The college basketball world was rocked last Friday by allegations that a Louisville staffer paid for escorts to have sex with players and recruits. It's one of those stories that if proven true will have wide-ranging consequences for both the university and those involved.
One of those now involved is Louisville coach Rick Pitino, as people have begun asking the question as to whether he should continue to be employed if these allegations are proven to be true, regardless of his knowledge. The Eye on College Basketball team debates that, our All-America team, and high-impact transfers in this week's 3-Pointer.
1. Assuming there actually was a Louisville staff member securing prostitutes for players and recruits, should Rick Pitino continue as coach?
Parrish: I realize Pitino will likely be hit with a "Lack of Coach Control" charge by the NCAA if it's proven that even some of what's in that book happened, as he should. But unless he ordered it, signed off on it or was aware of it, I can't completely get behind the idea of removing him as Louisville's coach. To be clear, if Louisville decides to move in another direction regardless, I won't protest. I get it. And, if Pitino was aware, absolutely, that's a fireable offense. But there's no evidence, at this point, that Pitino knew. So my guess is that the NCAA will ultimately send a notice of allegations and the program will be punished in some way. But Pitino will likely keep his job unless he's directly tied to this scandal -- although I'm less convinced of that today than I was even a few days ago.
Vecenie: The devil will be in the details on this one, right? If Rick Pitino knew, then he should be fired. If he told Andre McGee to do whatever it takes to get these kids to commit while turning a blind eye and keeping himself a fair distance away from the proceedings while knowing there was something fishy going on, then that would also be a fireable offense. But if, as he steadfastly claims, he didn't know what was going on and this was just the actions of a rogue coach? Then I'm totally cool with Pitino keeping his job, and hope that he does. College basketball is better with Pitino involved as long as he's not out there actively committing violations.
Norlander: I'll plainly say: If prostitutes were paid for and tended to Louisville recruits and/or players, Pitino needs to be removed. Might not be fair, but those are the breaks. He has to take responsibility for the people he hires, and in some cases that goes beyond the mere punishment arm of the NCAA. Think about it. Louisville will be absolutely CRUSHED if the school conitnues to employ him after all of this is through. And again: I'm strictly offering this up from the scenario of most/all of the allegations being true. If Pitino didn't step down -- and I believe if the coach and the school do part ways because of the scandal in the next six months to two years, it will be him stepping down rather than being fired -- the backlash would be very bad and very consistent for a long time. Him staying on would continually put a cloud over his time at the school (his previous, personal sex case further hurts this, fair or not) and it's not something he can win his way out of. The situation is too seedy, too toxic for him to realistically hold on to his job and try to finish out his career.
2. Which player do you feel most guilty about leaving off of the CBS Sports Preseason All-America teams?
Norlander: I think we'll feel some remorse about the Demetrius Jackson omission. He's the player I think we'll regret not having on the Third Team by the end of the season. All told, it was an incredibly hard year for all things preseason awards. Picking a national player of the year was as tough as it's ever been; settling on a First Team was no easy task when you consider there are at least 12 guys worthy of strong consideration; overall we had a pool of about 25 worthwhile candidates to include on our three teams.
Vecenie: The fact that Matt just mentioned another point guard whenever I'm going to do the same really emphasizes how that figures to be the strongest position in the sport this year. The player who I feel the worst about leaving off is undoubtedly Yogi Ferrell from Indiana. He would be a second-team All-American if I got my way. He was first-team All-Big Ten last year (over Melo Trimble, who we have as a second-team All-American), and figures to be the leading presence on a team that has Final Four ambitions. Not only that, but he's a guy that literally can do it all on the offensive end. He's a great shooter, a decent finisher around the hoop for a guard despite his size, keeps the ball on a string with his excellent handle, and is an excellent distributor who gets everyone involved. He's the main reason why Indiana figures to have a top-five offense in the country this season. I'm a pretty big fan of his, and wish we could have found a place for him.
Parrish: Demetrius Jackson and Yogi Ferrell are good answers. But, for me, it's Wichita State's Ron Baker. He's averaged at least 26.1 minutes per game for three straight 30-win teams, and he averaged 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season while shooting 38.3 percent from the 3-point line. From my perspective, the final two guard spots -- after we made Baker's teammate, Fred VanVleet, the point guard of the Third Team -- came down to Marcus Paige, Denzel Valentine, Caris LeVert, Demetrius Jackson and Ron Baker. We went with Paige and Valentine, and that's reasonable. But I really did hate omitting Baker. He and Ferrell, I think, are the two players most likely to make us look dumb. Either, or both, could end up being the leading scorer on a conference champion.
3. Who do you think will be the highest impact transfer this season?
Vecenie: With the new graduate transfer rule, there are plenty every year that end up making a massive impact on the standings. The one that I think will have the biggest impact this year is Sterling Gibbs at Connecticut. There was a chance that this would be another down year in Storrs after losing Ryan Boatright, but with Gibbs in town there will be a guy to take the pressure off the youngsters. Remember, last year Gibbs was a legitimate All-American candidate in January before Seton Hall's season went totally off the rails. He ended up averaging 16.3 points and 3.8 assists regardless though, and I'd look for similar numbers as he leads a top-20 team this year.
Parrish: Put me down for Maryland's Robert Carter, if only because I think he can be a key piece on a Final Four team. He averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds two seasons ago at Georgia Tech, and he's now in the best shape of his life. I watched him workout last month, and he looked great. Body fat is way down. And he can really shoot it. Folks keep talking about Diamond Stone and Rasheed Sulaimon, and I understand why. They're both talented. But the new player most likely to make a huge impact at Maryland is Carter.
Norlander: The Carter pick is inspired. The Gibbs one ... we'll see. Wondering if he'll even be in the top-three most important players on UConn's roster. I'm gonna go a little different here. I'm not saying this guy is the best player. But the question is highest impact. I point you to a roster that would be in a really bad situation if this player weren't incoming. I don't think any team will get more overall production from one transfer this season than Creighton will with Cole Huff (previously at Nevada). Huff can score anywhere on the floor, is a solid rebounder for his size and an ideal fit in Greg McDermott's offense. The Bluejays won't contend for a Big East title, but they'll at least have a real threat in their offense.
