Kanter likened to ‘Big Foot:’ Unknown of NBA Draft

ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla was messing with Sasquash when appraising the NBA Draft stock of would-be Kentucky big man Enes Kanter.

“He’s kind of like Big Foot,” Fraschilla said Thursday on an ESPN-sponsored teleconference. “There’s been a couple of sightings.”

Of course, the NCAA ruled Kanter permanently ineligible because he received compensation in excess of permitted amounts while playing for a professional team in his native Turkey. That meant Kanter did not play in games this past season. The year before, he only played for a prep school.

Still, Fraschilla judged Kanter as a solid lottery pick at 6-foot-11, 262 pounds and five percent body fat.

“Pretty good prototype of Al Horford-type center-forward,” Fraschilla said.

While acknowledging that Kanter did not have a “large resume,” Fraschilla said he deferred to UK Coach John Calipari’s judgment.

“I’m going to go by what John Calipari said,” Fraschilla said. “Kanter could have been realistically what Jared Sullinger was for Ohio State.”

Chad Ford, a draft analyst for ESPN, wondered aloud how the two-year absence from games might affect Kanter.

Kanter likened to ‘Big Foot:’ Unknown of NBA Draft
Jerry Tipton
June 16th, 2011
ukbasketball.bloginky.com

Dime Q&A: DeAndre Liggins Talks NBA Draft, Kentucky & Enes Kanter

The University of Kentucky basketball program under John Calipari saw five players get selected in the first round of last year’s NBA Draft, and this year has another expected lottery pick in Brandon Knight. However, one guy who hasn’t gotten the hype of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins or Knight is DeAndre Liggins, who entered this year’s draft after his junior season.

Liggins has been Kentucky’s defensive stopper over the past two seasons, always assigned to guard the opposing team’s best player. While defense is what he’s known for, Liggins’ offensive game has shown signs of improvement since he first arrived at UK, as he has become a respectable outside shooter and has the athleticism to get to the rim. Had Liggins not been overshadowed at times by Kentucky’s bigger names, he would probably be much better known by those outside the Bluegrass State. I caught up with DeAndre at his Nets draft workout and talked about UK, defense and his draft prospects.

*** *** ***

Dime: You participated in the NBA Group Workout held here in New Jersey in May and got feedback from scouts and other NBA personnel on your game. How much did that influence your decision to stay in the draft?
DeAndre Liggins: When I first came here for the group workout I had a good showing, but I still felt like I had something to prove. Coming here helped me out a lot because I got to show scouts what I could do.

Dime: What did you hear from the scouts in New Jersey and before that workout that made you confident enough to stay in the draft?
DL: I heard that a lot of teams liked me but a couple of teams said that I needed to go back to school and needed another year to work on my game. I felt like I could show scouts that I could do more in workouts like these and improve my draft stock.

Dime: How hard was it for you to forgo your senior season at Kentucky, especially considering UK could be national championship contenders next season?
DL: It was hard. It was really hard thinking about that, but I was also thinking about my family, and my new child that just got here who’s four months old now. It was difficult not to go back, but I just had to stick with it (staying in the draft) and go with my heart.

Dime: What is your fondest memory of your time in Lexington?
DL: Definitely when I hit that three-point shot against North Carolina in the Elite Eight (that helped seal the game for the Wildcats to send them to the Final Four).

Dime: Describe what is was like to play in front of 23,500 fans every night in Rupp Arena and for UK. What did that mean to you personally?
DL: I was always nervous at the beginning of the game playing at Rupp, but once the jump ball went up I was calm. It’s a thrill to play in front of 24,000 fans every night.

Dime: UK fans are known as some of the most devoted in college basketball. What’s the craziest encounter you’ve ever had with a UK fan?
DL: When I was out one time someone wanted me to sign their sock (laughs).

Dime: At Kentucky you were known as a defensive stopper. Do you see yourself playing that role in the NBA as well?
DL: Yeah definitely. Defense is my bread and butter so that’s going to be what I’m known for in the League. But I’ve also got to improve my offense a little bit.

Dime: Who was the hardest player for you to guard in the SEC this past year?
DL: Probably (Vanderbilt shooting guard) John Jenkins. He is constantly moving and you’ve got to chase him around screens the whole time so it’s difficult to guard him.

Dime: You are one of the few people who got to see Enes Kanter compete this year in practice. Is he worthy of all the hype?
DL: Absolutely. Enes is a really hard worker, he’s a great competitor and he’s a beast on the boards, so he’s going to be a very good NBA player.

Dime: Coach Calipari has another star-studded recruiting class this year. What makes recruits want to play for him and for UK?
DL: Players see us making the Final Four or the Elite Eight and being on ESPN all the time. They see all the hype and love surrounding the program, anyone would love to come to UK right now.

Dime Q&A: DeAndre Liggins Talks NBA Draft, Kentucky & Enes Kanter
By Daniel Marks
College, NBA, NBA Draft / Jun 8, 2011 / 2:30 pm
dimemag.com

ESPNU Enes Kanter

Agent Expects Kanter to Go in Top 3 Picks

Enes Kanter remains a mystery to the majority of American basketball fans, but his agent expects the Turkish star to go in the top couple picks of the June 23 NBA Draft.

