Mr Harrison If you are looking for a profile in courage - look elsewhere

University of Hartford's Mr Harrison hasn't exactly been a profile in courage either. He is beginning to look more and more like a Jeff Hathaway type bureaucrat who is more concerned about Emmert appointing him to some committee than to doing anything productive or fair.

Just because he lives in CT now doesn't mean he owes us anything... but he does owe something to the kids he's part of screwing over. Wish he hadn't recused himself. Awfully weasely.

I hope we don't schedule any non-conference games with Hartford again. Let them go elsewhere for the guaranteed check and exposure. Our money should go elsewhere.

Joe Nocera -

In his great novel about totalitarianism, “1984,” George Orwell described the three slogans of The Party: War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength.

The N.C.A.A. has its own equivalents. Athletes Are Students. College Sports Is Not About Money. Graduation Is The Goal.

N: Something people use against you a lot are the vacated Final Fours. One thing we wondered, how do the players who were on those teams feel about that designation?

CALIPARI: I wouldn’t be surprised if the Memphis kids come back and sue the NCAA. Those guys are saying, “We earned those wins. ... None of us knew anything about anything, Coach. That’s wrong. Why are they punishing me and the number of wins I had?” Like, Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier had the most wins of anyone over a four-year period, but they take away 38.

They’re not going to be around long. The NCAA will not. Before I retire from coaching, they will no longer oversee college athletics. They will, but it won’t be the four power conferences—they’ll be on their own. And the main thing is, do you really care about these kids? They’ll get mad that I say it. The NCAA Tournament, for example. It’s more about the selection committee getting on TV, everybody getting their tickets on the aisle, down low, all the parties they go to, the traveling. But we don’t take the parents of the participants. But they take their kids and their families.

The officials will get better hotels than some of their teams. And I know it for a fact. The decisions they make on the $2,000 (expense allowance for student-athletes)—it should have been $4,000. It’s a stipend. It’s not salary. It’s not “pay-for-play.” It’s a stipend. It’s expenses. And then schools vote against it. All this stuff piles up to where people are going to say, “Enough’s enough.”

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-03-05/kentucky-coach-john-calipari-ive-got-maybe-the-best-job-in-basketball#ixzz1rPMldPgm

John Calipari, man of the people.

Because we play UHar so often, that will show them.

Seriously? Calipari?

I honestly hope the big conferences go elsewhere with it.

I think some people are going to be surprised at the fallout if that happens.

So is there a single credible coach out there that is a supporter of the NCAA?

Good for Coach Cal, the coach's know how the system is rigged to benefit the suits yet most will look at their shoes to protect their own arses. Harrison is gutless in this affair taking a pass on the decision. If the court system didn't take so long to process things the UConn players should sue the NCAA for punishing them for things they didn't do. The poor APR was addressed retroactively by the loss of two scholarships. To now go after the players who are getting grades that meet the target APR is on facts alone fraudulent.

You don't want to join Calipari on this. Faking SATs and getting paid when the money is coming out the pockets of other students are not things that should be supported.

I agree about the things that shouldn't be supported but pulling back the curtain on the hypocricy of the NCAA I support wholeheartedly. If Coach Cal wants to speak up here I appreciate it, maybe more will find a voice.

But he's speaking up about how the NCAA took away wins for ineligible players or not paying kids $4k (and that's a totally bogus complaint because it wasn't the NCAA that was against that, it was the schools).

Cal is sleazy, but he's right about the overpaid ADs, assistant ADs and NCAA staff living the high life, especially at tourney time (our previous AD is example A). . . . to turn the thread back to Harrison, I wouldn't be surprised if he lobbies the high and might CAP to extend themselves and use the up-to-date data. I also wouldn't be surprised if he's gotten a phone call from Malloy, Larson and Blumenthal.

Ironicly the NCAA recognized UConn's improved APR by giving them back the two lost scholarships but then ignores that same progress and bans them form the tournament. How does that make any sense?

When I read the below I thought of Emmert, Hathaway and Harrison. Not a good contribution from CT.

Coach Cal -

"And the main thing is, do you really care about these kids? They’ll get mad that I say it. The NCAA Tournament, for example. It’s more about the selection committee getting on TV, everybody getting their tickets on the aisle, down low, all the parties they go to, the traveling. But we don’t take the parents of the participants. But they take their kids and their families.

The officials will get better hotels than some of their teams. And I know it for a fact. The decisions they make on the $2,000 (expense allowance for student-athletes)—it should have been $4,000. It’s a stipend. It’s not salary. It’s not “pay-for-play.” It’s a stipend. It’s expenses. And then schools vote against it. All this stuff piles up to where people are going to say, “Enough’s enough.”

Of course Cal wants them to get paid then he has to hide very little................he's a sleazebag and really, listen to the man on his interviews, he is so transparent in his act and the need to practice his skit is so obvious........this is not the man you should ever quote in regards to what is best for the NCAA and the kids, no matter what he says is what he actuallyt feels would be best for Cal......

Fishy, I respectfully disagree on your take on Harrison- a reading of this interview yields just one conclusion - Harrison is an empty suit.

He did not take on a student/athlete's perspective in over two pages of questioning. He did not address the issue of retroactivenss despite the question. He did not acknowledge UConn's improvement over the past 2 years. What redeeming value you see in this out of touch bureaucrat is beyond me? He is the poster child with what is wrong with the NCAA. As admittedly is Coach Cal.

While seemingly recognizing it is a pervasive practice - he demonstrated a lack of courage - as I stated in the title of this thread - by giving the SEC schools a total pass on their practice of establishing a major for athletes that is a complete joke- as I recited on this board previously about Auburn's system.

http://www.courant.com/sports/other/hc-walter-harrison-academics-0408-20120407,0,1813016.story