That didn't take long: NCAA investigating Nerlens Noel

[PeteCalvin]

Yup, nothing came out of it though. The first time I saw he had a twin sister attending UK I just figured they paid her instead. lol

You mean there's a girl with a unibrow out there roaming the UK campus? Yeesh.

 

[PhatOrange]

There won't be anything tied back to PayPal Cal. It's the handlers. He'll end up being ineligible for a stretch but probably won't even lose amature status and will still end up playing games for Kentucky.

 

[MikeSU02]

Honestly, even if he sits a year, he'll still go top 2 or 3. Look at Kanter. Cal got his title. He's (literally) playing with house money now.

I can't imagine they will be able to tie this back to UK.

 

[PauliePeppas]

Funny how gtown fans throw all this dirt on uk and us but if noel picked them its bc nothing improper happened...lol riiiight

 

[RandygoCuse]

Exactly.
Whats everyone getting excited about?
Anthony Davis' father damn near admitted to accepting money, and Eric Bledsoe got an A in Advanced Calculus...without ever taking Calculus 101!
Yeah, right...the NCAA is right on top of this case.

Any...
Day...
Now.:rolling:

Are you sure you don't mean CALculus? Please insert picture of Dr. Evil with his pinky in his mouth here.

 

[SBU72]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/s...it-attracts-ncaa-inquiry.html?_r=1&ref=sports

Is it significant that the report is on the PRO basketball page?

 

[ArizonaCuse]

"The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky, it's going to give Cleveland State two more years' probation." Tark

 

[moqui]

Question his finances lmao. And i got attacked and people questioned my sources when i said money was involved with his recruitment. Eat crow to those who talk out their as ses with no facts to question me.

you specifically claimed that there were cash payments from Kentucky to people around NN . . . there is no such allegation in Thamel's piece.

The NCAA is investigating NN, not his recruitment. He probably received extra benefits from Driscoll and others through the years, hoping to get close to the kid and cash in at a later date.

I think you were talking out your ass then, and you still are today, just hoping to get lucky.

 

[br801]

Question his finances lmao. And i got attacked and people questioned my sources when i said money was involved with his recruitment. Eat crow to those who talk out their as ses with no facts to question me.

I've learned to never question anything you say. Your information is impeccable and your sources are unmatched. When you are inducted into the board insider hall of fame I would be honored to introduce you.

 

[albanycuse]

you specifically claimed that there were cash payments from Kentucky to people around NN . . . there is no such allegation in Thamel's piece.

The NCAA is investigating NN, not his recruitment. He probably received extra benefits from Driscoll and others through the years, hoping to get close to the kid and cash in at a later date.

I think you were talking out your ass then, and you still are today, just hoping to get lucky.

How can someone so smart be so stupid and ignorant, ask yourself that question in the mirror mr elitist wannabe.

 

[Victory Lap]

Question his finances lmao. And i got attacked and people questioned my sources when i said money was involved with his recruitment. Eat crow to those who talk out their as ses with no facts to question me.

Perhaps I missed something. Do we have facts yet? Or just allegations? It's pretty reasonable to be initially skeptical about rumors. And there's still the whole innocent until proven guilty thing. Or in the case of Ryan Braun, guilty until proven innocent, and somehow still guilty...

Now, I didn't attack or questions your sources, but it seems to me that taking a thread rumor as fact would be pretty irresponsible as a general matter. And if I were to have expressed skepticism about rumors, I wouldn't be eating crow. I'd be waiting until your rumors are confirmed as true or false. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if there was foul play here.

 

[Orangezoo]

Albany-cuse thank you for sharing what information you have heard. Some seem to struggle differentiating with rumor spreading vs being so kind to share information that most are not privileged too.

