VCU: Don't listen to the Experts!

"Dude, if they don't give me my money after this!"



On selection Sunday when they called Virginia Commonwealth's name all of the pundits critizied the committee for the selection. There were other schools, that in my opinion, were shafted like Alabama for instance.  Shaka and his boys weren't expecting to be selected either because they didn't even watch the selection show together. They were individually off doing their own thing on that faithful night.
They played in what is called the first four or the play-in games to kick the tournament off, if you will. They took full advantage of the opportunity by getting rid of USC, Georgetown,  the 3rd seed Purdue, 10th seeded Florida State and then the #1 seed Kansas to get to the Final Four.

In only his 2nd year, Shaka Smart has VCU at the top of the college basketball world and the media darling of the tournament. To go from the 11th seed to the Final Four is just incredible! Most people have been calling VCU a mid-major which is simply not the case with an enrollment of more than 32,000 students, the Richmond Va. school sits on more than 143 acres.

The Rams don't have near the history of the other Final Four teams but they've experienced some success in their past. They've won 7 conference titles in their little more than 30 years of competing in Division 1 basketball. They currently hold the 11th highest Home Court winning percentage in Division I basketball at 85%.

"Hold on because we ain't done yet"

Don't bet against these guys this weekend. They cost a lot people big money over the course of the past two weeks. If they could beat all of those other teams, they can win two more. It's completely plausible! So I'm going to sit back and just watch it. Remember, Butler made it to the title game last year and missed winning the whole thing by an inch at the buzzer.

Regardless of what happens in the Final Four Shaka will be cashing in next week. He currently makes $325,000 which is good money for a coach that nobody knows. However, everybody knows his name, like "Cheers" today and that comes with a raise. A serious raise! Unless VCU can all of a sudden pay him $1.5 to $2 million bucks he's in the wind.

Stay Tuned for the Butler Bulldogs Final Four Preview on Friday!

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Straight Pimpin'

"It's All About the Benjamins Baby!"

Who's pimpin' who, the NCAA, the Schools or the Athletes? Well... it depends on who's got a strategy for success and working it. We know that the NCAA and the schools have an agenda in place for being successful but I don't think many of the athletes have the same vision. My word to any student-athlete is, "Pimp the school while they're pimpin' you". You'll still come up short by comparison but you won't get taken advantage of completely. Well.. what does that mean?

 Check out the game that's being played during the NCAA Tournament. The 68-team tournament will bring in roughly $771 million for the NCAA this year -- with the vast majority of that coming from broadcast rights payments from CBS. That money basically funds the entire operation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and is the financial lifeblood of many smaller schools' athletic departments. Advertisers pay CBS about $100,000 for a 30-second spot in round one and up to $1.2 million in the finals.

Just last year it was announced that the NCAA had reached a new 14-year, $11 billion deal with CBS Sports and Time Warner-owned Turner Sports for the rights to broadcast the NCAA Tournament from 2011–2024. So the NCAA is getting it's money no doubt about it.

The schools are making money on the tournament as well. Each round that a school makes is a huge pay off for the university. The NCAA pays the schools in credits that could be worth more than $1 million dollars if a school makes it to the finals. The schools have to divide that money up with the other schools in the conference. So it's to the conferences advantage to get as many members into the tournament as possible then everyone wins.

What does that mean to the student-athlete? It simply means if you're going to spend 4 or 5 years at the university, there is no reason why you shouldn't walk out of there without a degree. If you're one of the elite athletes that are fortunate enough to play only one or two years and go to the NBA, then you've done your pimpin' and good for you. You've used the exposure that the NCAA has given you to interview for a professional job that will pay 10's of millions of dollars from day one; not to mention the endorsements that could potentially come with it.

A real pimp hat!

Now if you're the kid that's just an average player on the roster, you need to make sure that you get your pimpin' on too. You need to use all of the resources available to you to network with the coaches, faculty and administrators at the university to put yourself in a position to be successful when this is all over. Instead of looking for the hundred dollar handshake after the game, talk up on an internship for the summer and a job after graduation. There is no excuse for singing the sad song, "They used me to make all of that money and I didn't graduate". The key word there is "I".

When the coaches showed up at your house you knew that they and the university could care less if you graduated or not. They wanted you to come play for them so they would win games(which means a larger contract), sale tickets, merchandise and increase student enrollment . Yes, you as an athlete play a significant roll in increasing student enrollment every time you and your teammates win.

If you don't believe me call the admissions department at both Butler and VCU in the morning and see how long you're put on hold. Winning translates into increased interest in the university. Also the alumnus write more checks as a result of  the schools athletic success.

So I'll ask you again Who's Pimpin' Who? The NCAA, the schools or the Athlete? I hope after our conversation all three are actively involved but most importantly, the student-athlete.

Holla At Ya Boy
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

LeBron's Ex: "Now I Can Finally Move On"

"Cav's finally beat the Heat"

Dear Lebron,

I see you got ran up on last night. You couldn't leave it alone could you? You been through here on several occassions wit yo new girlfriend and I ain't say nothin'. You came thru here back in November playing yo music loud and showing her off around the hood. My cousin nem was looking for you then but I knew was gone get caught sleepin'.

 You get in town with that trick on yo arm again yesterday wit that black, red, white and orange outfit on. Who wears that?  You had to know that I wasn't gone just let you play me crazy again. You done already got me 3 times this year, I wasn't having it last night. That just wasn't gone happen!

 Aw yeah, I had somethin' for you last night and I even tried to warn you earlier in the day when you tried to come over my mamma house. They didn't let you in did they? Nope! So why you come back last night? That shoulda let you know right there, but you hard headed.

My whole family had my back last night too all 17,000 of 'em. We called everybody we could think off, from back in the day too. All the real G's showed up cuz you just kept direspectin' the hood. Everytime I look up I see you on South Beach with her, eatin' big, partyin' and everything. Flying this brawd all over the country going from place to place. When you was wit me we kicked it. Right? But now you acting like what we had wasn't nothin'. Like you was just wit me cause we grew up togetha, so I ain't special uh? I was here when none of these brawds even knew yo name. Then you gone trip on me like that!

I hate to keep bringing up old stuff but you know you coulda broke up with me better than that last summer. You gone get on TV talking bout you need to go out of town to make a "Decision". What kind of mess it that. You know you was wrong cuz to went out of town to do it. Everybody was lookin' fa yo butt that night. Cuz my cousin nem was ridin' wit erer- thing they had lookin' fa you fa bout a month. My girls was burning yo jersey and hangin' out in the streets waiting on you to come back home. But I told 'em you wasn't comin' back unless you had that girl wit you and a whole lot of bodyguards.

