On the outside looking in
Kentucky troubles might keep Sutton out of the Hall of Fame
Kentucky troubles might keep Sutton out of the Hall of Fame

John Rohde

Published: February 8, 2008

Two more victories did not secure coach Eddie Sutton a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Not this year, and probably not ever.

This year's list of hall finalists will soon be announced, and it's expected to have a heavy NBA presence.

For the umpteenth time, Sutton will not survive the cut.

Those who publicly supported Sutton when he had 798 career victories presumably still support him now that he reached 800 last Saturday.

Sutton has his supporters.

Problem is, not enough of them are voters.

The Hall of Fame selection process is an annual gathering of screening committees and an honor committee of unnamed members.

There are no set criteria to gain entry. No magic victory number secures automatic induction for a coach. The number 800 guarantees nothing.

Last year was Sutton's best chance for induction. He fell shy of the necessary votes and his chances fade a little more each year.

There might come a time when the class of candidates is not particularly strong and Sutton will gain entry.

That's a possibility, but not a certainty.

The reason for omitting Sutton from the Hall has not changed, and will not change, even though he came out of retirement at midseason to coach at San Francisco.

What transpired at Kentucky will forever be Sutton's downfall.

Sutton's malfeasance at UK was 20 years ago, but it might as well have been yesterday.

Under Sutton's watch, Kentucky was slapped with three years probation for violations that included cash provided to prospective student-athlete, academic fraud, unethical conduct and lack of institutional control.

Sutton's departure from Oklahoma State in 2006 was dicey from a personal standpoint.

A recovering alcoholic, Sutton left his office and crashed his SUV en route to the airport for a road game. His blood alcohol content was 0.22, nearly three times the legal limit.

And yet, Sutton nearly was inducted just 14 months later.

In the eyes of voters, Sutton's drunk-driving incident was a far more forgivable offense than what happened at Kentucky.

However, many of the 258 individuals and five teams already in the Naismith Hall of Fame are not without sin.

Texas coach Rick Barnes discussed Sutton's hall-of-fame candidacy after Wednesday night's 64-54 victory at Oklahoma.

"If Kentucky is what keeps him out of the Hall of Fame, they ought to go back and take a look at the history of some of the people who are inducted," Barnes said. "There are plenty of coaches in there who haven't accomplished as much (as Sutton). If that's what they're holding over his head, they need to go back and examine some of the people already in there."

College basketball writing giant Dick Weiss has long endorsed Sutton's induction.

Weiss recently visited Sutton in San Francisco, and while describing the USF team Sutton inherited, Weiss wrote, "It isn't really clear if his players realize they are playing for a coach who should be in the Hall of Fame ... and one of the most successful coaches in the history of college basketball."

At the Final Four two years ago, roughly two months after Sutton's car crash in Stillwater, I talked to roughly 20 college coaches about whether Sutton should be in the Hall of Fame.

Each one said yes.

Hopefully, none of it was lip service.

Sadly, some of it likely was.

Rather than focusing on the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., Sutton should set his sights on the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame's Hall of Honor at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

There, he could join legendary OSU coach Henry P. Iba, plus Phog Allen and Ralph Miller, three college coaches who recruited Sutton out of Bucklin (Kan.) High School.

Maybe the hall in Kansas City won't drop the ball.

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