Kentucky gets verbal from highly rated big man- Enes Kanter

[Da Coach]

Enes Kanter, a 6'10", 240 pound big man has verbally committed to Kentucky. John Calipari is starting his rebuilding process already, even as Kentucky is still alive in the Sweet 16. Most experts expect many of Kentucky's underclassmen to declare for this year's NBA draft.
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/03/23/1...s-to-cats.html

Here is an interesting issue to keep an eye on. Kanter played a large number of games for a professional team in Turkey before coming to the US to look for a college to enroll in. Just like John Wilkins, it is expected that the NCAA and their eligibility clearinghouse will look at those games he played with the pro team, and issue a ruling.
But will the fact that he is going to play for Kentucky make a difference in the way the NCAA rules in this case? Will he be penalized 1 game for every game played with the pro team? Time will tell.

[Braves4Life]

But will the fact that he is going to play for Kentucky make a difference in the way the NCAA rules in this case? Will he be penalized 1 game for every game played with the pro team? Time will tell.

I think you already know the answers to your questions Da Coach

[Future Walk-On]

I guess it was down to BU and Kentucky....oh well.

[tornado]

This is interesting...the kid has played in a number of pro games at a top level in Turkey, and some of those games were more than a token appearance like was the case for John Wilkins....
and JW got a full game penalty for each of those pro games he played in, so Kanter looks to be in line for a substantial penalty if the NCAA follows their own rules...

Does anyone think since the kid is going to Kentucky, that NCAA might just rule otherwise and look the other way...
it sure would not surprise me!
Here is a lsit of games he played in. It's hard to tell which ones would be considered pro.

http://www.usbasket.com/player.asp?Cntry=TUR&PlayerID=130617

[Da Coach]

Enes Kanter, a big man that John Calipari is counting on this season, has not been cleared by the NCAA yet. Apparently the NCAA has noticed what we noticed a long time ago, that Kanter has played games for a pro team in Turkey.-
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/e...;entry23627271

In the end, however, I expect Kanter to be slapped with a minor penalty because it's Kentucky, not Bradley.

[tornado]

Kanter is also just about everyone's pick to be the most likely one-and-done college player - and maybe he will.......but I have my doubts...
Can anyone name a SUCCESSFUL one-and-done player who did NOT attend and play for a US high school and have an extensive history of playing in the US?
Some think the foreign players need a little extra time to adjust to the way the game is played in the US and thus don't always have great seasons as freshmen.

[Bravesfan]

By any chance, was this the guy that was offered $200,000 to play for Kentucky? This story broke this week and was being discussed on the Score afternoon show today.

I think I have to agree with the hosts that maybe it is time to just make the NCAA an official pro, minor league and not pretend it is what it isn't. I only say this because the "little guys" like Bradley will not benefit from any future NCAA reconfiguration anyway. Just get rid of the label "student athlete" and let the "pro" players fight it out amongst the big boys. If a pro player wants to study for a degree as well, great, but most of the true student athletes will play for a lower division school/conference anyway.

[Future Walk-On]

By any chance, was this the guy that was offered $200,000 to play for Kentucky? This story broke this week and was being discussed on the Score afternoon show today.

I think I have to agree with the hosts that maybe it is time to just make the NCAA an official pro, minor league and not pretend it is what it isn't. I only say this because the "little guys" like Bradley will not benefit from any future NCAA reconfiguration anyway. Just get rid of the label "student athlete" and let the "pro" players fight it out amongst the big boys. If a pro player wants to study for a degree as well, great, but most of the true student athletes will play for a lower division school/conference anyway.

so what you really are trying to say is....eliminate the 1 year of college rule and let kids jump straight to the league.

[Da Coach]

By any chance, was this the guy that was offered $200,000 to play for Kentucky? This story broke this week and was being discussed on the Score afternoon show today.

No, Enes Kanter is not the player that you heard the discussion about a $200,000 payment to his family. That was Anthony Davis, a 2011 recruit.

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16062&highlight=davis

We'll probably never know how much Kanter might have gotten. However, some suspect there was some hanky-panky since Kanter was originally committed to Washington, but backed out late and re-committed to Kentucky after all of Kentucky's big men decided to leave this past year for the NBA, leaving UK with no size.

[dogsrus]

so what you really are trying to say is....eliminate the 1 year of college rule and let kids jump straight to the league.

Sure, why not? A kid can go directly from HS to work for Microsoft......

I STILL can't believe the NBA one year wait rule is legal.....how can you deny a person a chance to earn a living? Yeah I realize there are other options to earn a living so the NBA isn't actually stopping that person but the point still remains....

[Future Walk-On]

Sure, why not? A kid can go directly from HS to work for Microsoft......

I STILL can't believe the NBA one year wait rule is legal.....how can you deny a person a chance to earn a living? Yeah I realize there are other options to earn a living so the NBA isn't actually stopping that person but the point still remains....

yeah i guess it is hard to tell my tone through text but i fully agree that the rule is BS and kids should be allowed to go straight to the league.

and like someone said on here....they could make it like baseball where if they opt for college they have to stay 3 years or something. that would clean college basketball up by 75%

[tornado]

No, Enes Kanter is not the player that you heard the discussion about a $200,000 payment to his family. ....

NO, BUT SOME SUSPICION DOES EXIST...
because this kid from Turkey, who had played on a couple of Turkish pro teams, but who does NOT come from a wealthy family,
had no sooner arrived in the USA and started attending an expensive California prep school..
Then he verbals to Washington, gets a call from John Calipari and suddenly changes his mind, withdraws his verbal to Washington and pledges to Kentucky...

and then immediately thereafter was seen tooling around in a nice new sporty convertible....

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15653

[Da Coach]

The pro team in Turkey that Kentucky recruit Enes Kanter played for now says they paid him over $100,000-

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/sports/ncaabasketball/08basketball.html?_r=1&ref=sports

Why has the NCAA not already declared him ineligible if they have this information? The article also sheds a little light on the sleazy actions of an "agent" who represents Kanter, and is responsible for bringing him to the US and marketing him to various prep schools, and colleges.

[tornado]

Many knew of those reports a year ago when Kanter first came to the US-- but hey-- it's Kentucky, so everyone going there is getting paid --
the NCAA just has to make sure it's the fair and going rate...and that the money doesn't fall out of the FedEx package...

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100907/SPORTS/309070100/1002/sports/Report++Kentucky+basketball+recruit+Enes+Kanter+paid+by+Turkish+pro+team

Whattya want to bet they give him the POB/JW penalty -- just 5-8 games ... anyway -- we know of one ISU recruit who got free room and board plus was paid
extra money for four years, while all along lying about his residency so he could be eligible elsewhere while in high school, and yet the NCAA totally looked the other way and gave him a pass...
so I guess you can never know how ridiculous the NCAA's decisions are gonna be.....

Anyway -- the kid should be ticked...since Kentucky was offering $200,000 to Anthony Davis, so this kid was getting cheated...

[tornado]

Oh no, now everyone is writing that Kanter being ineligible would be a
"crippling blow" to Kentucky!!!

baloney -- all it does is reduce the number of lottery picks and Top 10 recruits by 10-20% but they still have way more than anyone else...and as many as just about the next five behind them!!
Anyway -- when anyone else loses a player -- all we ever hear is-no excuses!