But I told 'em he gone get caught sleepin' and when he do we gone get 'em. Well... Bron Bron you got caught last night and I enjoyed seein' you get beat down in the street. I wish you woulda drove up here, I woulda keyed yo car and smashed yo windows out but you already knew.  Now I can move on.

Finally, when that trick you messin' wit break up wit you, don't come back this way cuz I go wit Barron Davis now. Until he start trippin' and wanna leave too. Ain't none a ya'll right!!

Sincerely,
Your first Love, Ms. Cleveland

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

UConn Huskies "The Beast From the East"

" Kemba, teach me how to Dougie"

When you talk about Big East basketball the UConn Huskies(30-9) are always the topic of conversation. This is a program that is consistantly good year in and year out. It's not surpising to see them in this year's Final Four being led by Kemba "The Great" as I call him. In my opinion, he's the best player in college basketball. I heard folk talking about "The Jimmer" from BYU and Jared Sulinger from Ohio State but this kid carried the Huskies like a champ all year.

Connecticut isn't new to this winning thing either. They've won 2 national titles, been to 4 Final Fours including this one, 10 Elite Eights, 16 Sweet 16's and 30 overall NCAA Tournament appearances. They've  put in work over the years. The reason that I call them "The Beast From The East" is because they've simply dominated by winning 28 regular season conference championships and 7 conference tournament championships.

So don't act like the Huskies aren't a real program because they've got the hardware to prove it along with more than 11 players on NBA rosters:

Jeff Adrien  2006-10
Ray Allen  1994-96
Richard Hamilton  1997-99
Caron Butler  2001-02
Emeka Okafor  2002-04
Ben Gordon  2002-04
Charlie Villanueva  2004-05
Rudy Gay  2005-06
Hilton Armstrong  2003-06
Hasheem Thabeet  2007-09
AJ Price  2007-09


"There's a reason we're still here"

 Coach Jim Calhoun  has these boys rolling into the Final Four with a lot of confidence after winning 5 games in 5 days to win the Big East Conference Title. They had to beat DePaul, Georgetown, Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville to win the Big East tournament. Then having to beat Bucknell and Cincinnati before playing a great ball game to shake San Diego State loose.

The Huskies are in need of some rest before matching up with the young and talented Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night. Like I said, Kemba "The Great" Walker will put UConn on his shoulders and storm into Houston ready to play. I don't know if there is an answer for him or not.

Stay tuned for the VCU Rams program highlight!

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Kentucky Wildcats "It Doesn't Get Any Better"

"We've been doing this a long time"

 The rich just got richer as the winningest program in college basketball history, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage get to yet another Final Four.  Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2052-646 (.761). It should be illegal to be this good as a program.  The Wildcats also lead all schools in total NCAA tournament appearances with 51, is tied with North Carolina in NCAA tournament wins with 105, and have won 7 national titles(2nd only to UCLA all-time).

 In addition to those titles, Kentucky also has won the National Invitation Tournament in both 1946 and 1976. (Kentucky is the only school to win multiple NCAA and NIT titles.) The Wildcats have played in a record 51 NCAA tournaments, in a record 151 NCAA tournament games, have an NCAA record 42 Sweet-16 appearances, and an NCAA record 33 Elite-8 appearances.

 Further, Kentucky has played in 14 Final Fours (4th place all time), and has 10 NCAA championship game appearances (tied for second place all time with Duke), winning those 7 NCAA championships. Kentucky is the only school with four different NCAA championship coaches (Rupp, Hall, Pitino, Smith).
Kentucky has had 15 players chosen 20 times as consensus All-Americans, which leads all division 1 programs.

Talk about "Bringing On The Roar" these guys have set the standard for college basketball. It's good to see them back in the hunt again. There are certain programs that are supposed to be good every year and this is one of them. College basketball needs programs like North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Indiana, UCLA and most importantly the Kentcucky Wildcats to be on their game for it to be interesting. It's better for the sport. Just like college football is better when Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and Texas are good. That's just the way it is.

Let's keep it real, Kentucky basketball is the standard! Straight up, point blank, keeping it all the way 100%, as the young boys would say. These guys may as well have invented the game because they do it oh so well. I have to admit that I was a bit upset when they got rid of Tubby because he'd won 6 SEC titles and a national title in 10 years and they hired Billy Gillespie. What? You don't give the keys to the vintage Bentley to Billy Gillespie!

Then they came to their senses and went and got the best recruiter in the game in John Calipari and he put the train back on the tracks. Now they're rolling again like a well oiled machine. How can you get to the Final Four after loosing 5 first round picks a year ago? It's called UK basketball and it won't stop after this year. They've got the best point guard in the country coming in next year from Indy, Marcus Teague younger brother of the NBA's Jeff Teague.

We'll see these boys rolling for a long time coming if they can avoid NCAA violations messing around with Calipari. We all know his history, but for right now you can't bet against them. So the Cats will show up in Houston as the giant and rightfully so. Can you imagine being an 18 year old on that team and showing up in Houston for the Final Four. What? This is UK basketball! You ain't know! How much swagger will these guys have this weekend? It'll be overflowing, I'll tell you that.

Stay tuned all week as I profile each of the Final Four Teams in "TheJayGravesReport". Up next the UConn Huskies!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

VCU and Kentucky Dance into Final Four!

"Can you say  Houston fella's"

One thing is for certain, a mid-major will be playing for the national title next Monday. The Butler Bull Dawgs and the Virginia Commonwealth Rams will meet in the national semi-final on Saturday. Not even the best bookie in Vegas would 've picked this match up. To have an 8th and an 11th seed in the Final Four in the same year is virtually impossible, but this year it happened.

All of the so-called experts said that VCU didn't deserve to be in the tournament in the first place but Shaka put his boys to work. Jamie Skeen scored 26 points and 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth is crashing the Final Four after the upset of the NCAA tournament, shocking No. 1 seed Kansas 71-61 on Sunday.

