Kentucky's handling of Shawn Kemp was shortsighted.

[Son_Of_Saul]

Kemp was booted from the team in early November of 1988. If Kentucky waits a few weeks, he gets to play for us and then I get my custom Shawn Kemp Kentucky jersey that was deprived from its rightful place in my childhood.

UK should have never gone public with the incident. Give Kemp a slap on the wrist, and ride out his 20 ppg and 12 rpb season until probation came. It would have been a nice consolation prize for probation, getting one of the most dynamic forwards in history.

Here's the article...

UPI ARCHIVES

NOV. 6, 1988

Kentucky freshman Shawn Kemp, implicated in the theft of...​

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky freshman Shawn Kemp, implicated in the theft of two gold necklaces from the son of head coach Eddie Sutton, has transferred to a community college in Florida, school officials said.

Kemp, a Proposition 48 casualty who had to skip basketball this year, was named by Lexington police as the person who sold the necklaces to a Lexington pawn shop.


Sean Sutton, a sophomore guard on his father's team, declined to prosecute and the case was dropped.

'Yes, he's gone,' Kentucky Athletic Director Cliff Hagan said. 'He's moved out of Wildcat Lodge (the basketball dorm). I think the decision was the best thing all around because of problems this past week and the fact he hasn't been pursuing his academics with much zeal here. My understanding is that he will go to Brevard (Community College in Cocoa, Fla.).'

Kemp, a 6-foot-10 center-forward from Elkhart, Ind., and one of the most highly recruited prepsters in the country last year, could not be reached for comment.

Kentucky is facing 18 allegations of NCAA violations in a case the NCAA describes as major. Kemp's mother, Barbara Brown, was named in a potential allegation.

The NCAA said it wanted more information about packages sent from the Kentucky basketball program to Brown and about cash purchases made by Brown. The NCAA investigation was prompted by the accidental discovery of $1,000 in cash in an overnight package sent from assistant coach Dwane Casey to the father of now-Kentucky freshman Chris Mills of Los Angeles, which the NCAA has alleged is a recruiting violation.

 

[kl40504]

Kemp was booted from the team in early November of 1988. If Kentucky waits a few weeks, he gets to play for us and then I get my custom Shawn Kemp Kentucky jersey that was deprived from its rightful place in my childhood.

UK should have never gone public with the incident. Give Kemp a slap on the wrist, and ride out his 20 ppg and 12 rpb season until probation came. It would have been a nice consolation prize for probation, getting one of the most dynamic forwards in history.

Here's the article...

UPI ARCHIVES

NOV. 6, 1988

Kentucky freshman Shawn Kemp, implicated in the theft of...​

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky freshman Shawn Kemp, implicated in the theft of two gold necklaces from the son of head coach Eddie Sutton, has transferred to a community college in Florida, school officials said.

Kemp, a Proposition 48 casualty who had to skip basketball this year, was named by Lexington police as the person who sold the necklaces to a Lexington pawn shop.


Sean Sutton, a sophomore guard on his father's team, declined to prosecute and the case was dropped.

'Yes, he's gone,' Kentucky Athletic Director Cliff Hagan said. 'He's moved out of Wildcat Lodge (the basketball dorm). I think the decision was the best thing all around because of problems this past week and the fact he hasn't been pursuing his academics with much zeal here. My understanding is that he will go to Brevard (Community College in Cocoa, Fla.).'

Kemp, a 6-foot-10 center-forward from Elkhart, Ind., and one of the most highly recruited prepsters in the country last year, could not be reached for comment.

Kentucky is facing 18 allegations of NCAA violations in a case the NCAA describes as major. Kemp's mother, Barbara Brown, was named in a potential allegation.

The NCAA said it wanted more information about packages sent from the Kentucky basketball program to Brown and about cash purchases made by Brown. The NCAA investigation was prompted by the accidental discovery of $1,000 in cash in an overnight package sent from assistant coach Dwane Casey to the father of now-Kentucky freshman Chris Mills of Los Angeles, which the NCAA has alleged is a recruiting violation.

Not

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Not

Were you even alive back then?

 

[kl40504]

Were you even alive back then?

Were you. Your posting on here seems pretty dead.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Were you. Your posting on here seems pretty dead.

So you weren't alive back (or too young to even remember) then and you have no real perspective on the issue, in other words?

 

[ace on the river]

I was alive back then and attending games. Let’s just say this wasn’t the first miscue Sean had in Lexington.

 

[chroix]

Now, yes. Then, no. The times have changed so drastically that in the current climate it seems like you’re dumb if you accept blame. I think it is not good on a societal level but what penalties have UNC, Auburn or Kansas faced? Two of them have hung banners since being discovered to have been cheating.

