Exciting Big 12 Basketball News

How hard could a game be that’s got only three cards?

I mean, just watch the darn thing.

Might want to add this little coaching nugget… http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/137385

Capel heading to the desert would be good for us.

Hook ’em!

I read a nice article where Carl Henry said neither of his sons would be playing for Memphis next year. It would be nice for someone to point out to him that Memphis still has some say in that matter.

The devil is in the details-or so they say, Scip. Great article for the legalese set…street agents, eh?

Dukes of Hazzard stationary…lol…

Contracts were made to be broken. However, Memphis would be crazy to ever let those players go-pressure cooker or no pressure cooker.

I would think any program that hired Calipari wouldn’t let those players go as a kind gesture. Good money was paid for their services…of course, if those players threaten to squeal then I guess its Memphis and not Cal who suffers the consequences, right?

Wall remains uncommitted and Cousins never signed an LOI, so those are two that Calipari can go after right away. Additionally, UK has highly regarded Daniel Orton and Mr. Kentucky Jon Hood inked to LOI’s, so Calipari can work his magic there.

Xavier Henry is the big dog in play, although he’s signed his LOI. Nolan Dennis is the 3rd signed Memphis recruit with an uncertain future.

GJ Vilarino is the third Kentucky commit, but far lower on the pecking order.

First of all, Memphis did sign addendums in the form of a letter assuring all recruits they’d be let out of their LOIs if Calipari took another job. They’ve been doing it for some time. It’s a big reason why Cousins didn’t go with Mike Davis at UAB - because UAB wouldn’t do anything like that. Only Memphis. Because…well, because they’re whores who were willing to do whatever it took to feel good about themselves because of their winning basktball program.

It’s highly fulfilling for me reading all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from Memphis fans regarding what a scumbucket Calipari is. Well, yeah folks. He was ALWAYS a scumbucket. It’s just at one time, he was YOUR scumbucket, so you defended him as innocent as the driven snow. Well, now you see that the scorpion is always a scorpion.

I love it.

Another thing about LOIs. They’ve never been challenged in court, and all the member institutions are scared of them ever doing so. That’s why they all cave when recruits threaten to sue, like OU when Sampson left for Indiana.

It’s questionable how truly legally binding LOIs really are.

Oh, and Henry is going to Kansas. It’s about as close to a done deal as it gets without being announced. I don’t think it’ll be much longer. He’s already obtained a release from Memphis, so he can go whereever he wants - just like they agreed to when they took his signature in the first place.

He won’t be at Kentucky, because the Henry’s are furious about how CJ Henry was used in his year at Memphis. This is going to be shocking to some of you, but the Henry’s feel like CJ might have been gasp USED as a method to gain Xavier’s signature. He was kept out of practice and games because of injury, even after being cleared.

As far as releases, CJ Henry’s schooling is being paid for by the Yankees as part of his baseball deal, so he’s not even a scholarship athlete. It doesn’t make transferring a complete walk in the park, but it does lessen the complications.

I do wonder where John Wall ends up in all of this.

Good stuff, SLX.

I did lie, apparently.

He has not obtained a release from Memphis as of yet. I don’t doubt he’ll get one, but the timing will be interesting.

Pardon the stupid question, but…is there no sitting out period if a recruit signs a letter, and is then released by the school he signs with?

No. No sitting out period.

For example, Damion James signed a letter, then was released by OU, and started for Texas alongside Durant, Augustin, Mason, and Abrams.

Scottie Reynolds started for Villanova.

However, that changes once a player enrolls in school, even if it’s for summer school.

Texas is #9.

“How could that be with Texas A&M splitting their series with Texas the last four years? Doesn’t that put their program at parity? I is so confused!?!”

Confused? As well you should be. As A&M split the last four years with Texas, and matched Texas in recent NCAA tournament success, despite the concensus HUGE/HUGE paper talent desparity in favor of Texas, imagine how well A&M will do in coming years as Turgeon recruits and fully implements his program? Confusion may well prove to be the happiest of Longhorn emotions in the near future……

Let your imagination run wild. A&M is about to be left in the dust.

Although 2 second round NCAA appearances in a row - with an absolute robbery against UCLA to keep them out of the Sweet 16 - is impressive in its own way.

Oh God, aggys who discover something to do after their football season hacks up another hairball are really funny. Yep, aggy basketball is something to behold.

I actually have Texas a little higher than ninth in the decade… but those numbers will be ready shortly, like Tuesday.

Banger: That is pretty doggone weak.

What makes you think Turgeon’s program isn’t fully implemented now?

“As well you should be. As A&M split the last four years with Texas, and matched Texas in recent NCAA tournament success”

You have matched Western Kentucky in recent tournament success, not Texas. But congratulations nonetheless.

Someday I’m gonna have to visit the planet aggie live on.

In what universe is 2 Elite 8’s, and 2 second round appearances equivalent to 3 second round appearances and 1 sweet 16?

