Kentucky's handling of Shawn Kemp was shortsighted.

[bucsrule8872]

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.

I’ve dreamed of that scenario, too, though Chapman would have had to stay for his Senior year to play with Kemp. Still might have happened, kids stayed in school back then and Chapman might have had $$ incentive to stick around and with no probation, he might have stayed. And Sutton probably tells him he can run the Point.

That starting five in 1990 would have been one of the best ever. Bench wouldn’t have been too bad with Sutton, Hanson, Miller, and Pelphrey. Might have added another stud or two from the class of ‘89.

National title game would have been an epic showdown between Chapman, Kemp, and company and Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthony for UNLV.

That’s one of my favorite What Ifs in UK basketball. Would be one downside, no Pitino at UK as Sutton probably finishes his long career at UK if he doesn’t get caught cheating.

 

[kybassfan]

This ain’t Kansas or U6.

 

[Crayfish57]

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

I have no clue on that stuff and obviously not a good look. As my previous post, went to HS with Shawn . I didnt know him but really good friend of mine and she was in his class said he never had a reputation of being in trouble .

Side note his freshman yr he was 6-9 and played wide receiver on the freshman football team. Can you imagine being a db ? I dont know if he actually played much but would see him wearing his jersey on game days.

I had a summer job mowing grass as a freshman for my 5th grade teacher who had a side biz and he was telling me about this 6th grader that was just an amazing basketball player.

 

[christophero]

Kemp was an awesome player I was just kidding.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Shawn Kemp, Larry Bird, Allen Iverson, and Tracy McGrady.

All were so close to actually playing here. Can you imagine?

 

[Cat Ballou]

Jesus - what an awful time to be a UK fan. Joe B. was the coach at Kentucky and his plodding big man focused basketball was getting routinely outshone by the high caliber athletes and exciting brand of basketball being played by Denny Crum’s Louisville squad and recruiting was starting to really slip.

Joe retires and Sutton was going to be the running, pressing coach that Kentucky fans craved so bad. I don’t know what the deal was with Sutton, but apparently he thought being the UK coach meant he could get away with anything.

Pre-internet, “following recruiting” basically meant either listening to late night radio or subscribing to Bob Gibbons newsletter.

I’ll never forget how I excited I was sitting in my car in the backyard late one night (it got the best radio reception) and listening to sports radio talk show and finding out Kentucky had gotten the commitment paperwork from Chris Mills. It was kind of a big surprise.

I was so excited. I thought big things were ahead.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Sutton should have let it go and just took the cost of the jewelry out of Kemp’s paycheck.

I kid, but…

 

[bucsrule8872]

Jesus - what an awful time to be a UK fan. Joe B. was the coach at Kentucky and his plodding big man focused basketball was getting routinely outshone by the high caliber athletes and exciting brand of basketball being played by Denny Crum’s Louisville squad and recruiting was starting to really slip.

Joe retires and Sutton was going to be the running, pressing coach that Kentucky fans craved so bad. I don’t know what the deal was with Sutton, but apparently he thought being the UK coach meant he could get away with anything.

Pre-internet, “following recruiting” basically meant either listening to late night radio or subscribing to Bob Gibbons newsletter.

I’ll never forget how I excited I was sitting in my car in the backyard late one night (it got the best radio reception) and listening to sports radio talk show and finding out Kentucky had gotten the commitment paperwork from Chris Mills. It was kind of a big surprise.

I was so excited. I thought big things were ahead.

I remember those days. Just a morsel of recruiting news was huge because you really didn’t know anything until after the fact.

 

[DrH. Lecter]

What is it with coaches kids and bling.

 

[FurdTerguson]

Jesus - what an awful time to be a UK fan.

Joe retires and Sutton was going to be the running, pressing coach that Kentucky fans craved so bad. I don’t know what the deal was with Sutton, but apparently he thought being the UK coach meant he could get away with anything.

It wasn't Sutton's idea to cheat. He came into a program that was buying players. We dodged the Herald-Leader bullet and he said he wanted UK to be a program like Carolina or Duke. Happy and the Friends of the Program (movie reference) had other ideas.

 

[BlueWhite21]

I’ve dreamed of that scenario, too, though Chapman would have had to stay for his Senior year to play with Kemp. Still might have happened, kids stayed in school back then and Chapman might have had $$ incentive to stick around and with no probation, he might have stayed. And Sutton probably tells him he can run the Point.

