DeAndre Liggins Part of ESPN Investigative Report about Indiana Elite & IU (so is Hanner Perea)

ESPN and lead reporter Mike Fish unleashed a shocking bombshell on the college basketball landscape today. Per the Worldwide Leader, there have been a litany of ties between the Indiana Elite AAU program, the African Hoop Opportunities Providing an Education (A-HOPE) non-profit foundation, and Indiana University. Mark Adams is the coach of the AAU team and founder of A-HOPE. He’s alleged to have provided illegal benefits to his players, steered them towards preferential schools (most notably, Indiana), and cut off ties from those that didn’t heed his wishes.

That last accusation is where DeAndre Liggins comes into play. Liggins is a former Indiana Elite AAU star who ended up transferring to Findlay Prep for his senior year before matriculating to Kentucky. According to Fish, Mike Barnett, an Indiana Elite co-founder, tried to adopt Liggins for purposes of steering him towards a preferred school (the article states Memphis or Kansas). After Liggins chose to visit and then subsequently commit to Kentucky against Barnett’s wishes, Barnett and the Indiana Elite program cut him off. Barnett claims that he had a contentious relationship with Glenn Cyprien, the ex-Kentucky assistant who was the lead recruiter on Liggins. Liggins and his mother admit that Barnett had taken steps towards an adoption, but were rebuffed by the family.

From an NCAA violations standpoint, there appear to be little, if any, repercussions for Kentucky. Liggins had already served a mysterious suspension in 2009 that Fish states was due to eligibility issues. It appears these eligibility issues are tied to the benefits provided by Indiana Elite. Even if that’s not the case, the violations are most likely minor (travel expenditures and cell phone payments) and unbeknownst to former UK head coach Billy Gillispie and his coaching staff, although that is by no means definite.

Indiana, meanwhile, may be in a sea of hot water, as the NCAA will surely follow the breadcrumbs left by ESPN. The whole series is worth a read; just make sure you set aside enough time to go through it all.

http://www.aseaofblue.com/2011/5/26/2191740/deandre-liggins-part-of-espn-investigative-report-about-indiana-elite

Hanner Mosquera-Perea Allegedly Received Illegal Benefits. Power forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea (#23) is caught in the middle of another recruiting scandal but this time his NCAA eligibility may be at stake. ESPN.com reported that Perea violated the “preferential treatment” guidelines by accepting round-trip airline tickets to his native Colombia from A-HOPE, a non-profit organization dedicated to “providing deserving student-athletes a seamless process of obtaining a student visa, transportation to the United States, making sure they are acclimated to their new environment and providing them with an opportunity to receive an outstanding education,” according to it’s website. A-HOPE President and Indiana Elite head coach Mark Adams acknowledges giving Perea certain electronic gadgets and paying for Perea’s flights back to Colombia. Mauricio Ducuara, the head of a basketball foundation in Bogotá, also said that Perea returned to Colombia this past Christmas with iPods, iPhones, [Bose] headphones, and digital cameras, all items that are very luxurious considering that, according to Ducuara, kids where Perea grew up don’t even have shoes. In addition, Ducuara claims that he has spoken to people who have said that Perea receives lots of gifts. Perea is also involved in an ongoing NCAA investigation after Baylor assistant coach Mark Morefield sent dozens of text messages to Perea’s AAU and high school coaches in July while they were coaching events, also against NCAA rules. Morefield has had previous texting violations and has been suspended by Baylor for it. He also texted Perea’s high school coach, Alan Huss, and implied that if Perea didn’t commit to Baylor, he would be deported back to Colombia (as noted above).