Four words: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!
Ooooooooohhhhhhh yeeeeeeeeeeah!!!
Category: NCAA
And McCants keeps talking…
I have held off as long as I could but the PR major in me will not allow me not to keep quiet any longer. My twelve cents.
Rashad McCants is talking, AGAIN. And he is not backing down. Oh boy. This is about to get REAL ugly. Wait, too late. This is about to get UGLIER.
Now look. Everyone knows about my disdain for the university of north carolina at chapel hill, when it comes to sports. A lot of smerfs like to claim it is because they have won some championships since the last time my beloved Wolfpack did. Never. Just a little friendly rivalry where I always manage to get up under their skin. I do not like hate them or anything but between their feelings of entitlement and the whine and cheesers that are prevalent throughout smerf nation they always make for great comedy.
Anyways, McCants is talking, AGAIN. Did you miss that UNC-CH? He is talking, AGAIN!!! And again, UNCH-CH is giving me the impression that they are hoping this situation will just blow over. How many accusations must come out of that department before the school is willing to address this situation head on? This situation has gotten so bad that even I, a proud alumna of The North Carolina State University, am at the point where if they would let me, I would be willing to step in and help them stop this sinking ship.
This has gotten out of hand and it has been out of hand, pocket and control since 2011 when the first allegations of academic fraud within the football program surfaced. Since those first allegations surfaced, the football program has voided some wins and instituted a post season ban in 2012. When I proposed a theory back in 2011, few wanted wanted to listen to me. I had no proof but I told quite a few people that the basketball program was next. All the UNC-CH supporters that I told accused me of being a “hater”, of course. Even with no proof, I knew what I was talking about. My spidey senses were kicking in. Just think about it. Why would an institution work so hard to cover up academic fraud within a program that is not their big moneymaker? This is not a program that has multiple national championship banners. Shoot, they do not even have any recent ACC Championship banners. So why would all the fraud be confined to this one program? It is not like the program was on the cusp of greatness, unless I missed that memo. This was a deflection. A few papers written by some tutors cost a coach his job, a tutor her job, a chancellor exited stage left to go be a PROVOST and an AD retired. Something ain’t riiiiiiiiiiight.
And now we have McCants, a member of the 2005 NCAA Championship team, coming forward with claims that his whole academic career at UNC-CH was nothing short of a sham. According to McCants, he rarely went to class, received numerous A’s in “paper classes” and was in danger of being declared ineligible when Roy Williams stepped in an saved the day. Oh boy. Now McCants is no saint in this. If the allegations are true, then he is just as liable as whomever in the department knew what was going on. He knew what was being asked of him was wrong and he went along with it anyway. Is he a snitch? Yep. He has definitely violated the code of conduct in the brotherhood that is collegiate sports. However, I will applaud him for having the guts to take on this high powered operation.
For all the talking McCants is doing, he is not even the one doing the most damage right now. Do you all realize who is really sinking this ship? Roy Williams. His responses to McCants accusations are nothing short of head scratching. Now I am going to assume that he is being advised by the same horrible PR representatives that have been butchering this situation since 2011. That is the only explanation for him making such ridiculous statements such as he strongly disagrees with what McCants is accusing him of. Or this jewel that he gave us after McCants latest interview. Williams said, “We have a very defined system here at the University of North Carolina. I have somewhat control over the basketball program. I don’t have control over the academic side. But the academic side and our athletic director and our president want me to emphasize that academic side every single day, and they want our players to understand that. They want us to be concerned and to emphasize it but they don’t want us to step over to the academic side. They don’t want that to happen.”
Are you serious right now Roy? You are the HEAD COACH. You emphasize academics but you are not involved with your players, academically? You want us to believe that you have no idea what is going on in the classroom? You were hired just to coach these ATHLETE-students? I mean STUDENT-athletes? C’mon! In the words of Jay-Z, “We don’t believe you! You need more people!”
Somebody better do something, QUICK. A great PR person is needed badly in Chapel Hill. Badly. And I know where they can find one :-).
Until next time…TOODELLS.
P.S. Btw, I am placing blame on that wishy-washy NCAA as well. If only they were consistent…
Respect: Maurice Clarett
Saturday night, I found myself exhausted. I had an extremely busy and productive week which consisted of meetings, work, fundraising and the cherry on top: my little cousin graduating from college with honors. As I lay in the recliner Saturday night flipping channels, I stopped on one of my favorite channels: ESPN. A new 30 for 30 was about to start entitled Youngstown Boys. It was the story of Youngstown’s most famous sons, Maurice Clarett and Jim Tressel. As tired as I was, the thought crossed my mind to DVR it and watch it later. However, I was intrigued from the opening scene and I decided to watch it. To say that I am glad I did would be an understatement.