 So doubtful were the Rams of even making the tournament that they didn't watch the selection show. Two weeks later, they're Houston-bound after an incredible take down of the last No. 1 seed. It's George Mason all over again, and VCU had an even tougher Final Four path than their tiny conference brethren in 2006. The Rams needed five wins to go from First Four to Final Four. Along the way, they toppled teams from the Pac-10, Big East, Big 10, ACC and now the Big 12. Now they'll have to play someone their own size, the Butler Bull Dawgs.

"The Chosen One"

Brandon Knight scored 22 points and fourth-seeded Kentucky restored some order to the Final Four with a 76-69 win over second-seeded North Carolina on Sunday in the East Regional final. The Wildcats (29-8) will play Connecticut in Houston on Saturday night after turning back a late surge by the Tar Heels (27-10), who erased an 11-point deficit before running out of gas in the final 2 minutes.


I'm blown away that Coach Calipari has these guys in the Final Four because they're so young. How do you make it to national semi-final after loosing 5 first round draft picks a year ago? Nobody expected the Wildcats to be this good this fast but Calipari has them in the Final Four for the first time since 1998. The winningest program in college basketball history is back where they belong, on top of the basketball world where they're close enough to smell another title.

We'll see what UConn and Butler/VCU will have to say about that. Stay tuned this week as I profile each of the Final Four teams.

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.

What You Know About Them Dawgs?

"Houston here we come!"

Last year we all said that the stars and the moon aligned perfectly and it was a miracle that the Butler Bull Dawgs were in the Final Four.  It'll never happen again so enjoy it now, take it all in because it's a once in a lifetime experience. We'll... they're at it again! The stars and the moon are either playing tricks on us or Butler is just the real deal. I'm putting money on the fact that it's the latter of the two. Butler is back in the Final Foul for the second straight year!!

Shelvin Mack scored 27 points, including five in overtime, and Butler reached the Final Four for the second year in a row with a 74-71 victory over Florida on Saturday.


"This is a huge deal," said Zach Hahn, whose two 3-pointers helped Butler stay close in the first half. "I don't know that any other mid-major has ever done this. It's hardly happened once, let alone twice. It's an unbelievable feeling."


Butler, the Horizon League champ, has vanquished three higher seeds from major conferences -- top-seeded Pittsburgh, fourth-seeded Wisconsin and now second-seeded Florida -- in succession. Those big wins came after Howard tipped in a winner in the final seconds against Old Dominion. This game had another frantic finish.


"We just kind of stayed together, stayed the course, figured it out, and just played resiliently," Butler coach Brad Stevens. "I'm incredibly proud of these guys. They carried their coach in a big way. ... Our players did a great job, and [they are] just a special group. We're really lucky that they're Butler Bulldogs."

Give Brad Stevens all of the credit in the world. He's done an outstanding job making Butler a legitimate basketball ball threat. They've always been good but now the entire country is checking for them.  I said after they beat Pitt that you can't bet against them the whole way out now. Once they got started anything could happen. I sure wasn't expecting them to be back in the Final Four at all. We'll.. nobody did.

The small private liberal arts university of 4,400 students just seven miles north of downtown Indianapolis has become a basketball powerhouse under the leadership of Brad Stevens. You've got to give him all of the credit for keeping these kids focused. Think about what a difficult job that has been for him. They made it to the championship game year and just missed winning the title off of a last second shot.

"This ain't nothing, we got this!"

Remember he's dealing with 18-22 year olds that aren't accustomed to getting this type of attention. They're at Butler for crying out loud. They weren't the McDonald's All-Americans that are used to having camera's in their faces, people patting them on the backs and girls chasing them around all of the time. These kids are for the most part, good players, that just wanted to keep playing basketball while in college. Now they're "rockstars" on campus and around town. It takes a lot of coaching to keep them from buying into the hype and staying the course. Big props to Brad Stevens and the Butler Bull Dawgs!!

Now when the season's over let Butler know that if they want to keep you Brad, they've got to get you up to market value on that salary. Merchandise sales are up, enrollments up, ticket sales are up  and times up for playing with your money. You're under paid and if they appreciate you so much they've got to open up.

Lastly, I want to say to all of the people that have suddenly started pulling for the Dawgs don't pull a hamstring jumping on the band wagon this week. They can nag you for several weeks. I know because I pulled one last year. Go Dawgs!

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.

VCU's Shaka Smart has his Eye on the Prize!

"Get the U-haul Ready son, I've got somewhere to go"

Now who's going to be the first to call Shaka Smart for a big time job? Like I said yesterday about Butler's Brad Stevens, Tennessee's got money and land to give away to resurrect their program. Doesn't look like Stevens wants it, so I can almost bet my life that 33 year old Shaka will take it or an opportunity similar to it. His VCU Rams just knocked off the 10th seed Florida State Seminoles to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

 Bradford Burgess made a layup off an inbounds pass with 7.1 seconds left and Jamie Skeen blocked a shot at the buzzer, giving Virginia Commonwealth a 72-71 victory over Florida State in overtime in a Southwest Region semifinal Friday night.

Since being told they lucked their way into a play-in game for the 11th seed, all VCU has done is knock out high-profile programs from the Pac-10 (Southern Cal), Big East (Georgetown), Big Ten (Purdue) and now the ACC. Those were all blowouts -- this one was as tight as they come.


The second year coach  keeps stoking his team by reminding them that everyone said they don't belong. It shouldn't be a problem finding folks writing them off for their next game. The Rams face top-seeded Kansas on Sunday with a spot in the Final Four on the line. The Jayhawks advanced with a 77-57 rout over Richmond.

I know the young brother is going to take the money and run. Why not? He's making $325,000 per year as the VCU head coach. There's only so much money Virginia Commonwealth  can pay him. It is what it is! They'll try to give him a raise but they don't have the budget to compete with the big boys. The big programs are going to throw everything at him including the kitchen sink.

Like I always say, what's the point in working for less than the market pays? According to USA Today in 2007 the coaches of six of the tournament's Elite Eight teams in 2006 parlayed their success into new deals for the following season.

Their raises were substantial. At the five schools where raises are public — George Mason, LSU, Memphis, Texas and UCLA — the coaches got a collective bump of about $1.7 million, or about $332,000 each when they extended their contracts. With those new agreements, and others, at least 20 of that year's 65 tournament coaches were making $1 million or more, a USA TODAY study finds. Kentucky's Tubby Smith was guaranteed nearly $2.1 million. Texas' Rick Barnes, Ohio State's Thad Matta and Michigan State's Tom Izzo were all pulling down more than $1.7 million.

