Enes Kanter got paid...

by Nick Fasulo on Sep 8, 2010 8:06 PM EDT

Enes_kanter_

...and the New York Times' Pete Thamel scooped yet another story that can damage the reputation of John Calipari and the University of Kentucky athletic department.

Enes Kanter, the top teen-aged center in the world according to Scout.com, reportedly has received upwards of $100,000 from Fenerbahce Ulker, the professional team he played for back in Istanbul. Club president Nedim Karakas snitched the story to Thamel after revealing to the NCAA that payments were indeed made to their precocious player, which included housing for Kanter's family and pocket money for himself over the past three years.

Fenerbahce stands to gain a lot from this revelation. Since Kanter is no longer a member of their club, but may now be deemed ineligible to play Division I basketball here in the States, Karakas' club would be owed a transfer fee from whatever European team Kanter ultimately suits up for this upcoming season. Essentially, the team may have simply dropped this knowledge on the NCAA for profit, not because they believed it was morally correct.

Thamel, you remember, brought to light the questionable academic transcript of Eric Bledsoe back in May. The blue chip guard struggled so mightily with academics his first three years of high school, only to transfer and miraculously hit the books as a senior. This pair of scathing stories really isn't sitting well with the rabid fans in Lexington. In short, it's Pete's fault...or he's not a reliable source...or he filed a story with a misquote. Either way, I don't expect him to get a nice Eggs Benedict meal at a quaint Lexington diner next time he's in town.

The demise of Enes Kanter reminds me of West Virginia's Turkish import Deniz Kilicli...only far far worse. Kilicli was forced to sit out the first 20-games of last season simply for playing with pros who were accepting monetary compensation before enrolling in Morgantown. Kanter's dilemma is two-fold: he and his family were taken care of while playing professionally in Turkey, and he lied about it to the NCAA. Tisk- tisk.

An official decision is expected by the end of the month, but you can expect the Wildcats to be without Kanter for the foreseeable future. The length of the suspension coupled with the high-ceiling of this 6'9" athletic freak could mean he never logs even one minute as a Wildcat, and simply seasons himself back in Europe before declaring for the 2012 NBA Draft.

Tweet Comment 2 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

This does not really put another mark on Calipari. For one, he could easily have not known that Kanter was paid a salary (he could have also easily known too, I know). However, the main point here is that Calipari did not pay him (as far as we know).

He did not really commit a violation any more than Rick Stansbury did when he recruited Renardo Sydney. Plenty of other school were recruiting Kanter as well, should it be a mark against their record?

My guess is Kanter will not be eligible. At best, the NCAA drags their feet (as they did with Sydney) and just never declare him eligible. However, this is no mark against Coach Cal, as it appears he did nothing wrong.

The Mikan Drill

by JoshuaR on Sep 8, 2010 8:21 PM EDT reply actions

Ahhh Nick...you should research...

and possibly know a few facts before you go making these posts and making yourself seem uneducated and uninformed.

Surely you would know…since you’re an expert…that the NCAA just passed new legislation which makes it legal for player who played semi-pro ball in Europe to be able to play in the NCAA even if they were paid living expenses..Surely you would know that makes it perfectly legal for Enes to play at UK. Surely you would know that the question isn’t whether he was paid or not, rather, how much and whether it was a large amount which would be considered a salary here in the states. The NCAA is treating European Semi-pro basketball the same as we treat “prep” schools here in the states.

Surely…if you’re going to write an article and act like you know the situation…you would have looked into the issue and known something.

Instead, you just decide to claim that Calipari is a cheat…(unfounded in your post)…and that Enes will be ineligible.

I don’t disagree that Enes will have to miss a few games, but I would like to see documentation that shows how much Enes is paid before I’m willing to say the fat lady is singing.

Secondly, how did Rick Stansbury commit a violation? Is it a “VIOLATION” now to recruit players who are ineligible? I don’t believe it’s ever been a “violation.” It only becomes a violation when you play said uneligible player.

Swing and a miss…

by djamyx on Sep 16, 2010 3:13 PM EDT reply actions