Scott County's Mackey

[KapitalCat]

Since Mackey has committed to IU, I"ll keep this on the basketball board even though it could belong on the recruiting board too. Really sad news regarding Mackey and drugs.


http://www.wlextv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7144153

[matt57]

WOW, i would've never dreamed mackey would be caught with cocaine. every time i've heard him interviewed he seemed like a intelligent and friendly kid. hope he gets things sorted out and gets his life back on track.

[matt colvin]

:eek:

[DCWildcat]

If he's convicted, his basketball career over. For a little background on committed high school recruits getting caught with cocaine, read about Jon Kreft, who originally committed to Florida State I think 2 years ago, and is now incarcerated after being caught with some cocaine.

Three big things make Mackey's situation much worse than Kreft's:

1) It's crack cocaine, not powder. For both types, there's a minimum quantity you must possess for a mandatory sentence. Thanks to the U.S.'s absurd and racist drug laws, the equivalent sentencing time for crack (used overwhelmingly by poor blacks) is 1/100th of what is required for powdered cocaine (used overwhelmingly by whites, prominently by rich ones and celebrities). This is compounded even more because the sentence is based on the weight of the whole substance, not the active drug, and powdered cocaine, per weight, contains much more pure coke.

In other words, if you have a few rocks of crack totalling just 1g of pure cocaine and 4g of baking soda, you'll get a minimum of 5 years just for possession. To reach that same minimum in powdered cocaine, you'd need 500g of powdered cocaine (almost $10,000 worth).

The absurdity of the sentencing, fwiw, has reached the supreme court and will probably be overturned.

2) Mr. Mackey was trafficking, not simply possessing. Two things actually come out of this: one, he's more likely to have had a significant enough quantity to hit a mandatory sentence (the article doesn't specify); two, penalties for trafficking cocaine are much worse than simply possessing it.

3) Mr. Mackey was on or close enough to school grounds.

I don't know if he's 18, but if he is and he's convicted with on those three charges and had any substantial amount, he'll be spending at least 10 years in prison.

[Dwight Schrute]

That explains the commitment to IU.

[bleedbluelady]

I heard this on the news tonight. It's absolutely sickening. I'm not an expert on the sentencing laws. But, I know crack cocaine is a very addictive and destructive drug. :icon_cry:

[CatClaws1]

This is terrible news .....I would hate to see all that talent go to waste.

[bluecat406]

And if he's not 18 yet... he gets a slap on the wrist. Though he'll probably end up somewhere other than indiana.

[jkeller]

And if he's not 18 yet... he gets a slap on the wrist. Though he'll probably end up somewhere other than indiana.

I don't know what kind of policy IU has about this, but Kelvin Sampson has bent the rules before...

[Grub]

And if he's not 18 yet... he gets a slap on the wrist. Though he'll probably end up somewhere other than indiana.

A'la JamesOn Curry (Oklahoma State). If you're young and an athlete, you'lll get a second chance (more than likely). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35202-2005Mar14.html

[Madiblue]

For some reason this bothers me this morning, how in the world can you have everything going for you and make this kind of decision with your life? What a waste, and the fact people are going to be sympathetic due to his stature as a player is the worst of it. I say the lesson he should learn is to sit in a cell until the reality of what he gave up hits him hard enough to staighten him up, then let him work, yes work, earn a wage to pay for his education if he wants to ever play for a college team. unfortunately a good lawyer will have his penalties reduced and someone will give him a second chance. Who is prepared to give those who are hooked on his distributions a second chance? I hope IU does the right thing and cuts this fool loose! give his scholorship to an individual who is doing the right thing and desrves the opportunity. Does anybody feel that we give too many chances without ownership. Let this story serve a purpose so maybe the next time a gifted athlete has to make a decision of right or wrong there is a strong consequence to think about.I dont know about you people but I am tired of seeing kids waste opportunities.

[JOHN BLUEBLOOD]

If he's convicted, his basketball career over. For a little background on committed high school recruits getting caught with cocaine, read about Jon Kreft, who originally committed to Florida State I think 2 years ago, and is now incarcerated after being caught with some cocaine.

