Love and Basketball

Does Nike still sell athletic shoes and apparel? Because recent business decisions beg the question: has chairman Phil Knight dropped the football cleats and gym shorts in favor of a 'family business,' Don Corleone style?

Kevin Love is widely considered the top prep basketball player in Oregon and one of the nation's premier post players. The 2005 Oregon Class 4A player of the year and junior-to-be at Lake Oswego High School has already garnered offers from top tier programs, including Arizona, UCLA and Duke to name just a few. But Love's credentials apparently hold little sway with Nike.

Two weeks ago Nike representatives told Love he could no longer play for the Portland Legends, a Nike sponsored AAU summer league basketball team.

The dismissal came after Love played in the rival Reebok ABCD basketball camp instead of the Nike All-American camp.

According to Love, he participated in the Reebok camp because of the higher level of competition. "I just wanted to play against the best players in the country and that's what I did in the ABCD event. It was the best basketball experience of my life, plus I got to meet people like Jay-Z and LeBron (James)." He finished as the camp's third highest-ranked player and -- get this -- wore Nike sneakers in doing so.

Nike's dismissal did not leave Love without a team, however. The Southern California All-Stars immediately claimed him and he will now suit up for the Reebok sponsored, nationally-ranked squad for the remainder of the summer.

And while everything turned out fine for Love, Nike may not be as fortunate.

This questionable business decision by Nike left the basketball world scratching its head in disbelief. Nike, meanwhile, took on the appearance of a certain fictional Italian family with interests in "the olive oil business."

Many basketball gurus contend that Love will blossom into a college all-American and NBA all-star. The bloodline is certainly there. His father was a basketball star at the University of Oregon and later enjoyed a journeyman career in the NBA. So why, then, would Nike cut its ties with a player it could potentially sign to a future lucrative endorsement contract?

If Nike thinks Love's absence at its All-American camp was embarrassing and a betrayal, just wait until he is throwing down tomahawk jams on national television wearing Reebok shoes. Losing Love to a rival high school basketball camp is small potatoes compared to the financial ramifications of losing Love to a rival shoe company.

Nike's actions also threaten its rapport with other AAU teams and players. I cannot imagine many high school basketball stars surrendering their autonomy simply for the privilege of sporting the Nike swoosh.

The whole affair reflects poorly on Nike; one has to wonder whether the public relations juggernaut that fuels the Nike machine blew a gasket somewhere on the way to this decision.

It is difficult to say how all this will play out on the college recruiting circuit. Following Love's boot from the Legends, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski offered support for Nike's decision, calling it "business."

Sources close to Love now tell me that Duke is out of the mix as one of Love's "favorite schools." UCLA, meanwhile, an adidas-backed program, has moved up on Love's list of suitors.

Nike's decision also jeopardized its sponsorship of the Lake Oswego High School basketball team. According to Principal Bruce Plato, Reebok is talking with coach Mark Shoff and school administrators about cutting a new sponsorship deal. Nike is frantically working to repair its relationship with Love and maintain sponsorship of the Lake Oswego basketball program.

The whole affair illustrates the tangled and questionable relationship between major corporate sponsorship and high school athletes. A dangerous standard has been established. If a powerful shoe company can exercise this kind of 'mob-like' control over high school athletes, there is no telling how slippery this slope could get.

Smells like Team Spirit?

The stench from Eugene is wafting north up I-5, and it has nothing to do with the use of certain "illegal substances." The University of Oregon’s response to the Ernie Kent controversy reeks of stonewalling.

Last Thursday Oregon athletic director Bill Moos announced the extension of men’s basketball coach Ernie Kent’s contract by one year, exercising the annual rollover condition. This announcement comes amidst persistent rumors about Coach Kent and what Kent described euphemistically in a press release as “family problems.” Specifically, the rumors are centered on alleged marital infidelity and certain recruiting violations.

If the speculation about Kent’s personal life is rumor only, why has the university handled the situation in such a covert manner?

Most Pac-10 coaches have a contract with a rollover clause, meaning their deal is automatically extended another season assuming the university does not negate the provision. Rollovers are seldom cause for a press conference and news release; besides, Kent’s rollover was already announced June 20.

A few months ago the Oregonian made a public records request to the university for documentation of Kent’s travel reimbursement and calls made on his university cell phone last year. According to the Oregonian, the university’s general counsel Melinda Grier responded to the request with a statement declaring she, “found no inappropriate expenditures or requests for reimbursement by Ernie Kent.”

The Oregon Open Records law grants free public access to government documents; the university seems curiously reluctant to comply with this statute.

It was also reported by the Oregonian that a lawyer was involved in preparing a statement dismissing these rumors. University sports information departments generally do not enlist the services of attorneys when drafting personal statements.

On top of all this, Kent has yet to address these rumors in a forthright manner. He cancelled two interviews with the Oregonian’s John Canzano and the Eugene Register-Guard. He instead opted for a soft press release making no mention of the specifics surrounding the controversy.