“We expect him to go within the first two picks,” Mike Naiditch, an NBA agent who is close to Kanter’s agent, Max Ergul, said Wednesday by phone. “We expect him to go in the top 2, maybe 3, but we don’t think he’s going to go past that.”

Said ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla: “He’s going by the fourth pick. I think he could go as high as 2. The reason he won’t go 1 is because Cleveland won’t want to make a mistake on a foreign guy.”

Conventional wisdom has Duke utahpoint guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams being taken first and second by the Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively.

The 6-foot-11 Kanter will begin his workouts Friday when the Utah Jazz, who own the No. 3 pick, come to Chicago to watch him work out at Tim Grover’s Attack Athletics. The Toronto Raptors, who have the No. 5 pick, will watch Kanter Monday in Chicago.

On Monday evening, Kanter, 19, will fly to Cleveland for a workout there Tuesday. The Cavs own the No. 1 and 4 picks.

Minnesota will host Kanter June 16-17, following the EuroCamp in Treviso, Italy.

The Washington Wizards, who pick No. 6, have also expressed interest.

Kanter, who was ruled ineligible at Kentucky this past season because of his professional history in Turkey, has drawn comparisons to Dwight Howard, Dennis Rodman and Al Horford.

“He’s more the Turkish Dwight Howard,” Naiditch said. “Kanter has the ability to face the basket and shoot it. The thing with Kanter that’s just amazing to me is that he has a knack for the ball. He’s so smart and he knows where the ball’s going to be. He’s going to rebound like Dennis Rodman. He doesn’t look like Dennis Rodman, a little different hairstyle, but the kid has a knack for getting rebounds. When it’s all said and done that’s what’s going to set him apart at first.

“And then as he matures, his offensive game will develop to the point where it could be as good as his rebounding game.”

Fraschilla, the ESPN analyst who specializes in international players, has a different comparison for Kanter.

“The best analogy I can you give in the NBA right now is Al Horford,” Fraschilla said by phone. “If there was an arrow up or down, Enes’ arrow coming into this next four weeks is up.”

After measuring 6-11 1/2 in shoes and 262 pounds with 5 percent body fat at the Chicago Predraft Camp, Kanter excelled there.

“He runs the floor great, he shows well at the combine,” Fraschilla said.

“His track record, while limited, the one performance people take away from is the Nike Hoop Summit performance where he was the dominant player on a court with Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Perry Jones and Terrence Jones.”

Kanter exploded into the basketball consciousness at that event in 2010 with a 34-point, 13-rebound performance despite a bad back.

Kanter was declared ineligible at Kentucky, and thus hasn’t played a competitive, five-on-five game in more than a year.

“When the NCAA made me ineligible, I just didn’t give up,” Kanter told ESPN’s Chad Ford in Chicago. “I talked to Coach Cal [John Calipari] and I said i just wanted to help you. I just try to help my teammates and I just try to help Kentucky.”

After working out at Attack Athletics in 2010, Kanter returned there this year after school ended and has been working on his offensive game.

“I hate to lose and I like to play post moves and rebounds,” he told Ford. “Right now I’m working on my face-up game. I want to be a power forward, too. I love to play tough game. I think that’s my tough game.”

That game could have Kanter going within the top few picks in the draft.

“I don’t think he’s quite as much as a secret as people think,” Naiditch said. “He’s just not as conventional as a college player.”

Agent Expects Kanter to Go in Top 3 Picks
By Adam Zagoria on June 01, 2011, 2:09PM
zagsblog.com

Draft talk, moving outward from center

With guys like Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Jeremy Lamb, and Perry and Terrence Jones seemingly scared off by the potential lockout, the lottery looks to be full of players who, like Andrew Johnson’s presidency or the ‘99 Spurs, are simply there by default. The draft talk all year seemed to suggest that this one would be thin, and now it looks to be even thinner (sorry, Cleveland).

Because of this and the Rockets’ need for an infusion of young/any talent, the team might be in a position to trade up.

While I am as generally ambivalent toward the draft for need vs. best available argument as I am about nature vs. nurture, I do think the Rockets’ brass can’t afford to ignore the roster of hard-working, (mostly) young talent they already have.

The team as currently constructed is not in need of back-court help. With Lowry/Dragic and Martin/Lee, the Rockets boast one of the better back-courts in the league. With that in mind, trading up to snag Kemba Walker or Brandon Knight would more than likely also require trading a current player/starter (i.e. Lowry or Martin) to make room for the rookie, minutes wise, which, to me, at best would probably be a lateral move in terms of the team’s overall success/talent and more likely, at least initially, a step backward. Therefore, I think the Rockets should (and probably will) target a big man.

After watching whatever tape I could find lying around the internet and reading the various observations of the various pundits, I personally think the best two candidates to fill the Rockets’ big-man needs are Enes Kanter and Bismack Biyombo.

I won’t bore you with the specifics you can find elsewhere online about either, but, needless to say, they’re both big. And while both seem to be teeming with potential, neither is guaranteed to be a success in the NBA.

This year, Kanter was slated to join Calipari’s/William Wesley’s NBA combine at Kentucky and, coming into the season, was widely considered a potential number one overall pick, but a personal indiscretion left him with a seat next to Coach John as an enormous cheerleader for the entirety of this year’s Wildcat campaign.