Three big things make Mackey's situation much worse than Kreft's:

1) It's crack cocaine, not powder. For both types, there's a minimum quantity you must possess for a mandatory sentence. Thanks to the U.S.'s absurd and racist drug laws, the equivalent sentencing time for crack (used overwhelmingly by poor blacks) is 1/100th of what is required for powdered cocaine (used overwhelmingly by whites, prominently by rich ones and celebrities). This is compounded even more because the sentence is based on the weight of the whole substance, not the active drug, and powdered cocaine, per weight, contains much more pure coke.

In other words, if you have a few rocks of crack totalling just 1g of pure cocaine and 4g of baking soda, you'll get a minimum of 5 years just for possession. To reach that same minimum in powdered cocaine, you'd need 500g of powdered cocaine (almost $10,000 worth).

The absurdity of the sentencing, fwiw, has reached the supreme court and will probably be overturned.

2) Mr. Mackey was trafficking, not simply possessing. Two things actually come out of this: one, he's more likely to have had a significant enough quantity to hit a mandatory sentence (the article doesn't specify); two, penalties for trafficking cocaine are much worse than simply possessing it.

3) Mr. Mackey was on or close enough to school grounds.

I don't know if he's 18, but if he is and he's convicted with on those three charges and had any substantial amount, he'll be spending at least 10 years in prison.

Shame we have to place "race" on everything- this wasn't some poor kid from a Chicago ghetto, it was a kid from Georgetown KY, who comes from a decent background. Can't we just say the kid screwed up whether he's white of black?

[DCWildcat]

A'la JamesOn Curry (Oklahoma State). If you're young and an athlete, you'lll get a second chance (more than likely). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35202-2005Mar14.html

I have to stop hitting "edit" when I want "quote." The button is where the quote button is for non-mods...sorry. I didn't change anything.

To your post...maybe...but marijuana trafficking and possession do not carry with them the mandatory minimum sentences of crack. There's not very much wiggle room for a judge, if Mr. Mackey is found guilty on all of the charges against him.

[Sir Richard F. Burton]

I have to stop hitting "edit" when I want "quote." The button is where the quote button is for non-mods...sorry. I didn't change anything.

To your post...maybe...but marijuana trafficking and possession do not carry with them the mandatory minimum sentences of crack. There's not very much wiggle room for a judge, if Mr. Mackey is found guilty on all of the charges against him.

If Len Bias had never OD'ed the draconian crack laws would not be on the books.

[flacat22]

Shame we have to place "race" on everything- this wasn't some poor kid from a Chicago ghetto, it was a kid from Georgetown KY, who comes from a decent background. Can't we just say the kid screwed up whether he's white of black?

amen brother...I see the effects of what crack cocaine does to people EVERY day and for a high school kid to be in possession of it let alone sell it to others is inexcuseable regardless of his/her athletic abilities. Crack in Scott County and their best athlete selling it? What has this world come to, he gets what he deserves and I dont feel a bit of sympathy for him...I do however feel sympathy for those he may have sold to in the past, especially if they were students before he was caught (think this was the first time?), they're the one's with the problem.

This article was in my local paper that illustrates the damaging effects of crack cocaine use and the despair it causes...
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD04092907.htm

this is an article about one of local working girls who has since jumped off of a building as a result of a relapse back onto crack...
http://www.news-journalonline.com/special/thecity/1112tara.htm

forgive me for not feeling sorry for a two-bit wanna be drug dealer...

[Wildcat Larry]

If Len Bias had never OD'ed the draconian crack laws would not be on the books.
Then we owe Len Bias a big thank you.

[CatsFan4Evr]

It really is sad that someone bound for good things got himself into this kind of mess.

[flacat22]

I blame the glorification of drugs and pandering to America's youth through music, fashion and videos. Yes I am referring to rap music and the thug/hardcore/gangsta rap culture. I see 12-14 year old kids wearing Pillsbury Dope Boy tshirts glorifying crack cocaine and other parody tshirts showing selling narcotics as a way to make money, rap music and their "musicians" make songs glorifying selling dope...makes me sick and we wonder why a young (17 yo) kid is inclined to make fast money doing something illegal...we arrested a 16 yo gorl the other day with 8 g of crack on her person...individually bagged FOR SALE....go ahead take your best shot at me but Ive seen it day in and day out and I stick to my opinion about the outside influences...

