Friday, April 2, 2010

The Question of Enes Kanter's Eligibility

I was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, which basically means two things: (1) I have seen a lot of horses in my life and (2) I am a huge University of Kentucky basketball fan.  Now that the 2009-10 Cats season is over (that is all I will say about that as I am still coming to terms with the loss to West Virginia in the Elite Eight), it’s time to turn our attention to another favorite pastime in the Bluegrass — keeping up with recruiting.  The Spring Signing Period, where high school basketball players commit to the colleges and universities of their choice, is nearly upon us (April 14, 2010 – May 19, 2010), and this particular signing period is very important to Kentucky fans as it looks like the Cats are going to need quite a few commitments this Spring.
 
The incoming class for Kentucky already includes two commitments: Stacey Poole (6’5” SG from Jacksonville, FL) and Enes Kanter (6’10” PF from Istanbul, Turkey).  However, the recruitment and commitment of Mr. Kanter poses an interesting question that the NCAA is in the process of addressing.  As an amateur basketball player in Europe, Mr. Kanter played on teams that had professional basketball players on their respective rosters.  Under the NCAA’s current rules and regulations, this fact affects Mr. Kanter’s eligibility to play college basketball at Kentucky next season, with a likely outcome involving Mr. Kanter being suspended for several games by the NCAA for his involvement with those European teams.
 
However, the good news for Kentucky fans is a proposed change to the NCAA’s rules regarding the eligibility of international amateur basketball players.  According to Luke Winn’s recent story for si.com, “NCAA proposal 2009-22 would allow international athletes who’ve played on teams with professionals, but not received compensation, to become eligible immediately, rather than face lengthy suspensions under current rules. Proposal 2009-22 was adopted at the NCAA convention in January, and passed a March 17 override deadline without the requisite number of objections from universities. It’s slated for final approval in April, three weeks after the national title game.  The rule would go into effect on Aug. 1 as ‘exception 12.2.3.2.1,’ stating that, ‘In sports other than men’s ice hockey and skiing, prior to initial full-time collegiate enrollment, an individual may compete on a professional team, provided he or she does not receive more than actual and necessary expenses to participate on the team.’”
 
Kentucky basketball fans should certainly keep an eye on this proposed legislation as it affects the eligibility of an important part of next season’s team and their chances for continued success.  From everything I have read or seen, it looks like the proposal will pass and be in effect for next season.  And thank goodness for that.