Avery Johnson provides vague answer on players' eligibility
Wednesday practice report (LSU week)
BONE: Alabama/LSU visitor list
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Auburn announced Thursday morning that it will hold out sophomore basketball players Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley to start the season to "avoid any potential eligibility issues,” as the Tigers are tied to an ongoing FBI investigation on the corruption in college basketball.
Alabama is also tied to the FBI investigation as former staffer Kobie Baker resigned from his position of associate athletics director in September after Alabama held an internal review of the men’s basketball program.
Later Thursday, Alabama basketball head coach Avery Johnson was asked whether or not all his players were eligible to start the season. The head coach replied with a rather vague response.
“We’re moving forward with the roster that we have, and that’s all I’ll say about that,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to comment on another school, but our team we’re moving forward with the roster that we have.”
Johnson was then asked again whether or not all his players are eligible to which he provided a little more clarity.
“We’re moving for with the roster, with the roster that we have,” Johnson said, putting emphasis on the word roster. “So we have 13 scholarship players and two walk-ons.”
Alabama’s internal review gave reason to believe that Baker was “Staff Member-1” in a federal complaint released in September which alleges an unnamed staffer was involved in a scheme to accept money in return for steering a “highly regarded incoming freshman basketball player” to sign with a financial adviser after declaring for the NBA draft.
According to the federal complaint also says that financial adviser Rashan Michel arranged a meeting in August at an Atlanta restaurant between himself, the staffer [Baker], a witness cooperating with the FBI and the father of an incoming freshman player. The complaint says the cooperating witness gave Michel $10,000 that was to be given to Baker for arranging the meeting. It was not indicated whether any of the money was given to the player or his family.
While the name of the player’s father was not identified, freshman point guard Collin Sexton is from Mableton, Ga., roughly 20 minutes outside of Atlanta and is the only member of the Crimson Tide’s 2017 class from the state of Georgia.
Sexton led Alabama with 15 points during its 75-67 victory over Baylor during a scrimmage last week. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard was rated as the No. 8 player in the Class of 2017 according to Rivals.com. He is expected by many to be selected as a lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft.
Alabama will hold an exhibition game Monday at 7 p.m. against Alabama-Huntsville in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide opens its season against Memphis on Nov. 10 in Annapolis, Md. The game scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT and will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
