Oops! Not so Fast There, Alex Len

[sagegrouse]

The Terps 7-1 recruit has not yet been cleared for NCAA play according to coach Mark Turgeon in the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/terrapins-insider/post/maryland-coach-mark-turgeon-says-alex-len-still-needs-to-be-cleared-by-the-ncaa/2011/10/06/gIQAPGw1QL_blog.html). The drive-time guys on ESPN-980 were attributing the delay to his play for a professional team in the Ukraine last year and the question of whether he was paid more than expenses.

Hmmm.... Stay tuned. Is this an Eres Kanter-type problem for Len?

sagegrouse

[Olympic Fan]

This is always going to be a problem for foreign players -- just because of the system they have over there. No high school or AAU leagues ... the kids play for sponsored youth or adult teams that are all somewhat professional. The NCAA has a had time sorting out whether players play for expenses only (which is allowed) or for money above expenses (which makes them professional).

The better the player, the more likely that he got more than expenses. But the people in Europe are getting smarter about hiding payments. Kanter only got caught because the owner of his team in Turkey was pissed that he left and ratted him out to the NCAA (and provided documentary proof of his over-payments to the Kanters).

It's a little safer recruiting foreign kids who prep in the USA, although even there, it's possible that they played with a pro team in Europe before coming over. But the younger they arrive, the less likely that they make excess money. Pretty sure that Oleg Czyz played for a pro-sponsored team in Poland before coming to the US to prep in Vegas. There were never any questions raised about what he got in Poland -- probably because he left before he became the type young player that would attract above-expenses money.