Report: USC to say it didn't know of impropriety

[ISUFan22]

I call bullcrap.

Report: USC to say it didn't know of impropriety

[EggMcClone]

The old Sergeant Shultz defense?

[iowa_wildcat]

K-State Sports Article

May 23, 2008 12:00 AM
Huggins kept K-State out of Mayo's mess

Ned Seaton nseaton@themercury.com
If it weren't for Bob Huggins' homework, Kansas State — rather than Southern Cal — could be in the middle of a major scandal involving O.J. Mayo, according to a K-State assistant coach.
Brad Underwood told the Konza Rotary Club this morning that Mayo was on the phone with Huggins, "begging to come here" around the time of national letter-of-intent signing day a year ago. Huggins told him no, Underwood said, because he thought Mayo would get in trouble because of money funneled to him and a friend prior to enrolling in college.
That's the center of the scandal now surrounding Mayo, who played one year as a guard at USC and is now headed to the NBA. The NCAA is investigating.






Mayo, originally from Huntington, W.Va., was among the top recruits in the nation at the time. Huggins, also originally from West Virginia, had been recruiting him for years and appeared to have a good shot at bringing him to K-State. Publicly, Mayo said he chose USC over K-State.
But Underwood today indicated that Mayo was saying up to the last minute that he wanted to come to K-State to be with Huggins because of their long ties. Huggins, though, said, "We're not going to take you. You'll never pass," in reference to NCAA amateur clearinghouse rules.
"So it's no surprise that this is coming out now," Underwood said of the scandal. "We knew it."
The irony is that "nothing's going to happen to O.J. Mayo," Underwood said. "It's becoming Southern Cal's problem."
Underwood didn't blame USC; the phenomenon of money being funneled through agents to players in their youth is "impossible to control," he said.
But he did credit Huggins, who left K-State after one year to coach at West Virginia, with keeping the Wildcats out of the mess now enveloping USC. "It's a credit to Huggs that he did his due diligence."
Underwood, who just finished his first year as an assistant to Frank Martin after serving a year as Huggins' director of basketball operations here, had several other newsworthy updates:
•David Hoskins will not be back next year. Official word has not yet come out, but the NCAA will not give him a medical redshirt, Underwood said.
That's because Hoskins voluntarily redshirted a year at a school prior to coming to K-State. Hoskins played only one year here but was very productive; he lost last season to a knee injury. He's going to try to rehabilitate his knee and play overseas, Underwood said.
•Andre Gilbert will not be back with the team next year.
Gilbert, who started most games early last season, chose not to learn from a mid-season suspension, Underwood said.
"It's unfortunate," Underwood said.
•The 2009 recruiting class, which K-State is now wrapping up, is shaping up as "close to a top 5 class" in the nation, Underwood said. He did not name names, but he did say a couple possible members of that class will be playing at the "Manhattan Classic" AAU basketball event at Bramlage Coliseum May 30-31. That event is drawing teams from all over the country; Underwood encouraged fans to attend.
•Bill Walker will probably be a first-round NBA pick and, if so, will not come back to K-State next year. Underwood said Toronto seems to like Walker; they pick 18th. San Antonio also really likes him and may take him at the end of the first round. None of this is clear yet, Underwood said. If Walker were to think he would fall out of the first round, he'd come back to K-State.

[ajk4st8]

Good find on that story.

I do like reading about all the KSU players not returning. :)