that there are only four college basketball programs who consistently get the new recruits to be competitive and challenge for the Final Four every year (Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA) while the others have their time in the spotlight but fade out after a few years. I remember when Georgetown was huge in the 1980's with Patrick Ewing and then Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutumbo but hit a dry spell in the 1990's and early 2000's before becoming competitive again. Then there was Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV teams of the late 1980s' and early 1990's, but they haven't been anywhere near as good since. Michigan had the fab five team with Chris Webber, Juwann Howard and Jalen Rose in the early 1990's but they barely compete in the Big Ten these days. Arizona and Connecticut had some really good teams in the late 1990's, but they're sort of middle-of-the-pack now, and Illinois is in rebuilding mode after getting to the National Championship game in 2005. Florida won the National Championship games in 2006 and 2007 but only made the NIT this year, so they are in rebuilding mode.

DiminutiveRocker said:

Quite a ride. I usually don't get this invested but it was too much fun getting caught up. I'm soooo tired.

DevotedPuppy said:

you WISH!!!



GO KU!

nakedpianoplayer said:

DexMSR said:

thanks sweetie
sounded a lot like you were busy celebrating for us as well