NCAAB: NCAA Suspends Two Indiana Hoosier Hoop Players
The NCAA basketball season is just days away. The no. 1 Indiana Hoosiers will open their season Friday night. However, the Hoosiers received a huge blow on Tuesday when the NCAA rules committee suspended Peter Jurkin the team’s 7-foot center and Hanner Mosquera-Perea their 6-foot-8 forward. The two players were suspended for Indiana’s first 9 games and they will have to repay part of the benefits they had received to any charity of their choosing.
NCAA enforcement officials found that the Mark Adams, the players’ AAU coach had provided the two with $6,003 and $9,702 in airplane tickets, housing, meals, a cell phone, a laptop and clothes. Jurkin has been told he must payback $250 and Mosquera-Perea about $1,590 if they want to be reinstated after the 9 games have been played.
On Tuesday in a prepared statement, the NCAA announced that both players had been qualified to be given the benefits from the organizations Adams had used to help obtain travel documents and pay for travel costs for international players to travel to the U.S.
The NCAA however, said the problem was Adams was also considered to be a booster for Indiana since he donated $185 from 1986 through 1992 to the Varsity Club and players cannot receive benefit from boosters.
Previously Adams was involved in another eligibility case involving Tijan Jobe a former Hoosier basketball player and $2,655.
Even though Adams donates a minimal amount and that his last donation was over 15 years ago, the NCAA wrote that Adams must be considered a person representative of the athletic interests of the school.
The NCAA continued in the statement by saying they considered the infractions to be secondary and credited Indiana for taking meaningful and significant corrective actions in the matter. The action taken by Indiana included the payment of a fine of $5,000 for no properly certifying a player prior to him starting competition, cutting communications with Adams and making the basketball program disassociate itself from Adams.
Indiana officials said that an appeal would be made for the length of both suspensions sometime during this week. Schools many times win the appeal cases, but the players are not able to play while the NCAA hears the appeal although they are allowed to practice with the team and take part in other functions regarding the team.
As far back as April 2011, officials from the school had been informed of a possible problem with the eligibility of the two players. Since that time, school officials and the NCAA have tried to resolve the problems.
In a statement, Indiana said it had filed the case originally on June 22.
The reinstatement staff for the NCAA made its final decision October 29. Then Indiana provided some additional information to the NCAA on November 1, but the NCAA said that information did not change any facts that had been originally agreed to by both parties.
Mosquera-Perea is thought to be one of the top recruits of Indiana and will play a huge role in the push this season for the national championship. Jurkin will provide much needed front line depth. If the ruling by the NCAA is not changed, both players will not be eligible to play until December 15 in Indianapolis against Butler.
Indiana officials said they had been upfront with the NCAA and had conducted and thorough and extensive review in consultation and cooperation with the NCAA. They said they were disappointed with the circumstances, but said they were pleased with how they responded.
