Yahoo Sports: Alexander Family Investigated For Impermissible Benefits

[SoonerDan74012]

There's always that one family member who has the hand in the cookie jar.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--ncaa-investigating-whether-family-of-kansas--cliff-alexander-received-impermissible-benefits-041734382.html

Sources: NCAA investigating whether family of Kansas' Cliff Alexander received impermissible benefits
Pat Forde
By Pat Forde 32 minutes ago Yahoo Sports

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NCAA Basketball: Kansas at Texas
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Jan 24, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Cliff Alexander (2) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. The Jayhawks won 75-62. (Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports)

Kansas forward Cliff Alexander remains sidelined because of an NCAA inquiry into possible impermissible benefits received by one or more of his family members from an NBA agent, multiple sources have told Yahoo Sports.

Alexander has not yet been interviewed by the NCAA, sources said, though not because of a reluctance by either the school or NCAA investigators. Sources said legal counsel has been retained by the Alexander family and that may be slowing the investigative process.

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Cliff Alexander has missed the Jayhawks' past two games. (USA Today)

Cliff Alexander has missed the Jayhawks' past two games. (USA Today)
Alexander will not be reinstated until after an NCAA interview occurs and a decision is made on whether benefits received by his family are impermissible. If it is ruled that a violation occurred, Alexander's eligibility for the remainder of the season could be affected.

Mike Oliver, who coached the five-star recruit in Chicago at Curie High School, told Yahoo Sports Thursday that he visited Alexander Feb. 21 when the Jayhawks played TCU and was concerned.

"I knew something wasn't right," Oliver said. "He just wasn't Cliff."

A week later, Alexander was sidelined with what the school termed an "NCAA issue." Kansas has not commented on the nature of the issue, but sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports that it is agent-related.

Alexander has missed the No. 9 Jayhawks' past two games, victories over Texas and West Virginia. That hasn't prevented Kansas (24-6, 13-4) from winning yet another Big 12 championship. But Saturday Kansas goes to Oklahoma and is expected to be without Alexander, fellow forward Perry Ellis (sprained knee) and possibly guard Wayne Selden (ankle).

Before he was sidelined by the NCAA issue, Alexander's playing time had plummeted in recent weeks. He played fewer than 20 minutes in seven of his last nine games, bottoming out a total of 27 minutes played in three games against West Virginia, TCU and Kansas State Feb. 16-23. Alexander scored just 28 points in the month of February.

 

[AdaSooner]

Interesting that Alexander only played 20 minutes in 7 of his last 9 games. Makes me wonder if Self and the KU brass knew the NCAA investigation was coming, or did it catch them by surprise?

 

[SoonerDan74012]

Interesting that Alexander only played 20 minutes in 7 of his last 9 games. Makes me wonder if Self and the KU brass knew the NCAA investigation was coming, or did it catch them by surprise?

They better not have caught wind of this in a quick enough manner. I want this streak of winning the conference to end even if it means Kansas having to forfeiting games. :ez-laugh:

 

[j2d2]

It's just like the national communists against athletes to delay where they can to mess with a team/university they want to hurt. How many times have they done this to OU in both basketball and football?

 

[quick release]

It's been reported he may be eligible to play this weekend.

 

[SoonerJK12]

It's been reported he may be eligible to play this weekend.

I don't think that's accurate. I will be highly surprised if everything is cleared up that quickly.

 

[IndySooner]

This coupled with the rumor I heard from Lawrence that Self is done is certainly interesting.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Interesting that Alexander only played 20 minutes in 7 of his last 9 games. Makes me wonder if Self and the KU brass knew the NCAA investigation was coming, or did it catch them by surprise?

I saw an interview with Self a few days before Alexander was ruled ineligible and he said the reason for the decline in minutes is he hadn't been playing as well as a starter (as when he was a sub). Self talked like he just needed to keep playing thru it so he wasn't going to change the lineup and put Alexander back on the bench to start the game, then a few days later he was ruled ineligible.

