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UK announces non-conference schedule
CATS NOT RUSHING MORRIS PROCESS
By Jerry Tipton
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky...s/12119408.htm
Kentucky announced the non-conference portion of next season's basketball schedule yesterday amid speculation about how many games Randolph Morris might miss.
Morris, who entered this year's NBA Draft but was not taken, might have jeopardized his college eligibility by associating with a company that supplies agents to professional athletes.
UK is braced for a wait of several weeks while the NCAA investigates before learning if and when Morris can play again for the Cats.
The school preferred "prudence over speed" in the process, spokesman Scott Stricklin said yesterday. UK would like to know Morris' status by the time fall semester classes begin on Aug. 24, he said.
Stricklin described a process in which UK was assisting the NCAA in investigating Morris' relationship with the sports agency.
"There's a continual sharing of information," he said, but there will be no formal report submitted to the NCAA.
As the process unfolds, a Student-Athlete Reinstatement panel made up of NCAA office staffers will determine Morris' status, NCAA spokesman Kent Barrett said. The panel can reinstate such a player, decide not to reinstate a player or reinstate if certain conditions are met. Those conditions can be suspension and/or repayment of expenses paid by NBA teams.
An NCAA Web site noted a scale that linked the amount of necessary repayment with length of suspension. If strictly followed, the guidelines could call for Morris to sit out between three and nine games.
The nine-game suspension could have Morris returning after UK plays North Carolina on Dec. 3. In that scenario, Morris would miss two exhibitions, the home opener against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (which doubles as a first-round game in the Guardians Classic), possibly three more games in the tournament, and games against Liberty, High Point and North Carolina.
The Guardians Classic will have Kentucky as one of four hosts of two rounds of games in the 16-team tournament. Other hosts are Texas, Iowa and West Virginia.
By beating South Dakota State in the first round, Kentucky would advance to a second-round game against either Wofford or Lipscomb. The second-round winner advances to Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium for the final two rounds Nov. 21-22.
Besides North Carolina, other opponents in Rupp Arena will include Louisville on Dec. 17 and 2005 NCAA Tournament participant Central Florida on Jan. 3.
The Cats conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule with a game at Kansas on Jan. 7. That's the only non-conference road game.
CATS NOT RUSHING MORRIS PROCESS
By Jerry Tipton
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky...s/12119408.htm
Kentucky announced the non-conference portion of next season's basketball schedule yesterday amid speculation about how many games Randolph Morris might miss.
Morris, who entered this year's NBA Draft but was not taken, might have jeopardized his college eligibility by associating with a company that supplies agents to professional athletes.
UK is braced for a wait of several weeks while the NCAA investigates before learning if and when Morris can play again for the Cats.
The school preferred "prudence over speed" in the process, spokesman Scott Stricklin said yesterday. UK would like to know Morris' status by the time fall semester classes begin on Aug. 24, he said.
Stricklin described a process in which UK was assisting the NCAA in investigating Morris' relationship with the sports agency.
"There's a continual sharing of information," he said, but there will be no formal report submitted to the NCAA.
As the process unfolds, a Student-Athlete Reinstatement panel made up of NCAA office staffers will determine Morris' status, NCAA spokesman Kent Barrett said. The panel can reinstate such a player, decide not to reinstate a player or reinstate if certain conditions are met. Those conditions can be suspension and/or repayment of expenses paid by NBA teams.
An NCAA Web site noted a scale that linked the amount of necessary repayment with length of suspension. If strictly followed, the guidelines could call for Morris to sit out between three and nine games.
The nine-game suspension could have Morris returning after UK plays North Carolina on Dec. 3. In that scenario, Morris would miss two exhibitions, the home opener against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (which doubles as a first-round game in the Guardians Classic), possibly three more games in the tournament, and games against Liberty, High Point and North Carolina.
The Guardians Classic will have Kentucky as one of four hosts of two rounds of games in the 16-team tournament. Other hosts are Texas, Iowa and West Virginia.
By beating South Dakota State in the first round, Kentucky would advance to a second-round game against either Wofford or Lipscomb. The second-round winner advances to Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium for the final two rounds Nov. 21-22.
Besides North Carolina, other opponents in Rupp Arena will include Louisville on Dec. 17 and 2005 NCAA Tournament participant Central Florida on Jan. 3.
The Cats conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule with a game at Kansas on Jan. 7. That's the only non-conference road game.