Willhite: Maybe Butler will inspire NCAA cleanup

At 14 years of age, I realized for the first of many times that college sports might not always be on the up-and-up.

My buddy and I knew Illinois' basketball players planned to stay at Champaign's fabled Chancellor Inn the night before a home game, so we staked out the parking lot and awaited their arrivals.

As I recall, it didn't take long before star point guard Derek Harper showed up.

The West Palm Beach, Fla., native, who surely dreamed all his life about the opportunity to attend Illinois, happened to be behind the wheel of a sleek, late-model sports car.

Senior guard Perry Range arrived behind the wheel of a similar car. Streak-shooting senior Craig Tucker did, too.

Three starters, three sports cars. Surely a coincidence.

That wasn't the only enlightening thing to occur that night.

My friend, perhaps due to the fact his father served as a Rebounders Club bigwig (and owned a popular campus eatery), happened to have a list of the players' room numbers.

At the time, I thought the list served as a happy time-saver so we could find Jay Daniels' room and get his autograph with ease (while he wolfed down the contents of his McDonald's sack).

As an adult, of course, it's clear there's a more $inister explanation for a booster club member to need to know where to find the team's players.

Why bring all this up 29 seasons later? On the night Connecticut's defense forced Butler to settle for a second consecutive runner-up finish?

Because I wonder whether this year's Final Four ranks as college basketball's most unlikely result in the sport's long history of cheating — and whether it might change the sport's landscape going forward.

Or, at least, whether my view on cheating took a beating.

Does Butler's second consecutive title-game appearance (and VCU's Final Four run) signify you can reach the sport's pinnacle without systemic rule-skirting?

Or is it an aberration? Will cheaters continue to prosper and fans and coaches continue to be conflicted by that prospect?

Every coach in the sport knows how Kentucky's John Calipari conducts his business. But since nobody with a job will break the code and tattle on him — only the retired Bob Knight has taken him to task — that effectively condones his methods.

Meanwhile, if you believe Connecticut's first and only bout with cheating occurred two years ago when it got caught recruiting Nate Miles, then I'm Kemba Walker.

From that perspective, I didn't want to see either Kentucky or Connecticut rewarded with a national title Monday night.

On the other hand, it's hard not to notice the millions Calipari, Jim Calhoun and many other coaches make.

Heck, according to a Richmond-Times Dispatch report Monday, VCU's Shaka Smart nearly quadrupled his base salary to $1.2 million thanks to his team's Final Four showing.

Of course, coaches aren't the only ones who benefit from a successful sports team.

Indianapolis Star sports writer David Woods' book “Underdawgs” highlighted Butler's educational spoils from last year's unlikely trip to the NCAA title game.

In the book's final chapter, Woods revealed Butler figured it received “an advertising equivalency of $447 million” during its magical month.

The school also noted a 67 percent increase in inquiries for information from prospective students, which led to welcoming its largest freshman class last fall.

After this year's exposure, it's easy to envision Butler's numbers spiking even more.

Lastly, don't forget the NCAA signed a 14-year, $11 billion deal last April to televise the Division I men's basketball tournament.

That windfall filters down to all NCAA schools and all NCAA sports.

With all of this money flying around, is it really a moral abomination when a wealthy booster slips the star point guard a spare $50,000 under the table?

Or when a sketchy booster trades expensive tattoos for an athlete's trinkets?

Frankly, I think not.

But I might have amended my theory if Butler had been able to shoot straight Monday night.

With the Bulldogs so cold from 3-point range (they finished 9 of 33), they resorted to nonsensical drives to the hoop that Connecticut's bigger and more prestigious players swatted early and often.

Per Ken Pomeroy, Butler's 3 of 31 showing on 2-pointers served as the worst showing of any game all season.

“I just told them in the locker room,” Butler coach Brad Stevens told CBS-TV afterward, “what they've done for Butler and what they've meant for Butler, you can't even put it into words.

“I'm not sure you can put it into words for the sport.”

Years from now, maybe we can say Butler helped to clean up the sport.