ForumsGiven the recent events, the easy thing to do is proclaim John Calipari the successor to Jerry Tarkanian’s throne as King of College Hoops Controversy. That would be a mistake. On the surface, it appears the comparison fits. However, a closer look reveals some striking differences inboth the situations and the men themselves.
From a distance, Tark’s tenure at Long Beach and the Cal Era at UMASS appear crafted from the same script. Aggressive coach takes over a downtrodden program, recruits like crazy, has remarkable success, enrages opponents, and faces allegations that their program is is cut from outlaw cloth. There is, however, a major difference. While Tark’s version of the Hundred Years War with the NCAA began at the Beach, Cal was able to escape Amherst with a clean bill of ethical health from the ‘AA. That’s a key thing to remember going forward.
Tark moved on to Vegas, where his blood feud with the governing body of major college athletics continued. Lawsuits abounded as the sides took turns bloodying themselves. On the other hand, Cal headed to the NBA and put time and professional distance between himself and the Marcus Camby controversy. That allowed him to land in Memphis without the Inspector Javerts of the ‘AA hopping the next Northwest flight into town to begin digging. John was able to go about the business of building the Tigers into a powerhouse in relative peace.
The third major college stop for each man, and the circumstances surrounding their respective hirings, illustrates that the differences in their situations outweigh the similarities. Tark, after a short stint in the NBA and years of de facto exile, landed at Fresno State, his alma mater. His hiring was generally attacked by the media as a desperate move by both parties. Tark was painted as a lifer who didn’t know when to walk away. Fresno was portrayed as a school selling its ethical soul for fleeting athletic glory. On the other hand, Cal landed at one of college basketball’s dynastic programs. While a few media members, most notably Mark Story and Pat Forde, mentioned the whispers surrounding Cal’s recruiting and disciplinary practices, most pundits lauded John as a brilliant hire that would put the Wildcats back on the top of college basketball’s mountain.
Now, to the crux of this column: What makes the two coaches and their situations different? Cal’s ability to stay above the fray. Tark saw the ‘AA as an evil, vindictive body that picked on smaller schools. Thus, he chose to fight them at every turn. Cal, in contrast, sees the Keystone Cops from Indianapolis as a mere annoyance, one that can be circumvented by keeping a safe distance from the sausage making of the recruiting game. Cal’s media savvy and ability to create plausible deniability will allow him to escape the latest scandal as cleanly as he did the UMASS situation. By choosing to rope a dope instead of brawl, Cal has managed to outsmart the ‘AA. Tark , by fighting them at every turn, was left with finally bludgeoning college athletic’s Evil Empire in court. Advantage: Cal.
