Keith Thomas Impact

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on October 29, 2014, 02:29:09 PM

Quote from: derk on October 29, 2014, 02:24:21 PM

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on October 28, 2014, 04:00:08 PM

Quote from: Poison on October 28, 2014, 03:11:32 PM

If he isn't eligible to play this season, would St.John's consider firing their compliance team?

How would SJU compliance even know about this? I believe the NCAA clearinghouse cleared Thomas to play.

Isn't it their job to stay on top of things like this. The idea is to get ahead of these things before they get dumped in your lap at the last minute.

So you think a staff of one person, maybe two should travel to every school of every recruit to make sure kids are going to school, and assistant coaches aren't messing with transcripts?

Now if this happened on SJU's campus I would agree with you.

To me only the students and coaches involved in the scandal should be blamed. Maybe I'm way off though.

There is a difference between changing a few grades on a transcript and making up that the kid went to the school at all.
This case all started because Jarnell Walker took 1 class at WCC and the asst coach made up a full transcript saying he graduated with an associates degree.
If you recruit a kid for a year, visit him multiple times, speak to all the people around him,  then yea, you should know if he's going to school at all.
That's not asking too much.    So, if that's what happened with Keith too, then absolutely the staff needs to be held accountable.
But if there were more minor changes to his transcript, and it got through the clearinghouse, then I can't blame the SJU coaches or compliance.  There's no way they would know about specific grades for 1 or 2 classes.

If I was going to do something this shady I wouldn't go around telling my friends and/or family.

I also doubt that even if my family and friends knew they wouldn't tell the coaching staff not to recruit me because I didn't go to class.

It only took 18 years for the scadal at UNC to come to light.

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on October 29, 2014, 02:29:09 PM

Quote from: derk on October 29, 2014, 02:24:21 PM

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on October 28, 2014, 04:00:08 PM

Quote from: Poison on October 28, 2014, 03:11:32 PM

If he isn't eligible to play this season, would St.John's consider firing their compliance team?

How would SJU compliance even know about this? I believe the NCAA clearinghouse cleared Thomas to play.

Isn't it their job to stay on top of things like this. The idea is to get ahead of these things before they get dumped in your lap at the last minute.

So you think a staff of one person, maybe two should travel to every school of every recruit to make sure kids are going to school, and assistant coaches aren't messing with transcripts?

Now if this happened on SJU's campus I would agree with you.

To me only the students and coaches involved in the scandal should be blamed. Maybe I'm way off though.

There were rumors about this kid. As we got closer to offering we had to lock down any uncertainties that might have existed. He was a troubled kid in many ways. Assistant coaches should have enough contacts to be able to ward off this kind of thing. I'm not talking about knowing the life story of some kid from Montana, but Westchester ? Come on. Bad job.

Fair enough. A kid in Westchester should be looked into way more than a kid from Montana.

I used to get super pissed off about this stuff, and it would ruin my day. Today not so much, 1 of 2 things is happening

1. I'm so desensitized to bad news that I just roll with the punches
2. I got married in the last year, and bought a house, and got a puppy, and maybe my priorities have shifted a bit.

Still pretty #$%^ing lame though.

@AdamZagoria: Keith Thomas ruled academically ineligible at St. John's. Story coming.

Well this sucks...

@NYPost_Brazille: Keith Thomas ruled ineligible. Huge blow to #sjubb hopes this year http://t.co/dfvCdp9EnO

Kiss briscoe goodbye

You guys are #1 in the nation in kids leaving programs for whatever reasons. Now that's something you can be proud of !

Kiss briscoe goodbye

What does Thomas have to do with Briscoe?

What a joke. Every F'n year something like this happens. Who ever is in charge of compliance at our school should be fired. They get caught with their pants down every year. Guys like Matt Ryan or a Spider Mitchell who would have no problem qualifying we do not give them a sniff. I am proud to be a Johnny but, I did not sit in class with geniuses. This school just about lets anyone in. If you cannot qualify at this school you have problems.

Comical.   

Saw something about Briscoe leaning Kentucky.  Why wouldn't he?

Quote from: Chilleb on October 29, 2014, 03:38:44 PM

Kiss briscoe goodbye

What does Thomas have to do with Briscoe?

Hopefully nothing. But in a dog fight with the # 1and 2 programs in the country something like this could tip the balance. I think we're in a 3 way tie for this kid. His job is to find a reason to eliminate 2. Same as an interviewer who has 3 great candidates. It becomes eliminating 2 rather then picking 1.

Comical.   

Saw something about Briscoe leaning Kentucky.  Why wouldn't he?

Not great news, but if it really matters to IB, it could be looked at as a positive if he thinks Thomas would be with him two years instead of one.


not to say he's even thinking about this, but not as big a deal as we might think.

This transcript doctoring accusation at WCC has been festering for a year apparently;

@LeeHiggins: @zsmart3 NJCAA and WCC were tipped off to this more than a year ago: http://t.co/fpi6pG6OPS

We def lead the nation in ineligible recruits during the Lavin era. Obekpa better not get tired or get in foul trouble!

I'm sorry, but I have not heard enough of the blame placed on Keith.  I don't want to hear any crap about handlers or this and that.  This is a grown man who knowingly let this happen and thought he could get away with it.  I hope we send him as far away as possible because this is a paper bag move.  It's one thing for a high school kid to have poor grades and try and squeak through but this guy is 23 years old.  Sure, the staff should have done some more research about the kid but unless they followed every waking move, how would they know he was giving a false transcript.  This wasn't a tough school for him to get through either.  If he was a few credits short and was honest from the beginning I'm sure he could have taken summer classes and taken the proper steps necessary.  This is a man who proceeded to try and take a short cut and got caught.

As a fan over the years, I've been ticked off and upset about a lot but to have this happen now really has me irate.  If I played on the team I would have had a hard time not beating his ass when this news came out.  Good Riddens!

Worst front court in the country if Obekpa gets hurt or in foul trouble

Unreal.

I agree with Scooby about putting the blame on Thomas.  This looks likes these kids were knowingly involved in this deception.  I, too, am  having a hard time believing that an assistant coach was the ringleader.  People in the administrative offices had to have been involved.  The head coach has to take some responsibility for either knowing or for not adequately monitoring what is going on with his players.

How about refunds on season tickets, I've seen enough
bad basketball for my money over the last 20 years.

Quote from: boo3 on October 29, 2014, 03:57:44 PM

Comical.   

Saw something about Briscoe leaning Kentucky.  Why wouldn't he?

Not great news, but if it really matters to IB, it could be looked at as a positive if he thinks Thomas would be with him two years instead of one.


not to say he's even thinking about this, but not as big a deal as we might think.

No way Thomas ever suits up for SJU if he knew and was involved in this scadal

Some of you need to get off your high horse. This nation was built on people taking short cuts and trying to get over on one another and have done very well for themselves and their familes. I'm sure many of you who are shaking your fingers at this young man at one time or another did something that could be considered questionable so please stop it. You may disagree, but such is life. I'm disappointed that he will not suit up for us this year but he wasn't projected to start. I believe he would have helped us because we do need size and toughness, but we don't know if he would have brought it or not. We would like to believe he would have, but we don't know. Let's not start with the sky is falling commentary.