From the Tark's blog; Don't try recruiting against UK

If you liked it, read Tark's book. It's filled with stories like these...a lot of damning stuff (if you believe him) about UCLA from Tark's days at Long Beach State.

I used to have conversations about this stuff all the time with my old college coach, who knew a lot of guys at the D-1 level. He swears there are about 10 clean programs in the country and at least one of those has since been corrupted.

 

And they didn't make as much from Bozeman as Jelani Gardner's parents did.

 

Awesome.

 

A former coach I covered, who was a Bob Knight assistant, said that even though Knight was the polar opposite of Tark in terms of his ethics, he liked Tark because Tark was open about the fact that he cheated. He didn't try to hide it. There was no bullshit with Tark.

Knight could agree to disagree with his method of doing things, but he couldn't abide the coaches who came off honorable in public (though UK under Joe B. Hall hardly fits THAT description) who were dirty as hell behind the scenes.

That sort of oddball consistency to Tark's way of doing things is why Knight did the foreword to Tark's book.

That no bullshit streak in Tark definitely comes out in that blog post.

 

I've heard different versions of a similar story. Something to do with one of Couch's parents and a job. Typical story that it's easier to prove than "know." My memory is fuzzy, too (you hear A LOT of those stories in this league, and it's hard to find the paper trails).

 

My favorite recruiting story came from a player I covered a few years ago.

After his career was finished, I ran into him and asked him how things were going. Somehow, our conversation steered in this direction...

Player: "Man, I got laid on every single visit I took. Arkansas got me two girls at once."
Me: "Wow. Why didn't you go to Arkansas?"
Player: "Because it was still Arkansas."
Me: "Good point."

For the record, I like Fayeteville.

 

Nothing is shocking about the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team bending a rule or 10 to get a player.

Weren't they considered for the death penalty by the end of the 1980s?

 

The NCAA was (and is) never going to give UK the death penalty. HUGE money-maker for the SEC and NCAA.

Speaking of which, whatever happened with that whole Reggie Bush debacle???

 

Why are you asking me???

Hell, I don't know. If there is evidence connecting Carroll and his staff to the scandal, then it will come out.

Wasn't it Kentucky that had money FedExed to a recruit? The NCAA will never again give the death penalty, but you knew that. Their actions in the 1980s invited it, though.

 

They came oh-so-close to it, but then some guy named Slick Rick came along ....

 

Thought the three question marks would substitute for blue font.