I would think if KU had wind of this a few weeks back they would have pulled him on their own, but that's just my opinion.

 

[MercedeSooner]

Wonder who turned em in. Lord knows every player on their roster is probably getting hand outs.

 

[AdaSooner]

I saw an interview with Self a few days before Alexander was ruled ineligible and he said the reason for the decline in minutes is he hadn't been playing as well as a starter (as when he was a sub). Self talked like he just needed to keep playing thru it so he wasn't going to change the lineup and put Alexander back on the bench to start the game, then a few days later he was ruled ineligible.

I would think if KU had wind of this a few weeks back they would have pulled him on their own, but that's just my opinion.

All of that may be true. But, reducing a kid's playing time to 20 minutes in 7 of his last 9 games (that's less than 3 minutes per game) goes beyond what one would expect when a player loses his starting position and is relegated to coming off of the bench.

I have no way of knowing if the reduction in playing time had anything to do with the NCAA investigation? All I'm saying is that it seems odd to me that the national player of the year and one of the top recruits in the country had his role on the team reduced to nothing more than a large and talented bench warmer, only weeks before we learn his eligibility may be in question.

 

[Big Old Booger]

All of that may be true. But, reducing a kid's playing time to 20 minutes in 7 of his last 9 games (that's less than 3 minutes per game) goes beyond what one would expect when a player loses his starting position and is relegated to coming off of the bench.

I have no way of knowing if the reduction in playing time had anything to do with the NCAA investigation? All I'm saying is that it seems odd to me that the national player of the year and one of the top recruits in the country had his role on the team reduced to nothing more than a large and talented bench warmer, only weeks before we learn his eligibility may be in question.

I wasn't very clear...he was getting more minutes when he came off the bench than when he started but Self was afraid it would ruin his confidence if he put him back on the bench. So, he hoped he would play thru it. He said he played more aggressive off the bench and I'm sure Self thought he needed him to make a run in March so he was hoping the kid would come out of it.

That's what was said on the radio show I was listening to.

 

[quick release]

I don't think that's accurate. I will be highly surprised if everything is cleared up that quickly.

i don't disagree but i saw it on twitter nonetheless... Not sure how legit it is.

https://twitter.com/michaelsobrien/status/573203347404038145

 

[AdaSooner]

I wasn't very clear...he was getting more minutes when he came off the bench than when he started but Self was afraid it would ruin his confidence if he put him back on the bench. So, he hoped he would play thru it. He said he played more aggressive off the bench and I'm sure Self thought he needed him to make a run in March so he was hoping the kid would come out of it.

That's what was said on the radio show I was listening to.

I understood what you were saying. I got the reduction in minutes report from the Yahoo Sports article:

Before he was sidelined by the NCAA issue, Alexander's playing time had plummeted in recent weeks. He played fewer than 20 minutes in seven of his last nine games, bottoming out a total of 27 minutes played in three games against West Virginia, TCU and Kansas State Feb. 16-23. Alexander scored just 28 points in the month of February.

 

[jackson_supersooner]

I understood what you were saying. I got the reduction in minutes report from the Yahoo Sports article:

Is there really any possibility of KU having to give up their wins? Or would it just be a slap on the wrist and a suspension of Alexander?

 

[SoonerJK12]

This situation seems similar to the Tiny Gallon fiasco...

 

[DenverSooner]

I thought they ruled when Cam Newton's dad had his hand out it had nothing to do with Cam Newton.

 

[sperry]

You can't reduce a kids minutes in response to potential ineligibilty. You either play him normally or you sit him, no in between.

 

[JBaker]

Is there really any possibility of KU having to give up their wins? Or would it just be a slap on the wrist and a suspension of Alexander?

If he accepted impermissable benefits prior to playing in games, Kansas would have to vacate the wins he played in afterward. Same way Syracuse just vacated a bunch of wins.