While Kanter looks to have real potential, no one has yet to see him face actual high-level competition in a game scenario (outside of the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit, of course, in which he broke Dirk Nowitzki’s record in that particular annual exhibition by scoring a tidy 34 points on 13 of 21 shooting with 13 boards in 24 minutes).

The problem with Kanter is that he’ll probably go #3 or #4 to either Utah or Cleveland respectively, and for the Rockets to trade into either spot, the team will most certainly have to give up significant assets, i.e. Martin/Lowry. But if the Rockets are high enough on the guy or if either team would consider Scola and some change (which I doubt), Kanter most certainly could be worthwhile consideration. (The same argument also applies to trading into the #2 spot for Derrick Williams.)

Bismack Biyombo is a similar case in that, like Kanter, he’s still largely unproven against high-level competition, again with the exception being a spectacular showing at the Nike Hoop Summit, posting its first ever triple double (points/rebounds/blocks). For the past two seasons, he’s played professionally in the ACB (Spanish professional league) where, in limited minutes, he led the league in blocks by a significant margin. Getting most of his points off of offensive rebounds and dunks, Biyombo looks to be very raw offensively, but he’s got the length (7’7″ wingspan), size, and elite athleticism to be a defensive force in the NBA.

Right now, most mock drafts have Biyombo going at the 13 spot, one sooner than the Rockets’ 14th pick, but he could be taken higher. The hope (mine, in particular) is that if he doesn’t fall to the Rockets at 14, the team might not have to give up all that much to move up a few spots to get him.

Whatever the case, this Houston team needs to improve, and, hopefully, with all the uncertainty surrounding this year’s draft, Morey and the Rockets find a way to use the rest of the league’s hesitation to help themselves.

Draft talk, moving outward from center
by eric todd 25 May 2011 01:40 PM
red94.net

Wednesday Schadenfreude: Brandon Bender Says He'll Spill His Guts About Rick Pitino

You can find the story over at AllKyHoops.com. You can also check out this post at Card Chronicle (be sure to read and enjoy all the comments).

For my part, I can't imagine anything that could be revealed about Rick Pitino that would surprise me in the least after his 15 seconds of infamy at Porcini's a few years back, but who knows? Perhaps Bender will provide allegations of all sorts of NCAA lawlessness as he seems to suggest to Anthony Wireman in the article above.

Anyway, Brandon Bender seems to be on some kind of revenge tour against Pitino and Forde, but I think this is aimed more at Forde than anyone else, since Forde and Pete Thamel of the New York Times released a series of articles tying Bender to Kenneth Caldwell, a so-called "runner" who was said to have been inserting himself into the recruitment of Kevin Ware at the University of Central Florida in violation of NCAA rules.

In fact, Forde tried to tie Bender to Enes Kanter's recruitment (you know Forde -- he's gotta cast some suspicion on UK at any cost, truth be damned), an allegation which Bender flatly denies:

Obviously, there were some pretty strong allegations and references made in those articles. How do you respond to what was written?

I think was it damn foolish because they went with assumptions and no proof. Then, they said I was shopping Enes Kanter to SEC schools. I don't even know Enes Kanter. I saw him one time in my life.

I also think it was lame to bring up Ken Caldwell's past...things that happened 20 years ago.[emphasis mine]

After reading Bender's comments, it's impossible to imagine we won't see some articles, possibly even from the Thamel/Forde stable, connecting Bender to John Calipari with the implication that Bender is "coming clean" at the behest of Don Cal and the UK La Cosa Nostra. That ought to be lots of fun to comment on, and I can hardly wait. In fact, I'll be disappointed if they don't materialize.

Truthfully, though, I doubt anything of great value will come from Bender, and his credibility will understandably be questioned because he clearly seems to have an axe to grind with Louisville and Rick Pitino, as well as Forde. That's a first-blush perception, though, and not a fact -- I really don't know what he will say, or if anyone will even attempt to prove the veracity of the comments. After all, Pitino is not Calipari, and FForde has a vested, financial stake in ensuring that Pitino stays as clean as possible.

This affair should be nothing if not entertaining, and since there is no college basketball or football right now, I am all about being entertained.

Wednesday Schadenfreude: Brandon Bender Says He'll Spill His Guts About Rick Pitino
by Glenn Logan on May 25, 2011 9:12 AM EDT in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
aseaofblue.com

Video: Enes Kanter says “I’m not afraid of anybody”

Here is the Enes Kanter interview from the NBA pre-draft combine yesterday in Chicago. Kanter said he came to Chicago because “I’m not scared of anybody.” He also talks about why he decided not to go back to Turkey and stay at Kentucky, after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA. He said John Calipari helped him with his all-around game after being made into a post-up player in Turkey. He also says he learned English in six or seven months, and “it wasn’t that hard.” He said he’ll worry about a lockout if it comes, and does not want to return to Turkey. Asked if there are hard feelings about what happened there, Kanter said, “A little bit.”


Video: Enes Kanter says “I’m not afraid of anybody”
John Clay
johnclay.bloginky.com

Ruled ineligible, Kanter made most of year at UK

Enes Kanter didn't play a game in his freshman season at Kentucky.

