Funny how RR turn down PJ back in the day (major recruitin war) and now he at Seton Hall.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
here we go again. . EVERYONE is on the take...
At Kentucky? You bet
The Facts
Kentucky was put on probation in the early 1950's due to a point shaving scandal that hit a number of schools. The entire 1952-53 season was cancelled. The next year, Kentucky went undefeated during the regular season, however, then-coach Adolph Rupp chose not compete in post-season competition because some of his starting players were prohibited from playing due to being in graduate school (in a bizarre ruling by the NCAA which actually disuaded players from graduating on-time).
Kentucky again was put on probation in the late 1980's. Chief among the violations cited were paying money to Chris Mills (a Los Angeles prep phenom now playing with the New York Knicks) and the cheating of Eric Manuel on his ACT test (see Manuel.)
Some questioned whether the NCAA would come down hard on Kentucky.
"Yeah," cracked Jerry Tarkanian, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas coach long critical of the NCAA's kid-glove handling of Kentucky, "they're going to find them guilty and then give Clevaland State three more years of probation." - by Thomas Stinson, Atlanta Constitution Journal, February 5, 1989.
Despite this, the NCAA came down very hard on Kentucky despite an ineffectual investigation. The resulting probation stripped Kentucky of the heart of its future team. Players such as Chris Mills, LeRon Ellis, Eric Manuel, Sean Sutton, Rex Chapman and Shawn Kemp all left the program over a two-year stretch for various reasons. The team had its scholarships reduced and was banned from television appearances or post season play. Head coach Eddie Sutton resigned, along with his coaching staff which included Dwane Casey who was implicated in the Mills situation. The situation was a mess but was turned in the right direction by the hiring of former UK player and experienced SEC coach C.M. Newton as athletic director. Newton soon hired Rick Pitino to resurrect the program with the priority being on keeping the Kentucky program clean.