I am by no means someone with inside sources but I stumbled upon an interesting tidbit today via a co-worker. I have a co-worker whose nephew is currently a highly recruited prospect and who is currently a jr. We started talking college hoops and this nephew is hooked up with a "friend of the family" who has been around the aau circuit/agent business etc etc for quite a few years now ever since he became a local phenom. My co-worker only brought it up because he saw the kentucky article about noel and how he had a handler. According to the co-worker the nephew visited UK, one of his long list of potential schools and during his visit was advised that due to this "handler" there would be potential challenges with being eligible via the NCAA... also during the visit the nephew was advised that UK would still be a good option if he had pro aspirations as coach cal has very good connections and good assist him to realize his professional goals and be around the best players in the country even if he couldn't play. The conversation then tailed into how cal has an interesting angle and then on to what other schools he visited... although the UK story was the only trip my co-worker brought up. The co-worker is very close to his brother and has a good relationship with his nephew so I would not find any reason to believe he isn't being honest. The interesting thing here is .. could that have been part of the sales pitch to noel? Was it clear the NCAA would have issues with driscoll and his eligibility a major issue? Therefore driving the re-classification and potential sit one year at UK or go to europe ?

I just found this bit really interesting and disturbing much the same... with Cal. If he lets the NCAA take care of the screening and stays hands off .. but sells his status with the professional world.. thats definitely an advantage.. and one that has nothing to do with UK... if he should get his way that players would be paid and insurance covered.. its like the equivalent of a drug dealer with 20 acres of weed just needing the legal stamp to reap insane profits..

Does this fall in line with anything anyone else has heard.. I just wanted to share as I consider the information legitimate as there would be no reason for my co-worker to lie about something like this.

 

[Whitey23]

Good Ol' Dave Telep seems to think this is standard operating procedure for big time recruits. Surprising to hear that (for me at least).

@DaveTelep
Regarding NCAA/Noel visit. It's a common practice for the NCAA to conduct interviews around elite players. Guess is upwards of 5-8/yr

 

[albanycuse]

Albany-cuse thank you for sharing what information you have heard. Some seem to struggle differentiating with rumor spreading vs being so kind to share information that most are not privileged too.

I am by no means someone with inside sources but I stumbled upon an interesting tidbit today via a co-worker. I have a co-worker whose nephew is currently a highly recruited prospect and who is currently a jr. We started talking college hoops and this nephew is hooked up with a "friend of the family" who has been around the aau circuit/agent business etc etc for quite a few years now ever since he became a local phenom. My co-worker only brought it up because he saw the kentucky article about noel and how he had a handler. According to the co-worker the nephew visited UK, one of his long list of potential schools and during his visit was advised that due to this "handler" there would be potential challenges with being eligible via the NCAA... also during the visit the nephew was advised that UK would still be a good option if he had pro aspirations as coach cal has very good connections and good assist him to realize his professional goals and be around the best players in the country even if he couldn't play. The conversation then tailed into how cal has an interesting angle and then on to what other schools he visited... although the UK story was the only trip my co-worker brought up. The co-worker is very close to his brother and has a good relationship with his nephew so I would not find any reason to believe he isn't being honest. The interesting thing here is .. could that have been part of the sales pitch to noel? Was it clear the NCAA would have issues with driscoll and his eligibility a major issue? Therefore driving the re-classification and potential sit one year at UK or go to europe ?

I just found this bit really interesting and disturbing much the same... with Cal. If he lets the NCAA take care of the screening and stays hands off .. but sells his status with the professional world.. thats definitely an advantage.. and one that has nothing to do with UK... if he should get his way that players would be paid and insurance covered.. its like the equivalent of a drug dealer with 20 acres of weed just needing the legal stamp to reap insane profits..

Does this fall in line with anything anyone else has heard.. I just wanted to share as I consider the information legitimate as there would be no reason for my co-worker to lie about something like this.

After his commitment a kentucky resident posted how he heard about money being involved also. So ive heard atleast 3 people with the same info. Good enough for me. Thanks for sharing your info on the the shady tactics of coach fried calimari.

 

[PoppyHart]

Albany-cuse thank you for sharing what information you have heard. Some seem to struggle differentiating with rumor spreading vs being so kind to share information that most are not privileged too.