SLX,

“It doesn’t make transferring a complete walk in the park, but it does lessen the complications.”

Not really. Being released from your LOI is not tied to whether you are on scholarship or not – but you sign your scholarship offer and your LOI at the same time (unless you’re stupid, or independently wealthy).

LOI cannot have an “out” clause, but a school can certainly give a kid a letter promising to release him from his LOI under certain circumstances – and the kid can sue the dog-**** out of the school if they refuse to honor said letter.

FWIW, I think Ag is right. The LOI itself can’t be modified — I think it’s on the face of the letter.

It’s completely to the benefit of the school. Why a very highly ranked player would sign one makes little sense.

Kentucky is UK, not KU. Don’t lump them in with those cartoon bird loving assholes.

The idea that a document can’t be modified is ridiculous. You simply have all parties sign a separate letter that modifies the part of the original document that says it can’t be modified.

We’re not talking about a contract for property here. We’re talking about the intention to go play athletics for a school. If taken to court, it’s going to be very difficult to defend an LOI as a binding contract. Given that, who is going to sue if one institution chooses to create a separate letter giving an exception to the LOI? The NCAA isn’t. The LOI isn’t an NCAA administered program. Is another school? I find that hard to believe.

Ag_in_TX,

I see where you’ve quoted me, and then you follow it up with some kind of nonsense that has nothing to do with my quote. CJ Henry isn’t bound by an LOI. He’s already enrolled at Memphis, and has been all year. He’s a walkon in the Memphis program. Getting him to enroll at Memphis was THE key to getting Xavier Henry, his brother, to eventually sign an LOI.

There are two different people involved here. Are you getting that?

Frankly, I don’t really care whether it was “part of” the original LOI or not. The fact is Memphis has been distributing letters telling kids they’d let them out of their LOI if Calipari took another job for the last few years. It’s only now that they’re going to have to follow through on it. Hell, it was probably Calipari’s idea, so he could rerecruit the kids to his new school if he ever did take another job offer.

Once again, aggies show themselves to live in some sort of bizarre parallel universe, where up is down and trips to the round of eight somehow equal not ever making it to the round of eight.

“The idea that a document can’t be modified is ridiculous. You simply have all parties sign a separate letter that modifies the part of the original document that says it can’t be modified.”

I’ll have to look at my son’s LOI when I get home, but I’m pretty sure there is verbage in it that says it is no longer a binding LOI per the NCAA if it is modified or ammended in any form or fashion. Once again, that’s from memory – I’ll have to look.

“We’re not talking about a contract for property here. We’re talking about the intention to go play athletics for a school. If taken to court, it’s going to be very difficult to defend an LOI as a binding contract. Given that, who is going to sue if one institution chooses to create a separate letter giving an exception to the LOI? The NCAA isn’t. The LOI isn’t an NCAA administered program. Is another school? I find that hard to believe.”

The LOI is not an NCAA administered program? Are you shitting me? Why was “NCAA” printed all over it? Why did the NCAA decitate what date it could be signed? Whether it will stand up in acourt of law is another matter that could, some day, be decided by a judge and/or jury.

“I see where you’ve quoted me, and then you follow it up with some kind of nonsense that has nothing to do with my quote. CJ Henry isn’t bound by an LOI. He’s already enrolled at Memphis, and has been all year. He’s a walkon in the Memphis program. Getting him to enroll at Memphis was THE key to getting Xavier Henry, his brother, to eventually sign an LOI”.

I have no idea (and I doubt you do either) whether CJ Henry signed a NLI. Memphis is crazy if they didn’t get him to sign one, but perhaps he is savvy enough to have pulled that off. Walk-ons typically do sign a NLI once they make a team (of course, they usually get a scholarship as well). I, frankly, have never heard of a kid playing for a school without having signed a NLI, but I supose it is possible.

“Frankly, I don’t really care whether it was "part of" the original LOI or not. The fact is Memphis has been distributing letters telling kids they’d let them out of their LOI if Calipari took another job for the last few years. It’s only now that they’re going to have to follow through on it. Hell, it was probably Calipari’s idea, so he could rerecruit the kids to his new school if he ever did take another job offer.”

I concur with you here – I think in general, we are in violent agreement here.

Oh, and I suck at proofreading so just let it go.

“The idea that a document can’t be modified is ridiculous. You simply have all parties sign a separate letter that modifies the part of the original document that says it can’t be modified.”

You’re right… what I meant was, IIRC the face of the letter does not allow for modifications. You can’t scratch out lines and cross out paragraphs and all that. Doing that defeats the purpose of having a “national” LOI.

Obviously, if Calipari wanted to write a separate agreement allowing for automatic release, he could do that. It’s just not part of the LOI.

Basically, the end result here is what matters.
 
As Ag in Tex wrote, we’re all in violent agreement about the net impact and the inadvisability of Memphis holding them to their LOI.
 
I was just reacting to all of the BBS postings and media outlets that stated that the Memphis recruits had “super-duper special LOIs.”