The media. The media. The media. Boy has the media torn apart Clarett. The media would have you to believe that Clarett is a young man who squandered away the opportunity of a lifetime all because he was self-centered, self-righteous and self-appointed to be the next big star at Ohio State University. They labeled him a troublemaker. A traitor. A modern day Benedict Arnold in the state of Ohio.
Now, I have closely followed Clarett’s story since he burst onto the scene at Ohio State. During his freshman year, I was a Senior at North Carolina State and we had a freshman that was making a lot of noise on the football field as well: T.A. McLendon. Both were hard nosed runners who could dart through a hole almost before it opened. There was a lot of hype surrounding both players especially before the season began in 2003, the year my beloved Wolfpack would make the trip to the infamous Horseshoe for a show down with the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, the showdown between two of the best in the backfield did not happen. Clarett was in the middle of serving what would eventually become a year long suspension from football. That suspension marked the beginning of a downhill spiral for Clarett. For those of you who are not familiar with his story, watch Youngstown Boys.
Before I watched the documentary, I assumed the focus would be on Clarett’s and Tressel’s “fall from Ohio State grace.” That was how it was promoted. I was presently surprised to see that the focus was mainly on Clarett with Tressel’s story weaved into the mix. Not that I would not have enjoyed hearing about Tressel’s rise from the relatively unknown city in Ohio, it is just that I wanted to hear Clarett’s story. In his own words.
As much as I love writing and the whole idea of reporting, it is stories like Clarett’s that make me want to scream when it comes to the way the media tends to portray athletes. Especially black athletes. Now, as a writer, I understand that the media is driven by what society wants to hear. Society thrives off negativity. However, there is a large portion of society that thrives off positivity and restoration. Those of us who thirst for the good in the world could be found with big smiles on our faces and tears streaming from some of our eyes at 11 o’clock Saturday night.
I can personally say I never had a really negative opinion about Clarett. Sure, I thought he made some horrible decisions. I thought he got tangled up with some people who were only concerned about what he could for them. I thought he had just given up on life and did not care that his life was spinning out of control. And when he was sentenced to jail time, I actually thought that may be the end for Clarett. His fall from grace had been a long one. And he hit the ground hard. And when he was released, it was to very little fanfare. And maybe that was for the best. From the time he was young, he was surrounded with fanfare. That can be overwhelming, for anyone.
Our society sets up kid’s like Clarett for failure, daily. We focus on their accomplishments on the field, court and diamond while forgetting to nurture their minds through learning.
I am glad Clarett was able to share his story. There were many things that happened that were NOT reported in the media. His story is admirable, impactful, honest, real and intriguing. It is stories like his that convince me on a daily basis that GOD is real. There is no one else that could have gone through what Clarett went through and still come out a winner. He was created specifically for this journey. His determination to turn his life around is more inspiring than anything he ever did on the gridiron. The endurance it took for him to reach the point he is at now will sustain him for years to come. Clarett has definitely gained a new fan and I look forward to the next chapter of his life.
P.S. His mom deserves her own 30 for 30. Talk about strength! There is nothing like a mother who NEVER gives up on her children. Phenomenal woman, she is.
You play to win the game!!!
Welp, unfortunately for the University of Alabama and Nicky Saban, that mentality cost them the game. Excuse me while I continue laughing. Finally!! So glad to see ‘Bama get knocked down. No one, absolutely no one, could have predicted that ending. Auburn scores with 36 seconds left. PAT to tie the game. ‘Bama’s TJ Yeldon manages to get to Auburn’s 39 yard line with one second left. Assuming ‘Bama would attempt the Hail Mary, Nicky shocked everyone by bringing in a redshirt freshman kicker who had only attempted two field goals this year. You play to win the game!! I would have gone for the Hail Mary though. So Adam Griffith lines up, ball falls short, right into the hands of Chris Davis. And that was all she wrote. GONE!!! Davis returned the missed field goal 100+ yards to do three things: 1) put Auburn into the SEC Championship game, 2)win the Iron Bowl and 3)assure that their cross-state neighbors would NOT three-peat as BCS Champions. GAME. SET. MATCH.
That is why I love this game!!!
