More on John Wall's eligibility

As we mentioned yesterday in our original post, the latest expert weighing in on John Wall's eligibility has "sources" telling him that Wall will probably not miss any time.

From Jeff Goodman:

Sources close to the situation have told FOXSports.com that Wall will likely be cleared prior to Kentucky's season-opener – which is on Nov. 13 against Morehead State at Rupp Arena.

So, as would be the case with any reported violation by a big-name recruit, the news breaks and the initial reaction is catastrophic.

John Wall has been practicing with the Kentucky Wildcats.
(photo credit: Washington Post)

Will Wall's season be over?

How does this effect Kentucky's title chances?

Oh, the humanity!!

But once every had a chance to catch their breath, take a step back, and look at the facts, the whole situation seems fairly innocuous. For starters, it has been known that Brian Clifton was an agent for at least a year. Not only was he a non-factor in that industry (he has been quoted as saying he never even signed a client), but John Wall was a very high-profile recruit. Given the how closely the recruiting process of kids as talented as Wall is followed by fan bases and NCAA officials alike, I find it extremely unlikely that Clifton would be funneling Wall "substantial amounts" of money when he was the point man for Wall's recruitment.

Did he buy him a burger during an AAU trip?

Probably.

Did he help out with rides to and from recruiting trips and basketball games?

I don't doubt it.

But that is completely different than, say, Ronald Guillory giving thousands of dollars to OJ Mayo when Mayo was a high school star, with the understanding that Mayo would sign with Bill Duffy when he went pro.

If Wall does get a suspension, it will be a result of the NCAA making an example out of him - under no circumstances should you be associating with certified agents when you are an amateur. I would personally disagree with any suspension, but to be honest, I don't think that Wall has much of an argument if he does get suspended.

There are two other issues that I have yet to touch on:

1. When I first posted this and spoke about it with friends, the first reaction everyone had was "oh, they'll get away with it because its Calipari." Explain to me how Calipari has anything to do with a relationship a recruit has with his AAU coach and adviser, especially when you consider the rumors that Clifton did not want Wall to play for Cal.
   
   I'll wait.
   
   Look, I think Calipari is a great coach. His dribble-drive motion is great offense, he is a fantastic recruiter, and he is probably the best motivator in the sport. That said, I think even the most die-hard Kentucky fans will admit that Coach Cal is not squeaky clean. Simply put, it is not a coincidence that he has had two Final Fours wiped from the record books. But putting the blame on Calipari for this situation is unfair.


2. What if Calipari was still at Memphis?
   
   Most recruiting pundits assumed that Wall was going to go to Memphis before Coach Cal left. With the whole Derrick-Rose-wasn't-actually-eligible debacle there this summer, would the Tigers administration have taken another chance on a recruit with questionable eligibility so soon?
   

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SEC Commissioner Mike Slive tells ESPN John Wall has "eligibility issues"

There are not many things that would be able to damper the enthusiasm in Lexington about the '09-'10 version of the Wildcats.

One of the things that would - an ineligible John Wall.

After an ESPN.com report today, it seems as if that could be a very real possibility.

Wall's AAU coach, Brian Clifton, was a certified agent for FIBA up until August 2008. This is not a new piece of information, but it is one that the SEC has apparently been looking into.

The issue is whether or not any benefits Wall received from Clifton could now be considered illegal as he received them from an agent. If the amount that Wall illegally received is determined to be insignificant (less that $101), than he would be suspended for a minimum of 10% of his team's game - three or four games this season (Kentucky's first four games are against Morehead State, Miami-Ohio, Sam Houston State, and Rider) - and be forced to repay the money to Clifton. If it is determined to be more, Wall's eligibility may not be reinstated.

Personally, I do not believe that Wall will miss any game time. True, Clifton was technically an agent, but he was certified with FIBA (I doubt Wall will play overseas anytime soon) and admittedly never signed a client.

It would be one thing if Wall's AAU coach was Dan Fegan, Bill Duffy, or Arn Tellem, but Clifton is far from basketball's version of Scott Boras. (UPDATE: Gary Parrish is now reporting that a source close to the situation believes that Wall will probably miss "a few games, maybe three or four" and pay back an undetermined amount of money for expenses incurred when Clifton joined wall on recruiting visits).

If anything, I bet Wall pays some money back to Clifton and is ready to play November 13th against Morehead State.

More on this as information becomes available.
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