That was 5 years ago! I can't understand why Brad Stevens doesn't see that he's being under paid for the great job that he's doing at Butler, but my man Shaka won't let me down. Just wait and see what I tell you. In two weeks he'll be introduced as somebody's head coach looking like his butt is swollen because he's got so much money in his pocket.

I hear folks saying, well there's something to be said about loyalty. You're absolutely right and coaching isn't a loyal business. If VCU starts loosing they'll start looking for a new coach! Believe what I'm saying or just ask Pat Knight how loyal Texas Tech was a few weeks ago. It's not personal, it's business. Would you stay on your job if someone offered you 5 times your salary plus a home and cars to go down the street to do the same thing? I didn't think so. So take your fan hat off for just a few minutes and think like a normal adult with a family and a mortgage. What's your opinion?

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from the Associated Press and USA Today was used in this article.

Duke Gets Blasted! Butler's Still Rolling!

" We're Baaack!"

The defending national champs were sent home last night after being completely embarrassed by the Arizona Wildcats.  Derrick Williams carried Arizona in the first half, keeping the Wildcats in the game against Duke. His teammates returned the favor in the final 20 minutes with an offensive barrage that stunned the defending national champions. Williams scored 25 of his career-high 32 points in the first half of Arizona's 93-77 victory Thursday night, helping the Wildcats reach the final eight for the first time since 2005.
 
With that loss everybody's bracket including mine is shot to pieces. As much as it pained me to pick the Blue Devils to win it all, I did. They were, by all accounts, the favorites going into the tournament. They were the most consistent and the most experienced so I don't feel bad that my bracket is now in the garbage. Let me say again, I'm not a Duke fan but I don't pick with my heart. I thought it was a solid pick.
 

The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-5) were sent packing from a regional semifinal for the second time in three years with last nights loss. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, with 900 wins, will have to wait until next season to resume his pursuit of Bob Knight's record as the winningest men's coach in Division I history. "The tournament is cruel," Krzyzewski said. "It's an abrupt end for everybody when you don't win."

The Wildcats were just too athletic for the Blue Devils all night long. They beat them in transition from the word go. Duke just couldn't keep up. It was embarrassing how bad it got in the second half. Coach K was so upset that he started badgering the refs for calls, anything that they could give him, but it wasn't happening. Arizona gave them a wood shed beating and is moving on.

What can I say about the Butler Bull Dawgs? Nothing! I won't say a word against them because they are rolling right now.  Brad Stevens is doing the impossible with less. He doesn't have an NBA caliber player on his roster(Shelvin Mack  might get a look) and he's going through teams like he's got three lottery picks. This guy is doing a helluva job of coaching.

"Stevens has the Dawgs rolling again"

Butler is in the Elite Eight for the second year in a row and lightning has struck twice. Take the money and run Brad, you're hot as a firecracker right now. I thought you were crazy for not leaving last year but you'd be insane not to leave this year. If I were you my house would be packed up in a U-haul right now. The offers will probably be twice as high as they were last year. I know Tennessee will be throwing the entire state your way by next week. They've got money and land to give you because both their football and basketball programs are shot. If it wasn't for Pat Summit right now they'd close the school.

I know it's not about the money, because it's all about the money. Why do we go to work in the first place? If someone is going to give you the Land of OZ and Captain Hook's treasure to do the same exact thing you're doing at Butler, why not take it? Even if you get fired three years later. You've made 9 years worth of money relative to staying at Butler. Type A personalities don't think about failure anyway. So that wouldn't be a deterrent at all.  However, I respect you for staying and being content with what you have in front of you. Good luck the rest of the way.  Go Dawgs!

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.

When Dads Foul Out!

Maya Moore suceeding without her dad!

 Last year I did an article entitled "Wasted Talent!" about the greatest women's basketball player, in my opinion, of all time Mya Moore. What I didn't know at the time was that she has been able to succeed despite not having a father in her life.
We all just witnessed the 30 for 30 documentary about the "Fab 5" where Jalen Rose talked about how his father, who was a professional basketball player, never raised or acknowledged him.  The question I keep asking is,  "Why do dads keep fouling out?

There are kids playing major college and professional sports all over this country that can tell the same story. "My dad wasn't there." It blows my mind that men, in so many cases African-American, aren't raising their children. Yes, I know the effect that slavery had on our race and culture by how men were often used as breeders only and how they never took part in the nurturing process etc. I know that. However,  it's 2011 and we're not being forced to live by someone's rule over our thinking. No one is forcing men to be breeders at this point. The God I serve says, "A man that does not take care of his family is worse than a non-believer".

 According to the Morehouse statement, new statistics show that an estimated 80 percent of all African-American children will spend part of their childhood living apart from their fathers. Seventy percent of African-American children are born to unmarried mothers and 40 percent of all children regardless of race, live in homes without fathers.

I'm happy to hear that  thousands of kids are still beating the odds and becoming successful adults, like Mya and Jalen, without being raised by their fathers. We see them everyday on our jobs, on television and playing professional sports. However, for every one person that made it without a dad, I can show you 100 that didn't.

 I grew up with several very successful people that didn't have the privilege of being raised by their fathers but they had mentors that guided them along the way. Many times it was coaches, teachers and other dads in the community that helped shape the lives of many of these young people. My brothers and I had  teammates and friends that would hang out at our house because my dad became like a father to them as well.

It's critical to a child's self-esteem to have a father there for emotional support. I  can remember as a child playing football looking into the stands before every game to see where my dad was sitting. He always came to the games early because he wanted to see us warm up. I didn't get comfortable until I saw he and my mom sitting down. I would say , "It's on now" as soon as I saw him. I think that it was more important for my dad to be there because he was a former college quarterback and I always yearned for his approval. When I scored a touchdown I would always hear him as I jogged to the sideline saying, "THAT'S MY BOY!", to all of the other parents. He was so proud and in turn so was I; not because I had scored but because my dad was proud of me. It made a huge difference in my self-esteem.

I applaud those that have gone on to become great people without the influence of a father. Many people believe that fatherlessness is related to delinquency and violence, and the weight of research evidence supports this belief. Having a father at home is no guarantee that a youngster won't commit a crime, but it appears to be an excellent form of prevention (1).

"This is home to many of the fatherless"

Research shows that:
• 60 percent of America's rapists came from fatherless homes.
• 72 percent of adolescent murderers grew up without a father.
• 70 percent of long-term prison inmates are fatherless.