Moos has offered nothing but support for Kent saying, “I can personally attest to the integrity and leadership Ernie demonstrates for our student athletes.” According to Moos, “Our commitment and support of Ernie has never been a question.”

Moos’ handling of the situation raises more questions than it answers. With controversy and questions surrounding the program, Moos has offered unwavering, blind support. He has mentioned neither an investigation into the circumstances nor any intention to do so. Wouldn’t the director of athletics better serve Duck fans and supporters by addressing the issue head on?
If Kent's only wrong doing was marital infidelity, it seems curious the university would take such drastic measures to avoid the issue.

With such persistent rumors and evasive responses by Kent and the university athletic department, it seems that Kent’s actions may extend beyond the personal sphere and into the realm of NCAA infractions.

Circling the wagons is a predictable response. However, Moos would be well advised to take a page from Bob DeCarolis’ playbook and launch an investigation into these matters and make public his findings. Only in this way can the basketball program quash the rumors and restore credibility to Kent and the program.

Without a forthright inquiry, Kent might have a difficult time convincing the parents of high school basketball stars that their son is in good hands. The controversy may have already affected one Oregon prep prospect. Kevin Love, son of former University of Oregon basketball standout Stan Love, and widely considered the best prep player in Oregon, does not list Oregon as one of his “favorite schools.”

If in fact a cover up is taking place, past and present political events show the folly of concealment. It is always the cover up that draws more public outcry and censure than the initial misdeed itself.

Kent's future with the Ducks is on shaky ground and I do not think we have heard the last of this story.

The Numbers don't add up

Under head coach Pat Casey's guidance the OSU baseball team put up some impressive numbers during their recently completed 2005 campaign. The Beavers reeled off a 46 win season, their best ever, and reached a No. 2 ranking in the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Magazine polls, another benchmark.

Moreover, the club's conference win total equaled the most by any team since the conference merged its Northern and Southern divisions. Goss Stadium hosted its first postseason action since 1963 as the Beavers tore through their regional and super regional games en route to their first berth to the College World Series since 1952.

The product of the Beavers' big-time numbers in 2005 equated to a Pac-10 Conference Championship and Coach of the Year honors for Pat Casey. Not bad for a team picked to finish sixth by the Pac-10 pre-season coaches' poll.

One number that does not add up in the 2005 Beaver baseball equation is head coach Pat Casey's salary.

In contrast to the Beavers' sterling first place finish, Casey's $67,908 salary is dead last among Pac-10 coaches. Furthermore, he works on a year-to-year contract with no incentive package, which means the Beavers' record-breaking achievements this season earned him no extra money.

After Casey, the next lowest paid coach in the Pac-10 is Washington State's Tim Mooney, whose Cougars went 1-23 in conference play and were swept by the Beavers at Coleman Field. Mooney earns slightly more than $70,000 per year.

In comparison to other successful Pac-10 programs, it is immediately apparent that Pat Casey is underpaid. Arizona State's Pat Murphy, for example, pulls down $195,000 per year in addition to a lucrative incentive package. Mark Marquess, skipper of the Stanford Cardinal, rakes in $250,000 per year plus incentives. Casey's Beavers won season series against both these teams.

Doesn't the College Baseball Foundation national co-coach of the year deserve better than $67,908 per year? The answer in this corner is a resounding yes, and I am sure Beaver Nation agrees.

Bob DeCarolis needs to ink Casey to a multi-year contract worth at least double his existing agreement. Casey's new deal should include an incentive package that rewards him for conference championships, post-season appearances and all-conference performers.

It is also time for the OSU athletic department to explore the possibility of a stadium expansion or future facilities upgrade. The overflowing crowds during post-season games made it clear that Goss Stadium cannot accommodate a championship caliber baseball team much longer. Without these changes, Casey could choose to depart for greener pastures; Texas A&M has already shown an interest in Casey's services.

While it may seem OSU's athletic department is strapped for cash with the Raising Reser campaign, consider the recent signing of Lavonda Wagner as women's basketball coach. Wagner, who brought an impressive resume as an assistant at Duke, was awarded a $140,000 base salary. Along with her media responsibilities, she stands to earn an estimated $200,000 per year, a handsome paycheck for someone with no prior head coaching experience. In fact, Wagner earns $55,000 per year more than Casey and his top two assistants combined.

Volleyball coach Terry Liskevych, hired just a few months ago, earns more than double Casey's salary at $135,000 per year.

As if Casey's accomplishments as a coach this season were not enough to warrant a pay increase, his recruitment of the state's top high school talent should make it a closed case. Casey lured All-American Dallas Buck away from this year's eventual national champion Texas and convinced Beaverton native and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Darwin Barney to suit up in the black and orange. He also persuaded Mike Stutes, a transfer from Santa Clara and the 2004 4A Oregon High School Baseball Player of the Year, to join the Beavers over the likes of Louisiana State and Stanford.

If Oregon State is truly committed to maintaining a championship program, the athletic department will do the math and give Casey the contract he deserves.