The writers from dukebasketballreport.com had this to say about the situation (Kelly played for Clifton. Wall has (not had) a very close relationship with the man and was advised throughout the process)...
With the revelation that Kentucky’s John Wall may have some eligibility issues, Kentucky fans, predictably, lash out at Duke. Why? Because his issues stem from his AAU team, D-One Sports, which was coached by Brian Clifton, brother of Dwon, who played at Clemson at one point before leaving for greener pastures. Why, they say, isn’t Wall’s AAU teammate and Duke freshman Ryan Kelly in trouble? It’s a double standard! It’s not fair!
As usual, Wildcat hysteria sets in at the mildest criticism or problem (Coach Cal take note). Aside from the fact that by this logic every player on the team would be ineligible, there is a rather significant difference and it’s been understood for some time. Andy Katz got it back in May:
"According to multiple sources, if the decision were up to Wall and not his adviser/club team coach Brian Clifton, then Wall would be playing at Kentucky or Miami. It’s likely Clifton will ultimately represent Wall when he is in the 2010 NBA draft. Multiple sources said that going to Duke may most benefit Clifton’s chances of ensuring there is no interruption of that plan. Heading to Kentucky, Miami or Florida wouldn’t totally disrupt that idea, either. But Duke can probably insulate a player more from outside pressures because of the secure way Hall of Famer and Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski runs his program with limited access to Cameron and the practice facility with a specific pass code."
Gary Parish posted this in August:
"But if I told you the No. 1 high school prospect in America (Wall) was being coached on the summer circuit and advised in the recruiting process by a man (Clifton) who was a licensed sports agent as recently as four months ago, what would you think? Would you believe it’s all pure? Or would you be cynical, given how we live in a world where agents and the runners who work for them just tarnished the college career of O.J. Mayo and always seem to be only a whistle-blower away from doing the same to the majority of elite basketball prospects produced in any given year?
Furthermore, sources told CBSSports.com that Brian Clifton has helped Bill Duffy Associates sign players in the past. Yes, that’s the same Bill Duffy Associates in the middle of the Mayo scandal. Small world, huh? But Clifton categorically denied the assertion and insisted he has never worked for or been a “runner” for BDA, though he did acknowledge assisting former N.C. State player Cameron Bennerman throughout the agent-selecting process."
Parrish currently says this: "…Kentucky officials are confident the most likely scenario has Wall repaying an undetermined amount of money (for expenses Clifton incurred while accompanying Wall on unofficial visits) and possibly missing "a few games, maybe three or four."
Now you can look, but we’re pretty sure you won’t find any stories from last spring which suggest that Clifton tried to steer Kelly to Duke or that he was angling to be his agent or anything like that.
It is fair, however, to point out that Duke also recruited Wall and would likely be dealing with the same issues now had he chosen Duke.
Or maybe not exactly. The NCAA just finished recently with Memphis and the stuff that happened there. There was some controversy over the ruling, specifically whether or not the NCAA should have caught the questions about the SAT earlier. Whatever you think about that, the fact is that Derrick Rose’s test score shot up in a statistically improbable manner, and there were suggestions of fraud.
Coaches have to follow SAT scores and they have to understand them, and we do not believe for a minute that John Calipari saw a huge rise in Rose’s scores, in a test taken in Detroit rather than Chicago, and didn’t immediately wonder how it happened.
Is this a continuance? Could be. Could that be harassment? Possibly so. Did many people argue that trouble would probably follow Calipari? Without question.
Despite all the rationalizations, the summer (!) of glory, Kentucky fans, broadly speaking, haven’t really faced up to the possibility that while Calipari has them imagining heights they haven’t yet climbed together, he also has the potential to leave their program wrecked again. Maybe they should consider this a reality check.
