Head coaches Bill Self of Kansas, Josh Pastner at Memphis, and even John Calipari at Kentucky received some disheartening news in the past few days that each of their top recruits, primed to be major players for this upcoming ‘10-’11 NCAA season, have been ruled ineligible. Josh Selby, ranked #1 in the nation by Rivals.com, Enes Kantner, ranked #3, and Will Barton, the #11 prospect, all face uncertain futures over supposed discrepancies over past relationships with advisors and academic transcripts.
In a report first published by Gary Parrish over at CBS.com, show-stopping playmaker Selby has not yet been cleared to play because the NCAA is questioning the legitimacy of his amateur status after an investigation revealed that he may have had an improper relationship with Carmelo Anthony’s business manager, Robert Frazier. Frazier has always been considered an advisor to Selby since they are both Baltimore natives. In a situation similar to current Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, Selby may be forced to play overseas for a year, if he cannot get cleared in time for the season. As of right now, Selby hasn’t officially broken any rules, but the NCAA will not rule him eligible while the investigation continues. Losing Selby would be catastrophic for the Jayhawks, who lost starters Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins from last season’s squad. In case you forgot, Selby showcased his amazing skills earlier this year by winning the McDonald’s Game Slam Dunk Contest.
The news is far worse for Selby’s cousin, Will ”The Thrill” Barton, who was poised to make a splash at Memphis next season as one of the nations best shooting guards. The NCAA has shut down Barton’s college career indefinitely over inconsistencies and issues regarding his academic background. While it is not unusual for the NCAA Clearinghouse to red flag a player who has played at 5 high schools over 4 seasons, Barton is facing an uncertain future since he failed to graduate HS in their allotted 8 semesters(4 years). He reportedly took 10 semesters(5 years) to finish his academic career, which concluded at the prep school Brewster Academy, after starring at Lake Clifton HS, in Maryland. John Calipari while still at Memphis, heavily recruited Barton, and his brother Antonio out of the noted Baltimore basketball hotbed. A source close to the situation called an appeal to the decision a “long-shot at best.” The impending loss of Barton is a major blow to Pastner’s rejuvenated Memphis program, who brought in the #3 ranked NCAA recruiting class in the nation, and was poised to make a return to national prominence after the defection of Calipari to Kentucky.
By Barton’s own admission, via his Twitter account, things don’t look to good for Memphis fans:
“”It don’t get no worse than this,” Barton Tweeted. “The hardest thing I ever had 2 face is here. Need vision cuz everything blurry now. Where do I go from here?”
Enes Kantner at Kentucky, the #3 ranked prospect, also still isn’t officially cleared for next season. The International Turkish superstar, at only age 18, has had his amateur status questioned after playing on a Turkish national team that included a few professional players intermingled with his fellow countrymen. Kantner, as the heir apparent to take over center duties for DeMarcus Cousins this season, will probably be cleared in due time, since he hasn’t committed any major infractions like accepting money to play in Europe. Kantner burst onto the national scene after an impressive showing at the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit, where he put in a dominating performance against some of the World’s best players and by breaking Dirk Nowitzki’s scoring record.
Similar to John Wall’s initial situation in Lexington last season, Kantner is expected to receive a 2-3 game suspension to begin the season. In my opinion, Selby has a better chance of gracing the NCAA hardwood than Barton, who will most likely be forced to take the European route, a la Brandon Jennings in ’08, or sit out all of next season like Mississippi State’s Renardo Sydney, to attempt to clear himself for the ’11-’12 season.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