The 6-foot-11 center couldn't hone his post moves against power forwards in the Southeastern Conference, couldn't ready himself for life on the road with games in front of howling crowds.

But Kanter -- ruled ineligible by the NCAA to play after he was found to have accepted benefits in excess of his expenses from Fenerbahce, his former club team in Turkey -- doesn't consider his year in Lexington wasted time.

In fact, he said Thursday at the NBA Draft combine that he'd do it all again, even knowing he wouldn't play. Kanter spent 17 years in Turkey and less than one on UK's campus, but when he was asked how he wants to be introduced in the NBA -- as hailing from Turkey or Kentucky -- he couldn't answer.

"I would say both," Kanter said. "I cannot decide. I would say both."

Kanter values the college experience, he said, and not just because improved his English and formed tight bonds with his former Wildcat teammates. Kanter insists he also made strides as a player in a year under John Calipari.

"In Europe, they put me in the low post," said Kanter, a probable top five pick in the June 23 draft. "Coach Cal told me, 'You are not just a center, you can play power forward.' Me and Coach Cal worked on my shot, worked on my quickness, worked on my face-up game and dribbling and everything. (He) just really helped me."

Kanter came to Kentucky with physical tools. He honed them during his time in Lexington, and he's putting them on display this week at Attack Athletics. There was considerable buzz Thursday about the athleticism he displayed in combine drills.

Though some other top prospects -- Duke's Kyrie Irving and Arizona's Derrick Williams among them -- declined to go through some workouts, Kanter participated in every drill here.

"I didn't play college, so I have to show myself to people," Kanter said. "I don't have to hide anything. I'm here. I just tried to show myself. Because I haven't played (in a) long time, I have to show myself. No one's seen me play yet."

As more NBA people do, they're likely to be impressed, said DeAndre Liggins, Kanter's former UK teammate who's also here for the combine.

"A physical specimen," Liggins said of Kanter. "A guy who works, a guy who's got tremendous footwork. A guy who loves the game of basketball."

Kanter didn't get to put those attributes on display for UK fans this season, and he's still not over it.
"It was really hard," Kanter said. "When I watched the game, I was like crying because I cannot help my team. I couldn't help my team, I couldn't help Coach Cal, Kentucky, and it was really hard for me."

When the NCAA ruled him ineligible, Kanter could have returned overseas to play professionally, but he said he never seriously considered that option. There were some hard feelings, he said, about returning to Turkey.

Someday, Kanter said, he still would like to play for the Turkish national team. But for a year, at least, Kentucky felt like home.

"I didn't want to go back to Europe," Kanter said. "I talked to Coach Cal and he said, 'You are always part of our family.' I talked to Coach Cal and I said, 'Coach, I couldn't play for you, but I want to help you. It doesn't matter. I just want to stay here. I just want to stay with my family, with my teammates and with you.' And he said 'That's your job anymore. You're just going to try to make players better.'

Ruled ineligible, Kanter made most of year at UK

Brett Dawson
CatsIllustrated.com Publisher

kentucky.rivals.com

Raptor Report: Prospect Watch - Enes Kanter

After another season without a playoff berth, there isn't a whole lot for Toronto Raptors fans to get excited about when it comes to their team.

One thing Raps fans can perk up for, however, is the NBA Draft Lottery.

Taking place on May 17, the lottery could bring about renewed hope to the team's frustrated fan base. Toronto is most likely to receive the third overall pick and although this draft is slated to be one of the weaker ones in recent history, that doesn't mean there won't be options for the Raptors to improve themselves given their position near the top of the board.

For the next few weeks this space will explore some of the potential prospects that Toronto will set its sights on and what that player will be able to do for the team.

Enes Kanter

Coming in at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and weighing 255 pounds, Kanter is projected to be the best center in the draft because of his legitimate size, strength and soft scoring touch. And even though his skill set is extremely desirable, the major concern around him is not a lot of people have actually seen him play.

This past college season, Kanter was supposed to be one of John Calipari's star freshmen for Kentucky but, unfortunately, he was deemed ineligible to play by the NCAA because of paid benefits he received while playing professionally in Turkey.

He has managed to stay busy despite being unable to play any organized competition by working out with Kentucky's assistants and his basketball IQ may have even improved as he was an acting student-assistant coach for the Wildcats this season. There shouldn't be any conditioning concerns when he begins draft workouts but an entire season away from the court certainly hurts.

In spite of this step back, however, the big man is still being projected as a top-five pick in most mock drafts with him most commonly being selected third overall - right where the Raptors are slated to pick.

The reason for this is because of what Kanter has shown to be able to do when he's on the floor. During the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit he dominated the game with a record 34-point, 13-rebound performance to lead the International squad over the United States.

He might be a little undersized but the tools he possesses more than makes up for it. Scouts say that Kanter is a fantastic rebounder with great timing and strength. His offensive game is very diverse in that he has multiple post moves with the strength to finish after taking a hit, is capable of knocking down mid-range jumpers, and is an excellent passer.

The Raptors wouldn't be amiss to select Kanter given all the positives he could bring to the team such as some much needed toughness because of his gritty play style. He loves contact and, unlike other bangers in the league, he comes with skills that make him an actual offensive threat.