I am by no means someone with inside sources but I stumbled upon an interesting tidbit today via a co-worker. I have a co-worker whose nephew is currently a highly recruited prospect and who is currently a jr. We started talking college hoops and this nephew is hooked up with a "friend of the family" who has been around the aau circuit/agent business etc etc for quite a few years now ever since he became a local phenom. My co-worker only brought it up because he saw the kentucky article about noel and how he had a handler. According to the co-worker the nephew visited UK, one of his long list of potential schools and during his visit was advised that due to this "handler" there would be potential challenges with being eligible via the NCAA... also during the visit the nephew was advised that UK would still be a good option if he had pro aspirations as coach cal has very good connections and good assist him to realize his professional goals and be around the best players in the country even if he couldn't play. The conversation then tailed into how cal has an interesting angle and then on to what other schools he visited... although the UK story was the only trip my co-worker brought up. The co-worker is very close to his brother and has a good relationship with his nephew so I would not find any reason to believe he isn't being honest. The interesting thing here is .. could that have been part of the sales pitch to noel? Was it clear the NCAA would have issues with driscoll and his eligibility a major issue? Therefore driving the re-classification and potential sit one year at UK or go to europe ?

I just found this bit really interesting and disturbing much the same... with Cal. If he lets the NCAA take care of the screening and stays hands off .. but sells his status with the professional world.. thats definitely an advantage.. and one that has nothing to do with UK... if he should get his way that players would be paid and insurance covered.. its like the equivalent of a drug dealer with 20 acres of weed just needing the legal stamp to reap insane profits..

Does this fall in line with anything anyone else has heard.. I just wanted to share as I consider the information legitimate as there would be no reason for my co-worker to lie about something like this.

I don't think anyone disputes that he has "handlers", and its logical to think they have financed him. But where is the allegation of direct payment from the university, or someone closely affiliated? And why did Thamel drag Louisville into this?

I suppose Noel might think he'd never be eligible, and was attracted by the "connections" and the way things played out for Enes Cantor. But I doubt that other coaches/schools wouldn't claim that they would do whatever they (legally) could to help the kid during the foregone year, if that's the hand he's dealt.

 

[Knicks411]

I just found this bit really interesting and disturbing much the same... with Cal. If he lets the NCAA take care of the screening and stays hands off .. but sells his status with the professional world.. thats definitely an advantage.. and one that has nothing to do with UK... if he should get his way that players would be paid and insurance covered.. its like the equivalent of a drug dealer with 20 acres of weed just needing the legal stamp to reap insane profits..

I'm not sure I follow this. Calipari was basically saying, or inferring, that even if the kid was ineligible it would still be good for him to go to UK because Cal has good connections in the NBA or something like that? That doesn't necessarily seem all that disturbing to me. But I could be interpreting it wrong.

 

[Orangezoo]

I'm not sure I follow this. Calipari was basically saying, or inferring, that even if the kid was ineligible it would still be good for him to go to UK because Cal has good connections in the NBA or something like that? That doesn't necessarily seem all that disturbing to me. But I could be interpreting it wrong.

maybe disturbing is the wrong word.. to go along with the one and done precedent.. it really adds even more dirt to how cal recruits. Essentially, the way I see it (and this is purely opinion) Cal gets to recruit risk free- so he can throw the kitchen sink at a kid.. all the connections to the pro world he could ever want.. while accepting the reality the kid might not be eligible. For cal.. its a gamble ..but one where the fact he has connections that if used the wrong way could hurt the program and the kids... and those connections can easily land him 9 more that won't be ineligible.

It is essentially maximizing all the loopholes that do exist. If you bring in every top recruit with skeletons and force the NCAA's hand to do the legwork of determining eligibility from the get go.. he is everything but an NBA farm organization. Also - if money does not exchange hands from UK to the players but advice and directions come instead as to how those handlers should move forward is it any less sticky? The way I look at it is this lets UK become the sponsor for John Cal incorporated. The concept of student athlete and kentucky basketball is left for walkons and benchwarmers only, the idea of pointing a kid in the right direction is replaced with the "let the ncaa ensure he is eligible" and otherwise be an enabler to the fullest. Its dirty.. and its legal... and its bad for college hoops if it catches on which I hope it does not. Now if indeed money exchanged hands from UK.. then throw the legal aspect out the door... I am purely reflecting upon the details provided by a co-worker.