 

[UK90]

Now, yes. Then, no. The times have changed so drastically that in the current climate it seems like you’re dumb if you accept blame. I think it is not good on a societal level but what penalties have UNC, Auburn or Kansas faced? Two of them have hung banners since being discovered to have been cheating.

This. I think in today’s free-for-all college basketball world Kemp’s transgressions would likely be forgiven. But, back in the 80s, programs were more hung up on silly notions like following rules and imposing consequences for misconduct.

 

[Smashcat]

“and the fact he hasn't been pursuing his academics with much zeal here.”

I chuckled.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

I heard at the time that sean sutton and kemp were complicit in this incident. Sutton gave the jewelry to kemp to pawn so that they could get some party money, and then reported it stolen to have the insurance replace the jewelry.

 

[MrHotDice]

The gold necklace was the camels back straw. However Kemp was a kid and probably if Kentucky had stuck with him he would have grown out of delinquent ways.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Rupp missed on Dillinger

He rarely missed when he shot

 

[1Catmantoo]

You weren’t there, so you don’t know all the facts. I’m sure UK handled it properly. You don’t discipline someone just to benefit the team.

 

[CELTICAT]

Imagine the bombinos with Shawn Kemp.

which is to say, imagine Rick Pitino meeting Shawn Kemp in 1989. Probably not a match made in heaven. And even if they did coexist, or even thrive, UK couldn’t win the SEC or play in the SECT. Games wouldn’t have been nationally televised either, so good luck if you lived more than 100 miles from campus.

So there’s an irrelevance factor here.

As to the shortsighted-ness of the punishment, people were already outraged by Emory and Eric Manuel’s SAT fiasco. There was a big fear the program would get the death penalty. People were ready to hang Eddie Sutton and Cliff Hagan.

 

[GoCat15]

All I know is that Kemp was my favorite player growing up and should've been a hall of famer if Seattle would've treated him like they should've and not let him go to Cleveland and gain 100 pounds. If it wasn't for Jordan him and the Glove would've had an NBA championship ring, they were a fun tandem to watch play. In my opinion he ranks right up there with Dominique and Vince Carter as the best in game dunkers that the NBA has ever seen.

 

[SemperFiCat]

I was about 10 around that time. And as I've shared, grew up in central Indy. It's odd I have vague memories of guys like Rex, Davender, and Kenny, but didn't really know of a Kemp/Kentucky connection til years after he was in Seattle (or probably more accuratley, when I discovered these types of forums). Shows you how much technology has changed things and access to information.

 

[Rockford]

@Son_Of_Saul

It was different time then, my friend.

 

[Deli owl]

He would have been so fun to watch and dominated college ball. I got to see him play at the blue courts behind Seaton center

 

[Smashcat]

I heard at the time that sean sutton and kemp were complicit in this incident. Sutton gave the jewelry to kemp to pawn so that they could get some party money, and then reported it stolen to have the insurance replace the jewelry.

I've heard that before. If it were Doug Gottlieb I'd have a much easier time believing it.😜

 

[Ineverplayedthegame]

I always figured Big Shawn took it to keep and wear for his own. Once he found out Little Sean didn’t spell his name the same, he had no use for it, so he pawned it and got caught.

 

[SemperFiCat]

@Son_Of_Saul

It was different time then, my friend.

Oh yeah. Two years ago, it may not have even been a back page story with zero penalties. Now, he'd get paid for wearing them.

 

[Zissou87]

I always figured Big Shawn took it to keep and wear for his own. Once he found out Little Sean didn’t spell his name the same, he had no use for it, so he pawned it and got caught.

Quite a few "Little Shawns" now.

 

[H00SIER-Cat]

Now, yes. Then, no. The times have changed so drastically that in the current climate it seems like you’re dumb if you accept blame. I think it is not good on a societal level but what penalties have UNC, Auburn or Kansas faced? Two of them have hung banners since being discovered to have been cheating.

Some of thought the death penalty was a real possibilty. We had just seen it with SMU football

 

[UK90]

I saw young Kemp play in person in an NBA game once and what blew me away was his speed. He had a couple fast breaks in that game where he seemed to cover the length of the court in a shockingly quick blink of an eye. At his peak, that dude might’ve been the fastest 6’10” guy ever.

Would’ve been fun to see him in Pitino’s full court run and press system.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Were you even alive back then?

I was. I live in Ohio and Jim Tressel swept some things under the rug while Terrell Prior was playing.
It came out and cost Tressel his job.
Kemp was a great NBA player with a lot of baggage .