What I'm trying to convey here is that it's mandatory that we raise our children. From the time I became a father I wanted to be the last person my children saw before they go to bed and the first person they see when they get up in the morning. I want them to understand that my first responsibility is to them. Men, we  have nothing better to do than to raise our children. Just because a small few make it to adulthood without problems doesn't excuse the millions that don't. Stop Fouling out!

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
An  Excerpt from the book, Life Without Father by David Popenoe was used in this article(1)

Men: Raise Your Daughters or the Streets Will

"Raise your daughter's or I will!"

Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor or "LT" as the football world knows him, plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges in court on Thursday, stemming from a May 6th  arrest for felony statutory rape. He was sentenced to six years' probation today but must register as a sex offender. He also was ordered to pay $1,300 in fees.
In court, under oath, Taylor admitted that he had sex with a 16-year-old and he said that he was aware that results of a DNA test identified him. "She told me she was 19," Taylor said in court. What? This guy sounds like a complete idiot for making that statement. He's 51 years old for crying out loud and he's married. What difference would it have made if she was 19. She's still a child. When I hear guys say, "I didn't know how old she was", they really didn't want to know. I'm completely appalled that he was able to get away with six years probation.

 Sure, the young lady was working as a prostitute and they had consensual sex, but a sixteen year girl doesn't have the right to consent to sex with an adult by law. So therefore, he should've been sent to jail for being a dumb pervert if nothing else. This reminds me of the whole R. Kelly situation more than ten years ago. People that operate like that should be locked up because they have no regard for what's morally right. I don't care if the young girl was a willing  participant. She is still a child and children can't make adult decisions especially when they are dealing with an adult.

 Our little girls need to be nurtured and loved more than anything. The behavior that each of these girls and others like them have exhibited is a clear indication that they have low self-esteem. Gentleman, it is just as important to raise your daughter's as it is to raise your son's. Girls develop their image of what a man is by the influence of their fathers. Whether their dads are present or not. When a father loves his daughter and instills in her that she is the daughter of the King, which in turn makes her the princess, she will approach life on a different level. I'm not not only referring to her earthly father but most importantly her heavenly father.

When my daughter was born someone told me to make sure that I date her until it was now longer cool for her to hang out with daddy. So at the age of two we started going on dates. We'll go to dinner and a movie etc. once a month until she's sixteen. At that point she'll be allowed to date boys. On our dates I have shown her how she should be treated when in the company of a man. She's 7 years old and already understands that if a boy asks her out, he's supposed to pay for the date etc. She also understands that she should be treated with the utmost respect. I'm showing her what that looks like now. So therefore, she won't grow up thinking that it's OK to be mistreated. It's going to be difficult for guys to take advantage of her if she has high self-esteem.

So many of our women believe that it's permissible to be treated bad by men because they simply want the love of a man. Unfortunately, they don't understand what being in a healthy relationship with a man looks like because they weren't raised and nurtured in one.  So therefore, in their minds it's OK for them to be mistreated and taken advantage of.  Ladies, a man will only do what a woman allows him to do, remember that. Men, please understand that if we don't spend the necessary time with our little girls, guy's like Lawrence Taylor will.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Oh So Sweet"

"Two Steps Closer"

After an awesome weekend of basketball, March Madness once again lived up to it's name. My Bracket isn't completely destroyed yet. I've predicted 86% of the games right according to ESPN's Tourney Challenge. The stage has now been set for the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. The heat is on and who will answer the bell and push through to Houston to play in the Final Four? From what's left here's who I think will make it to the Final Four.

Here's the field of 16:

In the East:
Ohio State vs Kentucky
Prediction: Buckeyes! Too strong in the pant and can shoot the lights out of the gym.

 Marquette vs North Carolina
Prediction:Tar Heels! Hungry, because they weren't in the tourney last year. Too much pride on the line.

Final Four: Ohio State Buckeyes

In the West:

Duke vs Arizona
Prediction: Blue Devils! Too strong, well oiled machine. The Wild Cats don't have an answer. As much as it pains me to pick Duke but I don't pick with my heart.

UConn vs San Diego State
Prediction: Aztecs pull off a shocker!

"Don't Hate"

Final Four: Duke Blue Devils

In the Southwest:

Kansas vs Richmond
Prediction: Jay Hawks, Richmond's run ends here. The Jay Hawks are too strong in every phase of the game and has a deep bench. Good run for the Spiders but they get stomped.

VCU vs Florida State
Prediction: VCU is very athletic and long. They went through Georgetown and Purdue with ease. I think they have what it takes to get to the Elite Eight.

Final Four: Kansas Jay Hawks. Probably the most athletic team left in the tournament.

In the Southeast:

Butler vs Wisconsin
Prediction: Dawgs, how can you pick against them at this point. They made it to the title game last year. You have to pull for them now. Like I said in my post on Sunday Stevens is looking like a genius now.

BYU vs Florida
Prediction: BYU, the Gators have no answer for the Jimmer. I was pulling against the Cougars because they suspended Davies for violating the "Honor Code". Read my article entitled "POWER MOVE" But nothing gained! if you really want to know how I feel about that. Anyway the Cougars should advance although I wouldn't be mad if the Gators showed up.

Ya'll ain't know? We still here!

Final Four: Butler Bull Dawgs! You can't help but pull for them now plus I live in Indy so here I am. Read my article entitled Stevens Looks Like A Genius.

Once again it should be an interesting week of listening to the analysts act like they know what they're talking about. They know just as much as you and I. It's a complete crap shoot so roll the dice. Barkley's bracket looked like someone shot at it in a drive by. It was horrible and I'm supposed to listen to that guy. He's good television though. So there you have it, my Final Four from the teams that are remaining, Duke, Ohio State, Kansas and Butler. I initially picked Kansas, Duke, Syracuse and Pitt but that got blown up real quick.


If nothing else it's a good time and I'll right back at it on Thursday. Don't listen to these knuckle heads on TV or the radio. They don't know any more than you and I. So ride with me because I'll at least keep it real with you. Thanks for hanging out with TheJayGravesReport.

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Butler's Stevens Looks Like a Genius

"Genius"

Last year I was the first to blast Brad Stevens for not leaving Butler for the Big Time program's that came calling in the wake of their amazing 2010 NCAA Tournament run. There were several major schools including Wake Forest that offered Stevens big money to leave Butler but he chose to stay put. I thought the guy was crazy and still do but he's looking like a genius right now.