That starting five in 1990 would have been one of the best ever. Bench wouldn’t have been too bad with Sutton, Hanson, Miller, and Pelphrey. Might have added another stud or two from the class of ‘89.

National title game would have been an epic showdown between Chapman, Kemp, and company and Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthony for UNLV.

That’s one of my favorite What Ifs in UK basketball. Would be one downside, no Pitino at UK as Sutton probably finishes his long career at UK if he doesn’t get caught cheating.

I like the way you think and I would've like the same to have happened but Rex was gone either way. He and Eddie had already had differences about the way the game should be played. Plus, it's been said that Rex's dad was maybe encouraging him to go elsewhere but I don't know that to be 100% gospel.

Also, Sean was probably gonna be the PG no matter who Eddie brought in and I don't think Eddie would've been a running team until Sean graduated at least, if ever. Go back and watch games from Sutton yrs at how gun shy guys like Feldhaus Farmer and others where when they'd have wide open 3's and nobody within 5 ft and they wouldn't even look to shoot it. It's funny how Eddie system looked after we got used to Pitinos. Eddie was more of a coach who didn't want to waste much time shooting 3s and also was on that 4 pass before shot bullshit. I think even 8 passes at one time. He done that for one reason only and that was to minimize the trips so his son at least had a chance not to look worse than he already did.

It's a cool what if cause that group was gonna be talented with or without Kemp but gosh with him and plus SeanWoods and him had chemistry and had already played together so I always thought that'd been cool to see what they could've done together. I glad we got Pitino in the end however and I doubt we have 3 straight title games with Eddie but ya never know because that was a hell of a group he brought in and guys did stay for 4 years back then and who knows what the next classes would been like after that.

 

[BlueWhite21]

It wasn't Sutton's idea to cheat. He came into a program that was buying players. We dodged the Herald-Leader bullet and he said he wanted UK to be a program like Carolina or Duke. Happy and the Friends of the Program (movie reference) had other ideas.

This!! It does eem like Eddie gets too much of the blame. Man, I hate thinking it about Joe B, but he knew a lot of shit and knew it prob wasn't right. Like players selling their complimentary tickets and to JBH attorney/friend and stuff like that and plus Joe B had like 422 tickets himself each game and thats a damn bad look. I mean if it was 75 I could understand maybe... but 422 asses and none of them is his lol. Guys getting jobs at horse farms where recruits go on visits. Idk that we dodge Herald Leader bullet or not when all was said and done. I think Eddie took fall on alot of stuff that he wasn't responsible for but he was on some bullshit too at times by misleading ppl but it wasn't all just on Eddie.

 

[Myth Buster51]

Whether it was more than 30 years ago or only 3 weeks ago, the same rule is in place in the locker room: You can't get caught ripping off your teammate who happens to be the head coach's son and expect to stay on the team. Not only did Kemp give the finger to lil' Sutton by heisting his necklace, but in doing that he essentially gave the finger to Eddie and his ol' lady too. Even in today's world that spells pack your bags dawg.

 

[UK90]

Whether it was more than 30 years ago or only 3 weeks ago, the same rule is in place in the locker room: You can't get caught ripping off your teammate who happens to be the head coach's son and expect to stay on the team. Not only did Kemp give the finger to lil' Sutton by heisting his necklace, but in doing that he essentially gave the finger to Eddie and his ol' lady too. Even in today's world that spells pack your bags dawg.

Well, I agree with you in principle, but as a compromiser by nature, I do wonder if we couldn’t have perhaps made an exception for a guy who played like this:

 

[travisbickle]

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 my new favorite imaginary Cats lineup.

 

[TheThack]

Shawn Kemp, Larry Bird, Allen Iverson, and Tracy McGrady.

All were so close to actually playing here. Can you imagine?

Throw in Dirk Nowitzki, Ralph Sampson, Bill Willoughby and Darryl Dawkins as near misses.

 

[TheThack]

Pre-internet, “following recruiting” basically meant either listening to late night radio or subscribing to Bob Gibbons newsletter.

I remember those days. Just a morsel of recruiting news was huge because you really didn’t know anything until after the fact.

In the 1970s pre-internet UK recruiting tidbits for me came from Oscar Combs and the Cats Pause. I used to read that cover to cover.