His shooting touch makes for an interesting option in the pick-and-pop and because he's an excellent passer he'll be able to create offense from his post-ups down low.

As much good that Kanter can do for Toronto, there is danger in picking him. The Raptors have already invested quite a bit in their current center Andrea Bargnani, a defensive liability. Basketball-wise, that sounds like a pretty good idea but, economically, it might not be feasible unless the franchise can move Bargnani.

Kanter's style might also conflict with the way Toronto is building right now. All of the young players on the team share the common trait of athleticism and even though Kanter is a decent athlete, he's not at the same level as the other Raptor big men like Amir Johnson and Ed Davis.

Overall, Kanter is a good looking prospect for Toronto even if he doesn't fit perfectly into what its trying to do. Given his projected draft spot and where the Raptors will most likely choose, Bryan Colangelo and company will be hard pressed to find someone better.

Raptor Report: Prospect Watch - Enes Kanter
By Steve Loung, Sports Network
The Sports Network
miamiherald.com

From Kentucky Kernel - Enes Kanter

He spent time with the UK players before the game, and was sitting in Enes Kanter’s empty locker — adjacent to Brandon Knight’s locker — after the game.

After the win, UK head coach John Calipari said he wouldn’t mind if Wall came to every game.

“He watches every game we play,” Calipari said. “He looked at me about Terrence (and said) why does he settle for jumpers? Why doesn’t he dunk balls? I said, ‘I don’t know, go talk to him, coach him a little bit.’ He has a good beat on our team, he wants to be here.”

Terrence Jones said Wall keeps in contact with the team.

“I mainly text him when I’m struggling, what I should do, how to handle things,” Jones said. “He told me to listen to coach. He’s a good friend, someone I can look up to.”

Kanter has been rule ineligible for this year and is yet still a likely top five pick. After watching video of Kanter dominating Ohio State’s super frosh Jared Sullinger in last year’s Nike Hoop Summit game, I am smitten for the Wizards to pick the young Turkish star as a legit inside presence, so I found it highly ironic that Wall was sitting in his unused locker. Jones is also a lock for draft lottery and could be a perfect wing player to pair up with Wall.

John Wall’s Standing Ovation From Big Blue Nation

Adam McGinnis

truthaboutit.net

Coach Cal Working w/ Enes Kanter

UK-LSU notes: 'Coach' Kanter has a lesson for Kentucky teammate Hood

As Florida Coach Billy Donovan once observed, all college basketball teams face adversity. It's how a team handles adversity that separates good seasons from bad.

Teammate Jon Hood saluted Enes Kanter as an example of how to handle adversity. Kanter sat in basketball limbo for months before learning recently that the NCAA had rejected the University of Kentucky's appeal on behalf of the player. Kanter would be permanently ineligible to play college basketball.

"I can't imagine anyone handling that situation any better," Hood said. "He handled it in the most mature way possible."

Hood nodded when asked if someone else might have quit rather than wait as UK filed appeals on a judgment that seemed unlikely to change.

"I could see where they could do that, I really could," Hood said of a player choosing not to make the fight. "At the same time, when you have a shadow of hope or light at the end of the tunnel that you may get to play, you're always going to work hard. You're always going to work toward that (goal) just in case that day comes."

Hood likened Kanter's situation to someone being denied something he loved.

Hood suggested that Kanter, who will stay involved as a student assistant coach, hasn't lost his sense of humor. The freshman from Turkey has playfully introduced himself to teammates saying, "I'm Coach 

Kanter."

The players do not follow this formality.

"No," Hood said. "You still have to call him Enes."

'Buzzard luck'

UK Coach John Calipari noted how a metaphorical black cloud seems to hover over Hood.

"He's trying, he's trying," Calipari said of Hood's efforts to be a hustling glue guy. "He's got a little buzzard luck. Everybody who shoots a ball on him makes it."

The UK coach seemed to make a reference to a lack of confidence when he said of Hood, "It's hard to unleash yourself when you're afraid of making a mistake."

Substance over style

When discussing Stacey Poole, Calipari said the freshman recently fumbled away a ball while trying to execute a round-house dunk rather than simply shooting a layup.

Calipari said he asked Poole why he didn't just lay in the ball. "'Because you don't understand my game,'" Calipari said Poole replied.

To which, Calipari said he answered, "I do. That's why I'm not playing you much."

LSU in Cat-mosphere

LSU has only two players who have ever played in Rupp Arena. Neither scored. Storm Warren played 18 scoreless minutes for the Tigers in Rupp Arena three years ago. He's hampered by tendinitis in his right Achillies' tendon and is not expected to play.

Malcolm White played two scoreless minutes at UK in 2008 for Ole Miss.

LSU Coach Trent Johnson dismissed the suggestion of his freshman-oriented team being intimidated by the "Cat-mosphere" of Rupp. "It's a neat atmosphere," he said. "But the thing that makes it neat is the guy running the show and the guys that are playing."

Matt Derenbecker, one of two freshman starters, said, "I've heard some stories about it. I heard their fans are hostile, and it's a very crazy environment to play in. My dad (who played at Vanderbilt) told me just go there and try not to focus on everything that's around you. When it comes down to it, it's just a court. Treat it like any other away game. It's going to just be a great experience for everybody on our team to play a game in an arena with such strong history."