My argument was, why stay at Butler when you can go to a big time program and recruit the best players available instead of having to settle for mediocre players. Butler will never out recruit the likes of North Carolina, Duke, Kansas etc. They won't even get better players than Purdue or Indiana and they're in the same state.

The Bull Dawgs play in the Horizon League and never play on national television. The top recruits  want to play on TV point blank. They also want to play in front of crowds larger than they did in high school and Hinkle Fieldhouse holds just over 6,000 fans. A major recruit plays in front of more than that on a regular basis.

I figured like everyone, that the miracle of last year was a once and a lifetime opportunity and it made all of the sense in the world to strike while the iron was hot and take the big money. There's no way Butler will be back in this situation again. Remember George Mason's incredible run to the Final Four in 2006 and how coach Jim Larranaga decided to stay put? I thought that he was out of his mind because they would never repeat that feat again. Although I did give him a pass because he'd been at the school for more than 28 years.

So I could understand why he decided to stay and finish his career. However, Brad Stevens was just 33 years old and at the beginning of a very successful coaching career. I mean you've got to leave now, I thought.  If you can't get the big time recruits and you can't play on national TV and Butler doesn't have the money to pay you like the major programs do. Why stay?

I heard the reporters prior to the game against Pitt ask Stevens if they recruited Pitt's McGhee who is from nearby Anderson, In.. He replied, "no not at all, we didn't think we could get him so we didn't waste our time".  I immediately said, that's why you should have left last year when you had the opportunity.

  Well... I guess Brad Stevens understood something that I didn't. It's all about basketball at the end of the day. He's out playing and coaching all of the big boys and is still alive in the tournament for the second year in a row. Butler is in the Sweet Sixteen and it looks like they can keep winning. Why not they just knocked off the #1 seed Pitt. Doesn't look like a fluke now does it? I'm completely blown away that this guy is winning with this group of players. Not that they can't play but they are playing at Butler because they weren't recruited by the big boys.

Something to be said about fundemental basketball and pure coaching ability. They've got it and I can't hate on them. I still would have taken the money though.   Go Butler!!!

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

From The Other Side Of The Tracks!

"The Fab Five!"

Former Duke basketball star and current Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill took exception to comments made by former Michigan guard and current ESPN Analyst Jalen Rose. During the recent 30 for 30 documentary about the "Fab 5" Rose was critical of Duke and black players at the private school calling them "Uncle Toms".

"I hated Duke and I hated everything Duke stood for. Schools like Duke didn't recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms," Rose said in the documentary.

 Hill, in the letter published on the Times website and signed "Grant Henry Hill, Duke '94," wrote that "In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only 'black players that were 'Uncle Toms,' Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families. He leaves us all guessing exactly what he believes today. I am beyond fortunate to have two parents who are still working well into their 60s. They received great educations and use them every day. My parents taught me a personal ethic I try to live by and pass on to my children."

First of all, this is a matter of socioeconomics.  Kids that grew up in the hood have a completely different view of the world than people that didn't. Rose, as a 17 year old kid, growing up in Detroit in poverty without his father, who I might add, was a professional athlete, that wasn't in his life, was bitter at the world and not Grant Hill. It's only natural for him to be jealous because his dad wasn't in his life and Grant's father was.

He's right, schools like Duke don't recruit kids like him, even if they are good enough to play for the Blue Devils. Places like Duke don't want to take the chance of bringing a kid in that may have some problems or make the school look bad. Which in my opinion is completely understandable. Don't get mad at me that's just the way it is.

So people like Rose use the rejection as motivation to prove that they belong. Every child in the ghetto that grows up without a father is resentful of any kid that looks like them that grows up with both parents and money. Eventually, that resentment turns into hate which breeds the passion to become better than those they have to compete with on the floor or field.

 Kids in the suburbs many times don't have the same passion that kids in the ghetto have because they're comfortable. I see that with my own children. The poor players passion isn't just fueled by the need to play ball. It's fueled by all of the external factors that have caused them to grow up in the slums. Therefore, Jalen and kids like him, take offense to suburban kids that can play just as well as they do. Unfortunately for Jalen, his kids are going to be viewed by poor kids the same way he saw Grant, now that he has money and lives in those same suburbs that he once hated.

Does Jalen actually think Grant Hill is an Uncle Tom? No, but at 17 years old he did because he didn't see kids in his neighborhood with two parents that were college educated and successful.  Jalen's reaction to the players at Duke when he was in high school was a normal reaction that kids have in the hood to players like them. So really the only people that were upset by his comments besides Grant were people that didn't grow up in the hood.  However, people that have grown up and graduated from the ghetto now realize that you can be just as black when you're middle class or even wealthy.

When kids in the hood hear other black kids from the suburbs speak articulately, they typically say that they are "Acting White" because they haven't been exposed. Now my children are the ones that the poor kids think are acting white. When you're from the ghetto you've been brainwashed to believe that all black folks are poor and that's simply not the case. I was raised by two college educated parents and I'm quite sure there were kids that were resentful of me for that reason alone. Fortunately, I grew up in Gary, In. so I was able to live on both sides of the tracks. I was raised in a middle class home but I went to public school in the hood. My high school had two of the most notorious housing projects in town filter in. So I got a chance to see what most people in other cities that were middle class didn't see.

 I'm not mad at Jalen for his comments, although he misused the term, because he was 17 years old and had never left Detroit when he made them. He was merely stating how he felt as a high school recruit. Just like I wasn't upset at a white kid that lived on my floor while I was in college that thought that black people had tails. He actually wanted to know what happened to mine and was dead serious. This kid was from a very small town in Indiana and had been taught that black folks had tails his entire life because he had never been around them. So if we were to find that same guy more than twenty years later and did a documentary on him and he repeated what he actually thought more than twenty years ago, would it be fair to hold him to it?  What's your opinion?

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

The Most Important Game Ever Played!

