RE: AK has recruited good players to UC?

[Brent Wyrick]

Jerry,  is this same Louis Orr that's currently the coach at Seton Hall?

 

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From: jerry weinstein [mailto:address@hidden 
Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 9:50 AM
To: address@hidden
Subject: [UC Basketball] AK has recruited good players to UC?

 

Tom, I thought you were aware that my involvement with UC's program predated
Gale Catlett.  When I speak of statements made by Adolph Rupp, I'm referring
to statements that were made to a player that was recruited both by Rupp and
by Tay Baker.  

 

After Rupp retired Catlett recruited against Kentucky for several players.
Catlett recruited Greg Johnson away from Kentucky.  Johnson, I'm sure you'll
recall, was a highly sought after prospect who Kentucky recruited hard.  He
might've been a great player at UC, but his career was derailed by injuries.
Catlett and Kentucky both also went after Willoughby who was considered the
best player in the country his senior year -- I believe both were among his
final choices.  Catlett almost got Kyle Macy who later transferred to
Kentucky from Purdue.  Kentucky also recruited Macy out of high school.

 

Your statement that Louisville and Kentucky recruited in the top 25, while
Catlett didn't, is not entirely true. He might not have been that
successful, but Catlett did go after top tier prospects.  We often felt that
this was a mistake, that he automatically passed over lower-level players
that could have helped us.  Louis Orr was one example.  Catlett was
recruiting comparably with Denny Crum. The difference maker then was that
Crum had the good fortune of Daryll Griffith coming out of Louisville.

 

There is one player we recruited who I am certain got money to go to North
Carolina.  I do want to correct myself on one thing, though -- I don't know
if Smith was personally involved, although I'm sure he knew about it.  Dean
Smith was a guest in my home. He was a complete gentleman.  I don't find
this to be inconsistent with the fact that, like everyone else, North
Carolina gave money to certain players.

 

I find your statements to be somewhat contradictory. I haven't heard you
dispute the fact that virtually everyone cheated in the old days.  You admit
that Kentucky and Louisville did it.  Yet you refer to Catlett as a cheater,
as if he was somehow different than the rest.  I guess that George Smith and
Ed Jucker were also just cheaters as far as you are concerned, because the
same things happened under them. Your sense of moral outrage seems highly
selective to me.