re: John Calipari's hidden recruiting weapon: ties with Jay-Z, Drake

Of course Calipari is dirty but you'd have an easier time finding a major college basketball program that is than you would finding one that isn't. It's sanctioned because of the power the shoe companies wield in the sport. The whole landscape of college basketball from the roots of the recruits to the shoes the colleges wear are traced back to one shoe company or another. The AAU circuit has just ratcheted that up even more. The NCAA reaps too many benefits from their relationship with the shoe companies to put a stop to it.

I don't feel the attention that the Davis hugs with the Nike people got is deserved. It's common knowledge that most of these kids(the major ones anyway) choose their school because they're affiliated with a certain shoe company. It's not news or anything uncommon. Go take a look at the Shabazz Muhammed recruitment or pay attention to the Harrison twins decision tommorow (if they choose Maryland) and you'll see the impact. These kids are picked out by the shoe companies as adolescents. Don't blame the kids for taking advantage of the benefits the NCAA openly allows them to get. The joke is the NCAA not the colleges, the kids or the coaches.