Texas Western 1966 National Champions

As we kickoff  the greatest two weeks in sports, I'm reminded of the greatest game ever played. On March 19, 1966 the University of Kentucky and Texas Western University met in the University of Maryland's Cole Field House for the national title. There was very little hype surrounding the game, in fact, that it's starting time was 10 p.m., it wasn't carried by a major network, and it was televised only on a tape-delayed basis in several American cities. Director James Gartner produced the highly successful film "Glory Road" about this historical game in 2006.
If you examine the grainy film closely, the crowd is white, so are the NCAA officials, the referees, the coaches, the cheerleaders and almost all the sportswriters on press row. High in the bleachers, Kentucky fans wave a Confederate flag as the Wildcats' five white players line up for the opening tip. Nothing out of the ordinary during that period of time in American history.(1)

Then five black players showed up in their orange uniforms and white Converse All-Stars, to start for Texas Western. Until that moment, at the height of the civil-rights era, no major-college team had ever started five black players in an NCAA championship game. In fact, until Texas Western coach Don Haskins did it earlier that season, no major-college team had ever started five blacks in ANY game. For the first time that night, on the edge of the Mason-Dixon Line, a major American sports championship would be contested by one team that was all-white and another whose starters were entirely black.(1)

 If you haven't seen the movie it would be well worth your time even if you're not a die hard sports fan. No.3 Texas Western beat the No. 1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats 72-65 to win the national title. After that ball game colleges and universities all over the south and for that matter, all over the country, began to recruit black players at a staggering rate.

In 1966, American cultural and sporting mythology insisted at least one white starter was necessary for success. Black athletes, prevailing wisdom implied, needed the steadying hand of a white teammate. Otherwise, games would dissolve into chaos.(1)

 The game HAS dissolved into the chaos of run and gun and above the rim play that we all have come to enjoy. However, great defense is still the key to winning championships. Yes, that game in 1966, just one year before I was born, changed the landscape of basketball forever. We take for granted  that major college teams are predominately black now.

I'm thankful that guys on the Texas Western team endured the racism of the time and pushed in the door to prove that African Americans could compete and win at the highest level. That has given way to the opportunity for other blacks to go on to college and earn degrees that for many, without sports would have been simply unattainable because of the mere cost of the education. As I  look around the country at our major institutions there are so many African American athletic directors, coaches and administrators that have come up through the ranks by having the opportunity to play intercollegiate athletics.

Yes, in my opinion that was the greatest game ever played because it opened the door to greater diversity on college campuses all over this country. Schools that wanted to win were forced to recruit black players even when they resisted, but winning became more important. Isn't God good the way he'll force your hand?

Sure, we enjoy watching our kids succeed on the athletic fields of play. However, more importantly it's given them a sense of pride in who they are and what they can accomplish if they are passionate about what they're doing. Many times we just look at sports as something that's fun to play but in my opinion it's more than that. I wrote an article entitled "Why All Children Should Play Sports" that talks about the lessons that are learned through these trivial games and how sports can transform lives.

Who would have ever thought that a basketball game in 1966 would have changed the world? Well... it did and I'm thankful for it. I'm thankful to all of those people that came before me that endured the bigotry in this country and were still able to succeed. It's inspiring to know that even when the odds are stacked against you God will make a way if you would just trust and believe in him. Thanks again. Now lets play ball!!!! MARCH MADNESS IS HERE!!!!!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Exerpts were taken from  "Texas Western's 1966 title left lasting legacy"(1) By Frank Fitzpatrick
Special to ESPN Classic

Top 10 Rules for March Madness!

"Let's Get It in Bruh!"

It's Selection Sunday and March Madness is officially here. The greatest two weeks in sports next to College Football season in my opinion. Regardless of whether you agree with me or not, it's a good time. Before we get started this evening. I just want to lay out some ground rules for the next couple of weeks.
1. You can only fill out one bracket! I hate when people show up to work with 10 brackets filled out and look to win the office pool. That's shady and you now it. When the tournament is over this person gallivants around like they really knew something about college basketball. Sorry excuse for a sports fan!!!

2. Don't fill out your kids bracket! If he or she can't talk or walk they can't participate. That's final. I get tired of losing to some kid that's 13 months old.

3. Don't pick the freaking teams based on the uniforms! If you haven't watched the games to this point just say that you don't know and bow out gracefully.

4. Don't try to change your bracket once your final four teams lose! I get tired of the guy that picks a certain team to make it to the Final Four and then on Friday he's got somebody else on his bracket because their out already.

5. Don't show up to the sports bar on Thursday talking trash or wearing your team logo if your school isn't in the tournament. You're on punishment for crying out loud!! If your school sucks then you have to stay at home.

6. Don't install that stupid software with the fake graphs on it to try to fool your boss when he walks past your computer. He knows that you're watching the games because he is. Just keep it real and order pizza and go to the conference room and watch it together.

7. Don't get on Facebook or Twitter lying about being at the games. Who cares?

8. If you win the bracket challenge and get the traveling trophy don't try to keep the stupid thing! Return it next year and I mean it!!

9. Don't call in sick Thursday and Friday you'll look stupid! Trust me.

10. Finally, don't spend the next twenty four hours asking folks who's your Final Foul teams so you can pick yours. This is an independent project tonight. No cheating!

Now let's get out there and have some fun!!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Throwing It All Away

"You're Fired!"

Playing sports at a major university is an opportunity of a lifetime. Not because you're playing on national television every week and playing in front of 80,000 fans that are crazy about the program. It's not because you get to travel all over the country, stay in five star hotels, fly on chartered planes and play in bowl games. All because of your ability to play a sport that many times has just come natural to you. Sure, you've got to put in work to get to that level, but a lot of it is natural ability. The old timers would always say, "Son, you don't choose the sport, the sport chooses you".
The most important reason why playing at that level is the greatest opportunity is because it's a free education that many kids from the ghetto would not be able to afford if they weren't an athlete. An opportunity to escape the confines of the hood to see and experience things that they never would've known if it weren't for sports. Having the opportunity to build relationships with coaches, administrators and alumni that they never would have met had it not been for athletics.

I remember hearing the legendary Georgetown coach, John Thompson, say that getting a basketball scholarship changed his life. By being on campus he was able to meet administrators that steered him toward coaching. That's why I'm deeply saddened to hear when kids throw the opportunity away.

Four Auburn football players have been kicked off the team after being arrested and charged with robbery, burglary and theft. Mike McNeil, Antonio Goodwin, Shaun Kitchens and Dakota Mosley all were arrested early Friday morning in Auburn, Ala. Auburn police said that three black men entered a house about three miles from campus, and one displayed a handgun. Police said they stole property. After a motor vehicle stop, the four were arrested and a pistol and stolen property were recovered, according to Auburn police. Mosley is white. The four players were charged with five counts of first-degree robbery, one count of first-degree burglary -- both of which are felonies -- and one count of third-degree theft. All four were being held in the Lee County Detention Center on $511,000 bail.