[Wildcat Derrick]

maybe he thought IU was close to IV

[Bleedin Blue]

I'm with ya flacat. I have 2 boys, my oldest is 4 and my youngest is 1. It scares me to death thinking what the world is going to be like when they get to be teenagers.

[ukwebfan]

The first story I read about this mentioned he was 18 years old. What a stupid way to ruin a young life, just to have money. But hey we live in a country that believes in instant gratification minus all the discipline and hard work.

By targeting grade-schoolers, advertisers are certainly no help whatsoever. Heck, try denying a kid a cell phone. To them that's sacrilegious.

[Bird]

Why is it when some thing bad happens someone has to come out and blame the media or music or violent video games. Yes drugs are a problem and it is especially sad for young kids to get involved in crap like that and ruin there life before it starts. But give rap a break, plenty of people listen to it and don't do drugs and plenty of people did drugs before rap existed. I listen to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by the beatles and I don't want to take LSD. Its just like people trying to blame Marilyn Manson for all the school shootings a few years ago.

But for the topic at hand.....this seems like the worst decision any young man make especially a kid with a bright future ahead of him. Its just stupid and sad.



I blame the glorification of drugs and pandering to America's youth through music, fashion and videos. Yes I am referring to rap music and the thug/hardcore/gangsta rap culture. I see 12-14 year old kids wearing Pillsbury Dope Boy tshirts glorifying crack cocaine and other parody tshirts showing selling narcotics as a way to make money, rap music and their "musicians" make songs glorifying selling dope...makes me sick and we wonder why a young (17 yo) kid is inclined to make fast money doing something illegal...we arrested a 16 yo gorl the other day with 8 g of crack on her person...individually bagged FOR SALE....go ahead take your best shot at me but Ive seen it day in and day out and I stick to my opinion about the outside influences...

[yitbos]

I listened to all that growing up, watched violent movies, played violent games and I have never had any desire to go out kill people, sell drugs, or anything like that. Its all about the parents of the kids these days.

[matt colvin]

I listened to all that growing up, watched violent movies, played violent games and I have never had any desire to go out kill people, sell drugs, or anything like that. Its all about the parents of the kids these days.


Ding ding ding :thumbup:

[flacat22]

Why is it when some thing bad happens someone has to come out and blame the media or music or violent video games. Yes drugs are a problem and it is especially sad for young kids to get involved in crap like that and ruin there life before it starts. But give rap a break, plenty of people listen to it and don't do drugs and plenty of people did drugs before rap existed. I listen to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by the beatles and I don't want to take LSD. Its just like people trying to blame Marilyn Manson for all the school shootings a few years ago.

But for the topic at hand.....this seems like the worst decision any young man make especially a kid with a bright future ahead of him. Its just stupid and sad.



18 YEARS OLD, he an adult, at what point does a person have to take individual responsibility for their own actions? Ok then you, since I guess youre so familiar with drugs and crime and have such a great first hand perspective as to how prevalent it is outside of your house after 5 PM then please, explain it to me....the narcotics/thug culture today is hardly a comparison with the Beatles in the 60s, please....an isolated incident, like Marilyn Manson (who Im a fan of by the way) is HARDLY a comparison with the prevalence of drug dealing and violence that pervades rap/hip hop music...Im not blaming the music, ultimately its the kid's decision but I think that that decision is influenced all to frequently by the crap that it sold in record stores, worn on tshirts and seen by their "heroes" on TV....

[flacat22]

Ding ding ding :thumbup:

ok, so they raised a star athlete and by all accounts a good kid, then with whom does the blame lie...the kid, with external factors that influence him/her to make bad/illegal choices....did you do things without your parents knowing as a kid growing up, can we blame them for those things? They should have frisked him before he left the house or God forbid NOT given him the benefit of the doubt that they have raised a good kid knowing the right from wrong...ultimately it was HIS choice but I find it hard to believe that a kid growing up in Scott County, Kentucky is so integrated into the drug society that outside factors like music, TV and the "its cool to sell drugs like me" world that we live in didnt play a huge role in his poor decision making.