Heart, smarts

LSU hopes to compensate for a lack of experience with heart and smarts.

"We knew from the beginning we were going to be younger than some teams and not as talented and athletic as some teams," Derenbecker said. "The coaches drilled it into us that we had to be mentally tough and we had to stay one step ahead of the other team in terms of anticipation. Even though we're young, we have a high basketball IQ on this team."

Added freshman Andre Stringer, the team's leading scorer with Ralston Turner injured, "I know we're a young team, but I think we have a big heart. Our coach instills that in us, and we have to come out and play hard every given night. We can't take any team for granted. The heart of our team is our heart."

Etc.

■ UK's 27 straight home victories is the third-longest active streak. Kansas and Duke have won 68 and 29 straight home games.

■ Carter Blackburn and Mark Gottfried will call the game for the SEC Network.

UK-LSU notes: 'Coach' Kanter has a lesson for Kentucky teammate Hood

Jerry Tipton

kentucky.com

Enes Kanter - Videos

NCAA Rules Kanter Permanently Ineligible

Enes Kanter - Nba Studyo(Turkey)

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

NCAA's call on Enes Kanter makes sense

It may all be over but the shouting with Enes Kanter and his quest to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. But the shouting isn't over.

I heard Dick Vitale shouting about it in the middle of a college football discussion on ESPN's “Mike & Mike in the Morning” on Tuesday. And my radio wasn't even on.

On Monday, UK coach John Calipari questioned why NCAA president Mark Emmert would come out and make a statement on Kanter. “You made your decision,” Calipari said. “Why keep commenting?”

Maybe because some pretty strong charges were being leveled at the NCAA from some pretty high places.

Outgoing UK President Lee Todd used legally charged language — “inconsistent and arbitrary” — to describe the decision. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart said he not only was disappointed in the decision, but “disappointed in the process.” That's an implication that the NCAA didn't follow its own guidelines.

And then there was the loudest of all, Vitale, who actually suggested that had Kanter attended Washington, where he originally committed and where Emmert was president at the time, he would not have been ruled ineligible.

Vitale often is over the top. On this one, he's around the bend, entering the realm of conspiracy theory. But shouting from Vitale is expected. For UK to come out swinging on a player it acknowledged received impermissible money from a pro team is more puzzling.

Regardless, it's time for clarity: The only special treatment involved in this case was the treatment UK was seeking for Kanter.

If you're the NCAA and you want to preserve amateurism, you have to draw a line. Above the line is professional status, and below it is amateur. There's gray area on both sides, but once you leave that into pro territory, you're a pro, and there's no going back.

The NCAA has drawn the line here: If you play for a pro team and receive money above actual and necessary expenses (even educational expenses) for doing it, you're a pro and not eligible. Period.

If you get money from an agent, even a lot of it, like Renardo Sidney of Mississippi State or Josh Selby at Kansas, you're in that gray area, and can still get back to the amateur side.

To many (myself included), that doesn't make sense. A lot of us think Sidney and Selby should be on the pro side of the line. But that's not the way it's drawn. And regardless of where others stand, Kanter clearly is on the other side of it.


Calipari and UK, while rightfully disappointed, have no legitimate beef with this process. Calipari referenced how long it took. But UK took 10 days in December to notify the NCAA that it would be making a second appeal after losing a second ruling. Calipari also said the NCAA encouraged the appeals. Of course it did. To do otherwise would've hampered due process.

 

There are rumblings of a lawsuit. But there's no legitimate suit here. None other than the Kentucky Supreme Court said in Lasege v. NCAA, 2001, “The NCAA's eligibility determinations are entitled to a presumption of correctness — particularly when they stem from conceded violations of NCAA regulations.”

Most of us don't agree with that presumption all the time, nor with the NCAA. Disagreeing with the rules is understandable. Foreign players are held to a higher standard without question. But disagreeing with the process, in this case, is not. Of all the head-scratching NCAA decisions that have sparked ranting and raving lately, this shouldn't be one of them.

NCAA's call on Enes Kanter makes sense
Eric Crawford
rier-journal.com

Dick Vitale Curbstomps NCAA Prez Into Response

In an interview with SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s Seth Davis this week, new NCAA President Mark Emmert couldn’t have been more forceful in supporting his organization’s decision to rule Kentucky basketball recruit Enes Kanter permanently ineligible to play basketball at UK.

Emmert to Davis:
 
“The vast majority of people in collegiate basketball knew that this was an issue with Enes Kanter. Kentucky knew it. Everybody who talked with him knew it. So I’m amazed that people are shocked by the fact that he is ineligible.”

If you have followed the NCAA over the years, you recognize the stunning, nearly unprecedented candor being displayed by a sitting NCAA President over a particular enforcement ruling. So with that in mind, it’s no surprise that Emmert’s candor was most likely far from a coincidence.

On November 23, 2009, Todd Dybas of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER reported that Kanter had verbally committed to the University of Washington. In a long post extolling the virtues of Kanter’s on-court game by Dybas, there was no mention of the possibility that Kanter may have been facing NCAA eligibility questions. And if there were, obviously Washington, UCLA and USC were not overly concerned, as all three schools were in the running for Kanter’s basketball services at the time. (Kentucky later entered the picture, obviously.)