Later Friday, Auburn coach Gene Chizik issued a statement saying all four players were thrown off the team.
"The players arrested in connection with this deeply troubling incident have been permanently dismissed from our football team," Chizik said in a statement. "While we realize the legal process will run its course and these young men have a right for their case to be heard, playing for Auburn University is an honor and a privilege. It is not a right."

I wrote an article a couple of months ago that has become the second most read of all-time entitled "High Explosive: Nobody is Parenting Anymore" . I simply explained that how when kids aren't afraid of anyone at home they tend to act a fool when they leave home.

These guys had just won the BCS National Title two months ago. Whatever they wanted in the state of Alabama would've been given to them if they had just asked. That title along with a degree from Auburn University would've taken care of these young men for the rest of their lives. Especially, if they never move out of the state of Alabama. Let me explain.

When a kid plays for a major university and has any type of success there are people that are called fans, boosters and alumni that will hire them just because he played ball for their favorite school. It's that simple. I didn't make the rules, that's just how it is. Doesn't matter what the degree was in or if the kid is qualified for the position. The former athlete will always get a pass as long as his nose is clean.

I  know a guy, for example, that was on a Final Four team that wasn't going to the NBA but was graduating that spring. Every manager in the Indy area in the pharmaceutical business ran down to his campus to interview him right after the tournament was over. Well... they really weren't interviews they were "when would you like to start meetings".
 Remember, the hiring managers for all of these companies graduated from somewhere and many times it's the major school in the local area. When a kid walks into an interview with a championship ring, a degree and the ability to articulate he's pretty much hired. It's that simple. Well..it's not easy but it's that's simple. Here's something that I tell my son all of the time. There are six words that will save your life, "Do What You're Supposed To Do".  If you can do that life will be easy for you.

Instead, these now former Auburn football players are sitting in a cell facing felony charges that could send them to prison for a long time. If and when they do get released they won't have any affiliation with the university. What a shame to just throw it all away!


Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from ESPN.com news services was used in this article

Getting It Done, Finally!

Heat snap a 5 game losing streak to beat Lakers

Associated Press

MIAMI -- Less than 2 minutes to go, tie game, Kobe Bryant with the basketball and staring down Dwyane Wade. Bryant's move was good. Wade's reaction was better, and in that moment, Miami's epic run of blown opportunities late in games started coming to an end. Wade's steal set up LeBron James for the dunk that put Miami ahead to stay with 1:27 left, Chris Bosh scored 24 points in his first outing after saying he wanted more shots, and the Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-88 on Thursday night to end a five-game losing streak and hand the two-time defending NBA champions their first loss in nine games.

"We had everything riding on this game, really, to be honest with you," Bosh said. Wade scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and James finished with 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Miami, which secured a postseason bid with 17 games left -- the earliest that's happened in franchise history.

That was an ancillary point: Winning again was all that mattered. "We didn't want to run away from this," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We didn't want to hide from any of this. We want to get better. We want to make sure our game is right and ready when it really counts."

Bryant scored 24 points for the Lakers, who got 20 from Pau Gasol. Andrew Bynum finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles. Bryant and Wade tangled again after the steal led to the go-ahead basket, when Bryant tried a 3-pointer with 1:06 left. Wade was credited with a block, and Bryant said afterward he was fouled. "It's clearly evident," Bryant said. Said Wade: "I didn't." That wasn't the lone bit of verbal jousting the teams engaged in Thursday.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson -- who's shown a flair for poking the Heat more than once this season -- struck again before tipoff when he likened Miami's tendencies to what you'd see in an Xbox video game. "I'm not a big fan of the style that Miami plays," Jackson said. He might like it less now, after the Heat finished off a season sweep of the defending champions.

 

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

"All Crapped Out"



Tressel suspended for two games

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel received an e-mail last April telling him that two of his players were caught up in a federal drug-trafficking case and the sale of memorabilia, breaking NCAA rules. Tressel responded: "I will get on it ASAP." But he never mentioned it to Ohio State's compliance department or his athletic director for more than nine months.

On Tuesday, Tressel was suspended for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined $250,000 for violating NCAA rules by failing to notify the school about the players' involvement. He also will receive a public reprimand and must make a public apology.

Now the question that I have is this, "What did you expect him to do?" Did you expect him to go to the A.D. and the Ohio State compliance department and tell the whole story or did you expect him to try to handle the situation internally like most coaches would do? I'm not surprised that he didn't tell anyone about it. He thought that he could handle the situation with his players and it would go away. Now obviously that didn't happen.

People don't realize how difficult it is to keep more than 100 players in line at a major university. That's why the recruiting process is so hard. Not only are coaches trying to find the best players from across the country; they've got to find a balance between them being able to play and perform in and out of the classroom as well. Many times it's a twenty four a day job. You can't imagine the amount of phone calls that these coaches get about players being involved in things that we as the public never even hear about.

Jim Tressel thought that this would go away like the other 300 emails that he's gotten about a player being in involved in something stupid. When he got that email in April of last year he probably did get right on it. He probably called his assistants, especially the strength and conditioning coach and told him to handle it. Those five players were probably put on "Dawn Patrol" for a couple of weeks. For those of you that don't know what "Dawn Patrol" is, it's when players are punished for acting a fool or missing or being late to meetings or class etc and have to meet with the strength coach at 5:00 am to run and do various strength and conditioning drills.

It's a beast and nobody wants "Dawn Patrol" because it's so early. Not only do you have to report for the morning workouts but you're not exempt from the normal workouts with the team later that day. So I'm not mad at Tressel because he probably assumed that he had handled it and it was in the rear view mirror. It just happened to rear end him. Now I will say this, I thought that he was way over the top in making the "Tat 5" commit to staying in school next year or not playing in the bowl game. Which, in my opinion, they shouldn't have been able to play in anyway, especially if he knew about it. He went too far in giving the company line if he was involved. The minute he found out about it and kept it low he was involved. So I understand what he was trying to do but he took it too far. That decision should have been left up to the players and families to make. Now he looks like an idiot.

"Snake Eyes"

 I'm always blown away by how the media will completely destroy Tressel for this when they are around the culture of major college sports and understand what these coaches face everyday. This doesn't mean that Tressel is a bad person. It just means that he gambled to keep from embarrassing himself and the program and lost.  What's your opinion?





Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.