[UKATFAN]

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Decision Making
Perimeter Shot
Values Structure


This is what Scout.com had to say about Mr. Mackey. I just hope the kid can turn his life around.

[matt colvin]

ok, so they raised a star athlete and by all accounts a good kid, then with whom does the blame lie...the kid, with external factors that influence him/her to make bad/illegal choices....did you do things without your parents knowing as a kid growing up, can we blame them for those things? They should have frisked him before he left the house or God forbid NOT given him the benefit of the doubt that they have raised a good kid knowing the right from wrong...ultimately it was HIS choice but I find it hard to believe that a kid growing up in Scott County, Kentucky is so integrated into the drug society that outside factors like music, TV and the "its cool to sell drugs like me" world that we live in didnt play a huge role in his poor decision making.


Cocaine is serious...Dealing cocaine is serious. I'm 20 years old, as I remind people on here from time to time. My parents instilled, at an early age, a value set that allows me to determine right from wrong. Especially extreme wrong. I can evaluate situations, people, and the potential consequences of those two with pretty darn good accuracy. I'm not perfect, far from it. I've done things that I've tried to hide from parents before, particularly in my younger years. But I was punished for those things, and learned volumes from those experiences.

I don't know Bud Mackey. And I'd bet 99.9% of the people here don't either. But guess what, there is no way that the seriousness of these actions, especially the dealing part, can be understated.

I'm not here to down his parents either. I'd like to think that they are feeling it worse than anybody right now. But guess what? Allowing your child to go down that type of path is tough to swallow. Obvious rebuttal is "oh, there's no way they knew he was doing that!" Seems to me there would have to be some sort of sign. Especially if he was using it :shrug1:


"ultimately it was HIS choice but I find it hard to believe that a kid growing up in Scott County, Kentucky is so integrated into the drug society that outside factors like music, TV and the "its cool to sell drugs like me" world that we live in didnt play a huge role in his poor decision making."-------

Friend, I'm sorry, but that has become such a convenient excuse for people these days. And that's all there is to that. Own up to your responsibilities or face the consequences.

With that said, I hope everything will work out for Bud in the end, and he will get back on the right track :thumbup:

[flacat22]

Friend, I'm sorry, but that has become such a convenient excuse for people these days. And that's all there is to that. Own up to your responsibilities or face the consequences.


THATS exactly what my rebuttal to the parenting issue is, Im a long way removed from Scott County but having spent a good part of my life there I find it hard to believe that places like Sandy Hook and Georgetown have turned into cracktowns where crack is sold openly on the streets, so where do you think he ultimately was influenced to get into this? By friends, maybe...by external influences LIKE music and seeing the glorification of illegal activities and the money that can be made...maybe...only he knows but I stand my my opinion that those external influences I mentioned have a part in this and it is not his parents fault. He, at 18 is an adult and chose to make the poor, ILLEGAL decision he made and he alone will be held accountable for it.

[matt colvin]

He, at 18 is an adult and chose to make the poor, ILLEGAL decision he made and he alone will be held accountable for it.


Exactly right. But I'm not going to raise Cane because certain musicians do. I have more common sense than that (Thanks for the common sense, parents). Learning to understand what is what is something that parents are supposed to help their children do.

I like a good action movie now and then, but that doesn't mean I try to reenact it.

And yes, unfortunately small towns in east Kentucky do have a lot of drug problems. Some at the level of cocaine, but most on smaller levels than that. It's more prevalent than I care to admit.

[flacat22]

ok, we'll agree to disagree...I see kids walking around with shirts and music glorifying selling dope and I think that that has something to do with incidents like this. Its society, parents are hard-pressed in their 3-4 hours of contact a night to compete with kids being constantly influenced by friends, famous "rappers" and the latest clothing to maintain family values...

[matt colvin]

ok, we'll agree to disagree...

That's a good idea. :thumbup:

[ukwebfan]

Lets just say certain kids mimic their surroundings and are under peer-pressure more than others, and leave it at that.

If the laws are written to take this kid away from society for 10 years, he may be lost already and won't even get a second chance. Unless we're talking a second jail sentence.

[The Old School JPS]

Apparently he had cocaine in his shoe, at school, when he was arrested.

He's suspended from school now.

What a waste.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007710020458