The thing I see is that this takes away from a university doing the right thing to say Noel needs to distance himself from a guy like driscoll and instead follow protocol vs cal saying sure you might be ineligible but I have the right group to connect you and your entourage up for life...

 

[tep624]

maybe disturbing is the wrong word.. to go along with the one and done precedent.. it really adds even more dirt to how cal recruits. Essentially, the way I see it (and this is purely opinion) Cal gets to recruit risk free- so he can throw the kitchen sink at a kid.. all the connections to the pro world he could ever want.. while accepting the reality the kid might not be eligible. For cal.. its a gamble ..but one where the fact he has connections that if used the wrong way could hurt the program and the kids... and those connections can easily land him 9 more that won't be ineligible.

It is essentially maximizing all the loopholes that do exist. If you bring in every top recruit with skeletons and force the NCAA's hand to do the legwork of determining eligibility from the get go.. he is everything but an NBA farm organization. Also - if money does not exchange hands from UK to the players but advice and directions come instead as to how those handlers should move forward is it any less sticky? The way I look at it is this lets UK become the sponsor for John Cal incorporated. The concept of student athlete and kentucky basketball is left for walkons and benchwarmers only, the idea of pointing a kid in the right direction is replaced with the "let the ncaa ensure he is eligible" and otherwise be an enabler to the fullest. Its dirty.. and its legal... and its bad for college hoops if it catches on which I hope it does not. Now if indeed money exchanged hands from UK.. then throw the legal aspect out the door... I am purely reflecting upon the details provided by a co-worker.

The thing I see is that this takes away from a university doing the right thing to say Noel needs to distance himself from a guy like driscoll and instead follow protocol vs cal saying sure you might be ineligible but I have the right group to connect you and your entourage up for life...

The Kentucky basketball player being a "student athlete" is an antiquated concept, at least as long as Calipari is their coach. Calipari may not pay players out of his pocket, or a booster's pocket, but he manipulates the system in the worst possible way. I'm pretty confident he's knowledgeable of infractions that happen with these kids prior to them coming to Kentucky, most notably with the handlers. It's legal, it's effective and it's completely scummy. But as long as the Kentucky administration is happy with this direction for their basketball program, and he's not breaking any NCAA rules, it is what it is. I think Calipari operates like a scumbag, but I'm far less angry with him than I am with the NCAA for allowing this to be the current state.

I think we need to get back to the era where if a high schooler wants to jump to the pros, so be it. At least everyone was on the same level (outside of the blatant cheaters breaking NCAA rules) and generally the kids that decided to go to school were there for 3 or 4 years and were earning degrees. And you didn't have guys like Calipari turning their roster over every single year with the latest one and dones. You also tend to not have handlers and wannabe agents targeting kids that are going to college - they're moreso after the prep to pro types.

 

[LennX6]

yup you and Jake mentioned the $$$ factor right before the announcement... will be interesting to see if anything comes from this

This is good but Calipari and WW Wes et al. are professionals at this con game. They know all the tricks of the trade, just like a 17 yr knows how to get around a piss-test.
Where the breakdown will be is 4 steps downstream from UK by some amateur in the chain screwing up. The shame is that if something breaks , there is so much plausible deniablity constructed to keep a moat around Kentucky itself.

 

[moqui]

I think a lot of you are awfully comfortable up there on your high horses. Driscoll, et al, were getting their hooks into Nerlens long before he was on Kentucky's radar . . . indeed, his situation was dirty the entire time that SU and JB were putting the full court press on him. Are we supposed to believe that Calipari was fully aware of NN's isues, but that JB was just some hapless naif blissfully ignorant of the situation? You can't really toss any dirt on Kentucky or Calipari without getting some on Syracuse and Boeheim.

Personally, I don't think either one are dirty. I read the article as indicating that this is an investigation into NN's eligibility due to his high school/prep school career, not his recruitment.

