Notes: After Kanter, Todd the seek international guideline from BCAA

If the NCAA will not "free" Enes Kanter, University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. hopes college athletics' governing body will free any other player, school or fan base from having to go through the same experience.

Todd said he will go to an NCAA Board of Directors meeting this weekend with that intention in mind.

"I am going to ask the NCAA to explain what international players can and cannot do," Todd said at halftime of UK's victory over Auburn Tuesday night. "... How do we not have to go through this crisis again? How do we not put another family through this?"

The NCAA ruled Kanter permanently ineligible because he received $33,033 in excess of permitted compensation in the third and final year he played for a professional team in his native Turkey. UK and the NCAA could not agree on how much excessive compensation Kanter received in the first two seasons with the Fenerbahce Ulker team, Todd said.

UK appealed the ruling of permanent ineligibility. Then after the NCAA allowed Auburn quarterback Cam Newton to continue playing even though his father admitted trying to sell his son's services to another school, UK sought similar leniency for Kanter.

Todd said he spoke with NCAA President Mark Emmert about the Newton decision before UK claimed to have "new information" and asked for the process to be restarted.

In his official statement on the final judgment on Kanter, Todd charged the NCAA with making an "arbitrary application of the rules." Emmert countered in an interview with CBS analyst and Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis that the NCAA rules and judgments were "unambiguous."

Todd, who was aware of Emmert's comments, smiled and said, "I will discuss that with them in more detail."

The UK president said he could accept losing a star recruit such as Kanter to rivals Louisville or Tennessee.

But "I hate to see a kid not able to play college basketball at all," he said.

In order for Kanter to play, his family was willing to pay back any money the NCAA required, Todd said. The NCAA denied that offer.

Knight makes cut

UK freshman Brandon Knight made the first cut for the Cousy Award, which goes to the nation's top point guard.

Cal on King special

ESPN's celebration of the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day includes a two-hour town hall discussion about the current image of the black athlete.

UK Coach John Calipari is among the panelists as is movie director Spike Lee.

The discussion will be aired Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Notes: After Kanter, Todd the seek international guideline from BCAA

Jerry Tipton

kentucky.com