'11 IL C/PF Anthony Davis (Kentucky Signee)

[DZ83CK]

I still don't understand why he is waiting to make his announcement if it has come out in public that he is going to Kentucky unless maybe he isn't.

I don't want to even go to a bad joke like waiting until a check clears because the that is a bad reflection on the recruit and it is not meant to be. No one on this board or on the outside knows for a fact that he has received illegal payments so it should not be speculated and I apologize for the poor joke.

Hey, a legitimate source (Sun-Times) put it out there, so I say you might as well believe it. It's not like college basketball recruiting is pristine. How often does a newspaper spread rumors like that? I can't think of any prior instances. I remember reading someone on the Scout free board weeks ago claim they had inside info that the recruitment of Davis had become very dirty with money likely changing hands and that Kentucky led as a result. Why not believe it's true? It's John Calipari, whose teams have had as many Final Fours vacated the past 15 years as the rest of college basketball combined. I'm not inclined to give Calipari the benefit of the doubt, even though Davis seems like a fine young man.

 

[CHU]

Wow. What would be funny is if he produced some sort of credible evidence (which won't happen).

Report: Chicago star set to commit to Kentucky - CBSSports.com

(UPDATE No. 2: Lawyers representing Kentucky sent a letter to O'Brien late Wednesday formally demanding that the Sun-Times "withdraw the publication from any source from which it has been published, and issue an immediate statement that you know of no credible evidence indicating that there is any truth to the 'rumors' referred to in your article." O'Brien is yet to respond.)

 

[Buckskin86]

Davis no longer a hidden talent
Perspectives MSA player might be best in country
August 5, 2010BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN [email protected]

Meanstreets star Anthony Davis shoots over a defender during club- basketball competition in Merrillville, Ind.
(Special to the Sun-Times)

The Chicago Sun-Times covered nearly 700 boys high school basketball games last season. Anthony Davis, who just might be the best high school player in the country, didn't play in any of them.

Davis played for Perspectives MSA -- a co-op team with players from Perspectives Joslin and Perspectives MSA -- in the Public League Blue-West, a league that receives almost no attention from media or college scouts. Perspectives Joslin is located at 1930 S. Archer, an area surrounded by basketball-powerhouse high schools Davis chose not to attend.

''Most of the coaches on the South Side knew him as the little guy who would shoot threes from the corner in junior high,'' Simeon coach Robert Smith said. ''There weren't schools dying to get him on their team.''

Davis no longer a hidden talent :: High School Sports :: YourSeason

Anthony Davis wants to make you sweat
August, 4, 2010
By Eamonn Brennan

At least Anthony Davis Sr. has a sense of humor about his son's recruitment. Either that, or LeBron James' legacy is already being felt, and I don't like it.

Anthony Davis Jr., as you may know, is the No. 12-ranked player (and No. 4 ranked power forward, though, given yesterday's discussion, I might start using that distinction a bit more sparingly) in the 2011 ESPNU 100. He's made a late, unexpected push up the recruiting totem pole to the point where some recruiting analysts consider him the best player in the class. And he's made his college decision. He's just not going to tell you yet.

"Yes, it’s the LeBron wait and see time," Anthony Davis Sr. told SNY's Adam Zagoria Tuesday night via text. We'll get to that in a second.

Anthony Davis wants to make you sweat - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

Sun-Times' recruiting story draws Kentucky's ire
August 4, 2010
By Paul Skrbina

An attorney representing the University of Kentucky sent a letter Wednesday evening to the Sun-Times demanding retraction of a story by reporter Michael O'Brien from the paper's high school sports Web site.

The story, which was posted Wednesday afternoon, later edited, then removed late Wednesday night, originally stated that Perspectives-Calumet basketball player Anthony Davis, who is reportedly choosing among scholarship offers from Kentucky, DePaul, Ohio State and Syracuse, was ready to announce his choice of Kentucky. O'Brien, citing "a reliable source," wrote that "rumors/sources that have Davis choosing Kentucky are also alleging that the commitment cost $200,000."

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/08/sun-times-recruiting-story-draws-kentuckys-ire.html

 

[MaxBuck]

All this discussion will look kind of silly if Davis announces for Ohio State.

 

[Buckskin86]

Prep star at center of storm
Attorneys for Kentucky, family deny recruiting improprieties
Comments

August 6, 2010
BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN [email protected]

The University of Kentucky on Thursday denied a Chicago Sun-Times report that a $200,000 deal was made to get a top Chicago high school basketball player to attend the school, according to a law firm representing the university.

Sources told the Sun-Times the father of 6-10 Anthony Davis, a highly recruited senior basketball player, negotiated a deal that promised $200,000 from someone who wanted Davis to commit to Kentucky.

Perspectives MSA star Anthony Davis is one of the hottest recruits in the country.

The university ''disputes the accuracy of your proposed statements,'' according to a letter from the law firm, which was sent by e-mail Thursday to the Sun-Times.

Anthony Davis Sr., the father of the 17-year-old player, also has flatly denied the allegations.

''We haven't asked anyone for anything, and no one has offered us anything,'' Davis Sr. said last week at a club basketball event in Merrillville, Ind.

Another source told the Sun-Times that the NCAA is ''checking'' into the recruitment of Davis.