Kanter eventually de-committed from Washington a year later, which led Huskies Coach Lorenzo Romar to say at the time:

“You develop relationship with kids, and in your mind you have a vision with how it’s going to work with them in this program and how you’re going to help this kid develop and how they’re going to help you. Then, when that changes, it’s disappointing.

“When you’re recruiting someone and they’ve never committed to you and they go elsewhere, then that’s a part of what we do. But if someone does say, ‘I’m picking you, I’m coming with you and we’re getting ready to do this together from here on out,’ and then if they were to change their mind, it’s very disappointing.”

So Romar was indisputably still on Kanter’s trail up until the Turkish recruit’s decision to de-commit from Washington.

Now back to Mark Emmert’s statement about Kanter to Seth Davis this week:

“The vast majority of people in collegiate basketball knew that this was an issue with Enes Kanter. Kentucky knew it. Everybody who talked with him knew it. So I’m amazed that people are shocked by the fact that he is ineligible.”

Who exactly was the President of the University of Washington when the Huskies received their verbal commitment from Kanter? (And subsequently Kanter’s “very disappointing” de-commit?)

Mark Emmert.

But even with that intersection of what some may view as mere coincidence, why was Emmert so heated in defending his NCAA’s decision to render Kanter’s ineligible?

Enter Dick Vitale.

Before SI.com published its piece detailing Emmert’s comments, Vitale Tweeted to Seth Davis last Friday:

Asked a very simple? Seth if Kanter went to Wash. I believe he would NOT be inligible 4 4 years -have super 2011!

That Tweet followed an on-camera rant by Vitale on ESPN-TV that posited the same theory.

Two days later, at the end of the Seth Davis SI piece that included Emmert’s comments about the NCAA’s ruling on Kanter, Davis confronted Emmert about Vitale’s “very serious allegation” that the NCAA deliberately ruled

Kanter ineligible because he had committed to Kentucky.

From Davis:

When I asked Emmert why Washington recruited Kanter, he told me that as university president he did not get involved with basketball recruiting and thus did not know his coach’s thinking.

Emmert quote to Davis on Vitale accusation:

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s ridiculous. By all accounts this is a very talented basketball player, but yet there were very few schools recruiting him. Why was that? Because everyone understood that there was a very large probability that he was not going to be deemed eligible. This has nothing to do with Kentucky or Coach Calipari. It has to do with a clear rule and a clear set of facts.”

In November, Emmert attempted to marginalize much of the media that was questioning his NCAA’s rulings:

The burden of proof is higher than what it is for somebody who’s writing in a blog,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said Friday while taping a TV show that will air Monday on the Big Ten Network.

“You can write in a blog that, ‘Gee, I think everyone knows that if there’s smoke, there’s fire.’ Well, that’s a great thing to say,” Emmert continued. “But we have a burden of proof to demonstrate what are the real facts before we take to an infractions committee … a recommendation that says, ‘We think this has happened.’”

Vitale’s accusation is, to date, the most serious made against the NCAA in how it doles out justice. To make matters worse, Vitale’s allegation was made on ESPN-TV and Twitter, in front on hundreds of thousands, if not millions of college hoops fans.

Now you know why Emmert chose this moment to step out and defend himself.

He had no choice.

Dick Vitale Curbstomps NCAA Prez Into Response

by Brooks

sportsbybrooks.com

Kanter's well-being foremost on Calipari's mind

Coach making best of bad situation

Enes Kanter's well-being — not how the program perseveres — will guide Kentucky basketball in the aftermath of an NCAA decision making the freshman permanently ineligible, Coach John Calipari said Monday.

"Ten years from now, Kentucky moves on," Calipari said. "Twenty years from now, they don't look back. ... I'm only worried about an 18-year-old and what it's going to do to him. My point now is to make sure we make an unbelievable situation out of a bad situation."

Toward that end, UK made Kanter a student assistant coach like ex-Cat Wayne Turner. Kanter can help out UK in practice and work out for pro scouts as he prepares for this year's NBA Draft, Calipari said.

More than once, the UK coach noted that Kanter is the youngest player — now non-player — on UK's roster. Kanter did not come to UK intending to be a so-called one-and-done player bound for the 2011 NBA Draft. Suggesting Kanter would be a babe in the pro woods, Calipari said, "He wants to throw himself into that world?"

When asked how Kanter was reacting to the permanent ineligibility, Calipari paused and said, "He's OK."

Then the UK coach added, "I'm trying to convince him, 'You'll be fine.' "

Justice delayed?

More than once, Calipari noted how long it took the NCAA to rule Kanter ineligible. But didn't UK drag out the case by twice appealing what could have been a final decision?

"We were told to appeal," Calipari said. "Why would we do anything (to drag it out)? (Just) say it!"

Well, not exactly, UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said a few minutes later.

"The NCAA never told us to appeal," Peevy said before adding, "They (also) never said it was, like, a moot point."

UK seized on that glimmer of hope, Peevy said. Any opening would have sufficed.

"You don't want to feel you've not done everything," said Peevy, who added that the first appeal was a joint decision by all parties: presumably UK, the basketball program and the Kanter family.