 

[J_Dee]

I don't have any problem at all with any player getting booted for theft, especially if he isn't attending class.

 

[wildcatwelder]

I heard at the time that sean sutton and kemp were complicit in this incident. Sutton gave the jewelry to kemp to pawn so that they could get some party money, and then reported it stolen to have the insurance replace the jewelry.

I was around at the time, and had a relative who was very close to the program for @ 15 years or so.

This account is partly accurate, in that Sutton and Kemp had discussed pawning the jewelry so they could score a little herb and beer, nothing more. According to Sutton, he decided against it because he was afraid his dad would find out. Kemp really wanted some weed, so he stole Sutton's property and pawned it.

Kemp didn't attend class, and that wasn't a big secret back then either. He was one hell of a player, but he had a ton of baggage. UK did the right thing, IMHO.

 

[BIG BLUE GURU]

In a world that tries to convince you that nobody should be held accountable for their actions please understand that there is still a right and wrong. The more people they convince there isn’t is when shit hits the fan. Stand up for morales and the basic principles of right vs wrong. If you don’t what is left?

 

[the stat man]

He should have went to Dook. I hear it’s pretty easy to pick up some jewelry even as a collage kid !

 

[Aike]

He was Prop 48 so he wouldn’t have played a few weeks later. Would have had to survive through another year and all the scrutiny we were under. Not likely.

 

[Fox2monk]

Now, yes. Then, no. The times have changed so drastically that in the current climate it seems like you’re dumb if you accept blame. I think it is not good on a societal level but what penalties have UNC, Auburn or Kansas faced? Two of them have hung banners since being discovered to have been cheating.

In the current climate they will just let you go if your in the right circumstances or place for anything up to murder 2 now.

 

[king of cali]

He was Prop 48 so he wouldn’t have played a few weeks later. Would have had to survive through another year and all the scrutiny we were under. Not likely.

Thank you. Lost in this far fetched “shortsighted” handling is the fact that Kenp was Prop 48 and wouldn’t have been playing at all. He most likely would have exited with all the others when the sanctions were announced.

 

[yoshukai]

I heard at the time that sean sutton and kemp were complicit in this incident. Sutton gave the jewelry to kemp to pawn so that they could get some party money, and then reported it stolen to have the insurance replace the jewelry.

If you remember Sean Sutton had a HUGE black eye for a couple of weeks at that time . I always heard it was a “going away present “ from Kemp .

 

[smooth as butter]

Were you. Your posting on here seems pretty dead.

Lol

 

[Mulder14]

I was around at the time, and had a relative who was very close to the program for @ 15 years or so.

This account is partly accurate, in that Sutton and Kemp had discussed pawning the jewelry so they could score a little herb and beer, nothing more. According to Sutton, he decided against it because he was afraid his dad would find out. Kemp really wanted some weed, so he stole Sutton's property and pawned it.

Kemp didn't attend class, and that wasn't a big secret back then either. He was one hell of a player, but he had a ton of baggage. UK did the right thing, IMHO.

He still likes it but now he’s making money with it. He has a large shop in Seattle.

 

[Crayfish57]

So you weren't alive back (or too young to even remember) then and you have no real perspective on the issue, in other words?

I remember, went to HS with Shawn and his sister who was a really good basketball player too. I don't recall him really being any kind of a trouble maker but I know he was helped to remain eligible to play. Granted I was in his sisters class, Sr when he was a freshman . She did end up having problems

 

[Bank Cat]

No probation, Rex doesn't leave as a sophomore. I always drooled over a lineup of Chapman, Manuel (tragic what the system did to him), Kemp, LeRon Ellis and Chris Mills. Domination.

 

[FurdTerguson]

Friend of mine was in a barber shop the day that hit the news and I think it was Tom Heitz whom he overheard say "that stuff (jewelry theft) has been going on at the Lodge for years."

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

No probation, Rex doesn't leave as a sophomore. I always drooled over a lineup of Chapman, Manuel (tragic what the system did to him), Kemp, LeRon Ellis and Chris Mills. Domination.

That's a pretty cool "What could have been lineup." Chapman/Kemp/Mills would have been one of the best trios in program history.

The other one I like is the one that almost came to be in 1995:

Allen Iverson
Tony Delk
Ray Allen
Rodrick Rhodes
Walter McCarty

With Antoine Walker, Jeff Sheppard, and Mark Pope off the bench.

That would have been a fun team.

 

[christophero]

He stole from the coach's son? Yeah, let's keep that guy around.