''The University of Kentucky has spoken with Mr. David Price, NCAA vice president of enforcement,'' according to the letter to the Sun-Times, which was written by Kevin G. Henry of the Lexington, Ky., law firm Sturgill, Turner, Barker and Moloney, PLLC. ''He advised that whatever inquiry you received from an NCAA person was merely asking you for information about your sources for your article, and that this is not confirmation of an 'investigation' of the University of Kentucky or an examination of the recruitment of the named student-athlete by the NCAA.''

Prep star at center of storm :: Beacon News :: Local Sports

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...ep-kentucky-sun-times-20100805,0,792081.story

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

All this discussion will look kind of silly if Davis announces for Ohio State.

If he wasn't going to Kentucky, these denials would sound a lot different.

 

[starBUCKS]

Sun-Times sticking to their story...

Prep star at center of storm :: High School Sports :: YourSeason

Sources from three separate universities told the Sun-Times that Davis Sr. asked for money in return for his son's commitment, with the amounts ranging from $125,000 to $150,000.

edit:same article as before, but the above is interesting... 3 separate sources...

 

[HotMic]

The kid is good, but Matta and Co just need to walk away IMO.

 

[LitlBuck]

The kid is good, but Matta and Co just need to walk away IMO.

Agree. his father reminds me of a certain football recruit that did not have to Ohio State and I have a hard time believing the sum of $200,000. I can even believe that Kentucky would go that far for this kid. I mean he isn't Lew Alcindor coming out of Power Memorial.

 

[billmac91]

The kid is good, but Matta and Co just need to walk away IMO.

Feel bad for Anthony Davis Jr....could tell this was going to end badly when his dad drops "Time for the LeBron James wait and see". Seriously??

Agree with HotMic...can't take the risk of bringing in a guy that has this much dust swirling around him. A newspaper sticking to its sources in the wake of a threat from Kentucky is pretty telling, IMO. Not saying money changed hands, but I'd be surprised if Sr., didn't have his hand out.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

is this rumor mill stuff, or "confirmed" and for public viewing?

 

[starBUCKS]

is this rumor mill stuff, or "confirmed" and for public viewing?

I'm not sure how you can prove it fact without an NCAA investigation, a paper trail or admitted guilt. It's a credible newspaper providing "reliable sources" which I don't think they will site who for the obvious reasons. A major outlet stating not 1, but 3 seperate reports of money being asked for... and they haven't backed off their story.

 

[DZ83CK]

I will continue to believe what the Sun-Times says regarding this recruitment is true, and there's no way he goes to UK if it's true. Perhaps the commitment fee was the reason Anthony's parents (allegedly the ones asking for the hand out) chose not to visit OSU before the decision was made - they knew they weren't going to get paid by OSU, so why bother visiting even though they made the "final 3". Anthony visited OSU once but without his parents (I saw it called a "class trip" somewhere but I don't know what exactly the circumstances were, but I do know Davis Sr. indicated he had not visited Syracuse or OSU - the parents only visited UK and DePaul). I wouldn't be surprised if an OSU official was one of the sources of the article, and I'd guess a Syracuse official would be another one. It's hard to say what will come of this, but it looks like the Sun-Times story is legit and it's turning into a nightmare for UK. I'd like to think that since Damon Flint couldn't go to OSU due to a gym bag and a dinner at Damon's that UK would be out of the running for Davis - not sure if he'd even be eligible or whether OSU would still recruit him if this is true. I disagree with you, HotMic - if he's forced to disassociate with UK and turns out being eligible to play in '11-12, I think it's a no-brainer for OSU to keep recruiting him (assuming no violations on the part of OSU), but it would say a little something about Matta - i.e., whether he would be willing to recruit a player who's recruitment has been tainted even tho Matta had nothing to do with that. I'd still love to have OSU get Anthony if he ends up being eligible & there are no violations on the part of OSU.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

my general point was that seeing as he appears to be a recruit (of ohio state/matta?) and in general the general practice has been to move this kind of stuff. basically anyone who posts here has access and i know its just kind of a formality to keep things more confined, etc.

 

[LitlBuck]

I will continue to believe what the Sun-Times says regarding this recruitment is true, and there's no way he goes to UK if it's true. Perhaps the commitment fee was the reason Anthony's parents (allegedly the ones asking for the hand out) chose not to visit OSU before the decision was made - they knew they weren't going to get paid by OSU, so why bother visiting even though they made the "final 3". Anthony visited OSU once but without his parents (I saw it called a "class trip" somewhere but I don't know what exactly the circumstances were, but I do know Davis Sr. indicated he had not visited Syracuse or OSU - the parents only visited UK and DePaul). I wouldn't be surprised if an OSU official was one of the sources of the article, and I'd guess a Syracuse official would be another one. It's hard to say what will come of this, but it looks like the Sun-Times story is legit and it's turning into a nightmare for UK. I'd like to think that since Damon Flint couldn't go to OSU due to a gym bag and a dinner at Damon's that UK would be out of the running for Davis - not sure if he'd even be eligible or whether OSU would still recruit him if this is true. I disagree with you, HotMic - if he's forced to disassociate with UK and turns out being eligible to play in '11-12, I think it's a no-brainer for OSU to keep recruiting him (assuming no violations on the part of OSU), but it would say a little something about Matta - i.e., whether he would be willing to recruit a player who's recruitment has been tainted even tho Matta had nothing to do with that. I'd still love to have OSU get Anthony if he ends up being eligible & there are no violations on the part of OSU.

disagree. I do not want him at Ohio State because I believe he would be a disruption to the program's and would be a one and done player anyhow even if he is innocent. I don't particularly care for his parents attitude.