After watching the Fab 5 Documentary on ESPN a couple of weeks ago I knew it was going to bring about some controversy. The team that totally changed the way we saw college basketball was an interesting group. They brought up the baggy shorts and the black socks. They basically revolutionized the basketball culture and not too many people were happy about it. They had some really talented players which included Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson (no, I didn't have to look at that up).
The biggest thing that come up from the documentary was Jalen Rose's "Uncle Tom" statement about Duke. What people seem to be taking out of context was the fact that Rose thought that was the case when he was at Michigan, not necessarily now. I believe he said, "I thought they were a bunch of Uncle Toms." Naturally, there were responses from former Duke players as well as Coach K.
When you really look at the statement, some of it was about jealousy and Rose admitted that. Most of the guys on Duke's team came from two parent households and lived a good life. Rose was the son of a former NBA player, Jimmy Walker, who was never in his life. He was raised on the tough streets of Detroit while the perception for the Dook (I know it's wrong but it's right for me) players were raised in a nice neighborhood in the suburbs. Now, I don't about about all of Dook's players that were black but Grant Hill comes to mind as fitting into the perception. His dad was an NFL player and his family was wealthy. Did he really have to grind by playing on the streets to earn respect? I doubt it. It's just drastically different lifestyles that they grew up in. Both have long careers in the NBA, so you certainly can't say which lifestyle is better to play pro ball.
Now, I can somewhat see where Rose is coming from when it comes to his Dook statements. I don't want to say Dook's players are Uncle Tom's but they certainly were "safe" recruits. Grant Hill, Thomas Hill, and Brian Davis were all clean cut well spoken individuals. Carlos Boozer, Jay Williams, and Elton Brand were as well. Even with their top incoming player this year, Austin Rivers comes from a very affluent background (his dad is Doc Rivers). Again, I'm not saying these guys aren't good players because they are. These players certainly aren't the type of kids that Calipari or Pitino tend to go after. To each his own.
The times when Coach K took chances on guys, the results weren't what he was hoping for. Corey Maggette took money when he was in high school and should've never have played at Dook and their banner for the time he was there should be taken down like it was a Memphis with Derrick Rose. Sean Dockery was another player who didn't exactly fit the "Dook" mold but his career didn't exactly pan out like he expected. Now, I don't know either of these players' family situations but they both played in the Chicago Public League.
Not really sure how to end this with what I've already said but it's clear Jalen Rose has taken a lot of flack for what he said and I don't think it's really justified. He was talking about how he felt when he was an immature 18 or 19 year old kid, not now.
Go Butler!
Hey, it's Duke. What kind of kids do you think they are going to recruit? I get tired of the Duke aura, too. Everybody ... except of the team that does so ... gets tired of a consistent winner.
ReplyDeleteBut one thing I do give Duke a lot of credit for is they now have a system and they stick to it. They have shown that you don't have to recruit kids you wouldn't want your daughter to date to be a very good Division I bb team. You don't have to cheat ... or even run afoul of the NCAA hierarchy to be a winner.
Mr. Rose's observations came off as childish and jealous ... which is what he intended to show. The problem was he is not a 18 or 19 year old. People his age shouldn't talk like a teenager or they should make it crystal clear they are referring to a different era. Accordingly, I agree he probably is taking some undeserved flack.
It's unfair but that is how the media operates. My guess is the Fab Five got a lot of undeserved praise in its day, too. We live in an era where we like to build people and teams up ... and then knock them flat. As Walter Cronkhite used to say, "That's the way it is."
I think Duke does break the rules and because they are Duke, people look the other way. I'm certainly not saying other teams don't cheat but here are two examples.
ReplyDeleteChris Collins went to a high school tourney on Christmas Eve. He was reported and it was found to be a violation. His response was "I didn't know." Christmas Ever has been a "dead period" for a very long time. He was trying to gain an edge and it didn't work.
Another violation is like what I talked about in the blog. They took on Corey Maggette, who accepted money from Myron Piggie as a high schooler. He shouldn't have been eligible to play college basketball because of it. Yet, he was, and their banner was never take down. Memphis, who had a similar situation, had to take down their banner for the Final Four.
I know being an UNC fan, I find ways to hate Dook but there is a clear double standard when it comes to them and other schools.
Don't misunderstand me. I suspect nearly every D-I program "cheats" in some way or form. (Well, maybe Ivy League schools don't. But they don't win much and basically get mocked by the hoop hierarchy.) But I suspect Duke is cleaner than most schools.
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