Before, the Iron Bowl, most of us figured we had seen the craziest finish we would see all day when Ohio State narrowly escaped their rival, Michigan. The 110th meeting between the two, ended with Michigan playing to win the game. Down by one with 32 seconds left, Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke stunned the college football world by going for the two point conversion instead of attempting the PAT to tie the game. Hey, you play to win the game!!! Plus Ohio State was running that ball down Michigan’s throats and stomachs. As you know by now, the ball was intercepted by Tyvis Powell and kept, what was at that point, Ohio State’s narrow dreams of playing for the BCS Championship alive. GAME. SET. MATCH.
That is why I love this game!!!
Elite 8 picks….
Ok, so in keeping with my word, I had to come up with something to write about today :-}. Thought about doing random thoughts cause I have quite a few. Thought about talking about Tiger Woods. If he wins the Master’s this year, he will definitely get some love. Basketball is back tonight so I decided to go with that. I am currently in a battle with my mother. She is beating me in our bracket battle by 5. Unfortunately, two of my Final four teams are out so I am hoping there are some big upsets so I can make up some ground. Hehe.
Alright, so here are my Elite 8 picks…
Miami over Marquette
Zona over Ohio State
Indy over Cuse
La Salle over Witchita St.
Louisville over Oregon
Michigan over Kansas
Duke over Michigan St.
Florida over Florida Gulf Coast(I think this is going to be a really good game. I would be estatic if FGCU wins even though it would destroy my bracket, what is left of it.)
Enjoy the games! I know I will. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @KassieNette to catch all my hardwood commentary.
Come back to The Korner tomorrow to read my latest post about a very controversial topic. Until next time…TOODELLS.
My Final Four
Alright here it is…Louisville, Notre Dame, Florida and my alma mater, North Carolina State :-}. I wholeheartedly believe if we can get pass Indiana, we can make it all the way to Atlanta. Bold picks, right? We will see what happens.
Oh I have Louisville and Florida playing for the championship with Louisville winning. Let the madness begin!!
A Night to Remember…
Big Monday. ESPN 2. Number 2 vs. Number 3. For the Big East regular season title.
Almost three hours later, after three overtimes, Number 2 finally put up enough points, 96 to be exact, to defeat Number 3. These ladies put on a show. Yes, I said ladies!!! Number 2 Notre Dame vs. Number 3 UCONN in an “Instant Classic.” In hometown hero, Skylar Diggins, last game at Purcell Pavilion, she and the Lady Irish refused to be denied a win. In the first overtime, the Lady Irish trailed by six before tying the game. The second overtime started out much like the first with the Lady Irish trailing by five. In the third overtime, the Lady Irish took their first lead when Kalia Turner hit a free throw to put the Lady Irish up by one. The Lady Huskies would regain the lead on a bank shot by Kelly Faris but that was the last time the Lady Huskies would lead. The Lady Irish sealed the win going six for six at the charity stripe down the stretch to clinch their second straight Big East regular season title.
Meanwhile, in Texas….another lady baller was having a big Monday. Brittney Griner. Her last game at Baylor. The Big 12 title had already been clinched weeks ago. And Griner was up to her usual antics. 21-28 from the field. 8-10 from the charity stripe. Six rebounds. Two assists. Two blocks. 50 points. Oh and a slam dunk. A drop step slam dunk along the baseline. *immediately presses rewind button at least five times* It was a thing of beauty. In the end, the Baylor Lady Bears defeated the Kansas State Lady Wildcats 90-68. Griner exited the game to a standing ovation and she exited the Ferrell Center in Waco, TX ranking second on the NCAA Career scoring list with 3,123 points, second only to former Missouri State lady baller, Jackie Stiles.
From Texas to Indiana, the ladies put on a show last night! The ND-UConn game had a championship feel, set in a championship atmosphere. Griner made the most of her last home game. I often check the trending topics while watching games to see if others are watching. I was not surprised to see none of the trending topics were not about the ND-UConn game. It was a shame that people were missing such a great game. I even tweeted, “Too bad the ladies don’t get pubbed like the men do. This ND-UConn game has been amazing!”
However, instead of turning this into a negative, I shall focus on the positive. On a night that typically is reserved for big time men’s college basketball games, ESPN featured two of the premier women’s basketball programs in a unforgettable matchup. Regardless of how the game played out, playing on Monday night on ESPN/ESPN2 is a big deal. The outcome of this game was just icing on the cake. Not surprisingly, by the start of the the second overtime, 2nd OT, Skylar Diggins, UCONNvsUND and Brittney Griner were all trending. It was truly a night to remember.
Until next time…TOODELLS! Follow me @KassieNette.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FGhMvT5VBC8
Kassie Nette's Korner 