 

[bballbeadle]

I and one other poster said at the time of these rumors that with all of our current "attention" that it wasn't worth it for 1 year of NN.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Well, I wrote that, but I don't know if you're thinking of me. I am sure more than one poster mentioned their hesitancy after reading the NY Times article.

It sickens me how these kids are used and exploited. People filling their heads with nonsense from infancy onward (metaphorically speaking), promising them the moon and stars, not caring what train wrecks they leave behind. I'm not speaking just of NN, of course. Something is rotten in Denmark.

 

[Knicks411]

The thing I see is that this takes away from a university doing the right thing to say Noel needs to distance himself from a guy like driscoll and instead follow protocol vs cal saying sure you might be ineligible but I have the right group to connect you and your entourage up for life...

I guess, but I'm still not sure I follow. Do you really think Calipari doesn't care if he recruits a kid like say Noel or Kanter and they get ruled ineligible? I don't see how it's risk free recruiting; if Kanter was eligible in 2011 UK might very well be back to back champs. I don't buy for a second that Calipari doesn't care if a player he recruits is ruled eligible; that doesn't even pass the smell test.

Cal has connections to the NBA; I don't see how him trying to use those to his advantage is necessarily any different than JB using the fact that he is an Olympic coach to his.

It is essentially maximizing all the loopholes that do exist. If you bring in every top recruit with skeletons and force the NCAA's hand to do the legwork of determining eligibility from the get go.. he is everything but an NBA farm organization.

I don't see the difference between this and pretty much any other school. It's not like UK is the only school that would have accepted Noel, or Anthony Davis, or John Wall, etc. The most guys he brings in in a year is 5 or 6 players; you really think no other school is recruiting kids with skeletons? I guess what I'm getting at is, it's bad that Cal says he will help a player even if that player turns out to be ineligible?

 

[jdubs30]

That NYT article that Thamel put out about 2 months ago about Noel really means a lot now actually. He (Thamel) named a lot of names and insinuated very strongly that Noel had some bad people around him.

 

[jdubs30]

I guess, but I'm still not sure I follow. Do you really think Calipari doesn't care if he recruits a kid like say Noel or Kanter and they get ruled ineligible? I don't see how it's risk free recruiting; if Kanter was eligible in 2011 UK might very well be back to back champs.

Cal has connections to the NBA; I don't see how him trying to use those to his advantage is necessarily any different than JB using the fact that he is an Olympic coach to his.



I don't see the difference between this and pretty much any other school. It's not like UK is the only school that would have accepted Noel, or Anthony Davis, or John Wall, etc. The most guys he brings in in a year is 5 or 6 players; you really think no other school is recruiting kids with skeletons?

I agree with you. I'll go back to Errol Randolph; Noel was with him in Miami about 2 or 3 weeks before his commitment; how did he get down there? did NN pay? did Randolph? We (Cuse fans) dismissed it as "well, he's a Syracuse fan, but he's not a booster; what's wrong with a friend telling a friend where he thinks he should go?".

We are certainly not clean, no program is. Do people really think these schools follow the text messaging rules? the "dead" period?

The difference between schools is who gets caught and who doesn't; all it takes is 1 person inside an athletic department to say 1 thing and the entire program could be screwed.

 

[moqui]

I guess, but I'm still not sure I follow. Do you really think Calipari doesn't care if he recruits a kid like say Noel or Kanter and they get ruled ineligible? I don't see how it's risk free recruiting; if Kanter was eligible in 2011 UK might very well be back to back champs. I don't buy for a second that Calipari doesn't care if a player he recruits is ruled eligible; that doesn't even pass the smell test.

It sucks in a a case like Kanter who gets declared ineligible before he even gets to play, but Calipari is even willing to risk it with a guy like Derrick Rose, who gets declared ineligible after the fact and results in a Final Four appearance being vacated. He took a similar chance last year on Anthony Davis, around whom so many rumors swirled that it scared off a lot of other coaches (including our own). After that demonstrated success, nobody backed off on NN.