A favorable result in such cases is typically made by an appeals panel, Peevy said.

The second appeal, which was said to be based on an NCAA decision allowing Auburn quarterback Cam Newton to continue playing despite his father admitting trying to sell his son's services, was a decision made by Kanter's family, Peevy said.

Neither Calipari nor Peevy said the option to seek a court injunction blocking the NCAA ruling was dead. However, neither embraced the option.

"(Kanter) hasn't brought that up at all," Peevy said. "I've not talked to him about it. He probably doesn't know what that means."

Job description

As a student assistant coach, Kanter's first assignment has been simply to understand what that job entails.

When asked what Kanter thought of seeking a restraining order to block the NCAA ruling of permanent ineligibility, Peevy said, "I've had a hard enough time getting him to understand 'student assistant coach.' He knows Wayne Turner wears a suit. He wants to know if he has to wear a suit."

Turner, who played on three UK Final Four teams in the 1990s, returned to school last fall to complete work on an undergraduate degree. That qualifies Turner to be a student assistant coach.

Peevy said that using Turner as an example was the easiest way to get Kanter to understand his new role.

"'You get to be Wayne Turner,' " Peevy said he told Kanter, a native of Turkey who has lived in this country for less than two years. To which Kanter replied, "I don't want to be Wayne Turner."

Peevy described Kanter's role as more coach than practice participant. According to the NCAA, the intent of the rule forming the student assistant coach role was that it serve to train a coach. It is not supposed to be a means for a quality player to help the eligible players improve by challenging them on the court.

Etc.

Coming off a 77-70 victory Saturday over then No. 10 Kentucky, Georgia made The Associated Press' top 25 for first time since the final poll of the 2002-03 season. Georgia is ranked No. 24. ... Calipari is 25-0 in Rupp Arena as UK coach. ... UK's 26-game home winning streak is the fourth longest active streak. ... Rob Stone and Jay Williams will call the game for ESPNU.

Kanter's well-being foremost on Calipari's mind
Jerry Tipton
kentucky.com

Ugly rhetoric also spilling into sports

Unlike weekend's Arizona tragedy, Kentucky basketball isn't life and death

The shooting Saturday of an Arizona congresswoman that also claimed the life of six people, including a 9-year-old girl, has sparked a public debate about the current tone of political discourse in this country.

Clarence Dupnik, the Arizona sheriff in charge of the investigation into the shooting, called on the country to "do a little soul-searching."

I say it's time for sports to do a little soul-searching as well.

It's time for a debate on the current discourse in our own little neck of the woods.

After all, a day after the NCAA on Friday ruled Enes Kanter was permanently ineligible to play college basketball, here is what someone tweeted to New York Times reporter Pete Thamel:

"I hope your children are born paralyzed and they have to slither around like snakes in the grass like their (expletive) daddy"

And this:

"Congrats on Kanter, scumbag! Hope you don't step in front of a taxi."

There were other such disgusting missives directed at Thamel, to the point where Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman called for a halt only to have Goodman be attacked for coming to Thamel's defense.

Thamel's crime: He wrote a September story quoting the general manager of a Turkish professional basketball team saying Kanter received money to play professionally. A statement the NCAA found to be true.

See, the best thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone involved a voice. And the worst thing about the Internet is it gives everyone involved a voice. They don't even have to use their names.

It's not just the Internet, either. It was interesting Friday night, flipping around the radio dial among the numerous sports talk shows, listening to emotional but anonymous callers with rudimentary knowledge of the facts, giving confident opinions, offering conspiracy theories, all but demanding the Big Blue Nation drive to Indianapolis and storm NCAA headquarters.

It's no different on Internet message boards, or blogs, or, sad to say, newspaper Web sites, where inflammatory commentary rules the day. The ruder the better.

We've somehow developed a coarseness in this society where lines of fairness and decorum are constantly re-drawn.

It's not "Beat Louisville" week anymore.

It's "Hate Louisville" week.

You could say it's all in fun, but it sure seems less so. There's too much invested now, in time, in importance, in money spent, whether the money be on a fan's tickets or a school's coaches.

Even with the madness happening in Arizona on Saturday, a fight broke out between fans behind press row at Stegeman Coliseum late in the Kentucky-Georgia basketball game to the point where security was called.

It's just a game, folks.

A game.

Despite Friday's ruling, Kanter can still go to college. He can get a degree if he wants, and one day soon earn millions in the NBA.

But it was interesting that when Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck announced last week he would return to school for his senior season rather than be the top pick in this spring's NFL Draft, one writer tweeted that anyone who agreed with Luck's decision was a "moron."

Not just wrong, but a "moron."

"It's a Rorschach test for people's value system," said West Virginia Athletics Director Oliver Luck about the reaction to his son's decision.

These days, you have to wonder about our value system.

Kentucky's bowl loss, its basketball loss, its disappointment over the Kanter ruling, made for a bad weekend. But not remotely in the same realm as the tragic weekend in Arizona.

What happened there, including the senseless murder of an innocent girl, that's life and death.

And this is what the girl's mother told the Times:

"I think there's been a lot of hatred going on, and it needs to stop."

Ugly rhetoric also spilling into sports
John Clay
kentucky.com