NCAA rules Kentucky Wildcats' Enes Kanter permanently ineligible
Following last season’s departure of spectacular one-and-done freshmen John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and DeMarcus Cousins, the Kentucky Wildcats will start the 2010-11 campaign without another standout freshman.
On Thursday 11 November, the NCAA stated that Enes Kanter, the Wildcats’ freshman centre, had been ruled permanently ineligible to play for the university, according to a report released by
The Associated Press.
According to a decision made by the NCAA’s student-athlete reinstatement staff, it was found that the big man was afforded benefits that were deemed inappropriate and exceeded necessary living expenses during his stint with a club basketball team in his native
country, Turkey.
In the NCAA’s current policies, the governing body constitutes necessary expenses as those that are directly used for practice and/or competition with any given team.
According to the report, Kanter garnered over $30,000 more than what would have been considered acceptable during the club’s 2008-09 season.
"Enes took advantage of an opportunity to play at the highest level available to him, but the consequences of receiving payments above his actual expenses is not compatible with the collegiate model of sports that our members have developed," said Kevin Lennon,
the NCAA’s vice president of academic and membership affairs.
Although John Calipari has yet to comment on the situation, the Kentucky coach had previously been under the assumption that Kanter was still eligible. Meanwhile, Mitch Barnhart, the university’s athletic director, insists that the school will appeal the ruling,
citing the "uniqueness" of the student-athlete’s circumstances.
"It is our hope that he will be allowed to continue his academic and athletic career at Kentucky."
Under the current NCAA student-athlete reinstatement guidelines, Kanter will be permitted to practice with the team, however, he remains ineligible to travel or compete with the squad as long as the appeal is ongoing.
Without a true centre on their roster, Kanter’s absence will likely be filled by forwards Terrence Jones, Josh Harrellson, and junior college transfer Eloy Vargas.
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