A five-month investigation by ESPN.com has brought scrutiny to Indiana University and uncovered an ugly side of DeAndre Liggins’ recruitment.
Liggins was caught up in a bad situation between then-Kentucky assistant Glenn Cyprien and Mike Barnett, the founder of the Indiana Elite AAU program.
Here is an excerpt about the recruitment of Liggins:
[QUOTE]Barnett turns defensive when asked whether he tried to guide Liggins away from the SEC program and whether he essentially dropped Liggins from his life after he committed there — allegations that multiple sources made to ESPN.com during a five-month investigation. ESPN.com found other cases in which A-HOPE or Indiana Elite officials tried to direct some players’ college choices in the absence of close parental involvement, allegedly dropping the players from contact or future help if they chose a school the officials didn’t want them to attend.
In the Liggins case, Barnett’s battle for the highly touted prospect turned personal between him and then-Kentucky assistant Glynn Cyprien — two adults tugging at a teenager’s heart: one a college recruiter for a team with clear intentions, the other living on the game’s fringes.
Barnett acknowledges working against the Wildcats, saying he believed Cyprien, their chief recruiter at the time, wasn’t playing by the book. That was before Liggins’ arrival in Lexington and before Barnett’s coaching friend, John Calipari, left Memphis for the upgraded gig. Barnett acknowledges that the rumor mill had him pushing Memphis and Kansas to Liggins.
At one point, with Liggins unable to play for Indiana Elite because of a serious foot injury, Barnett is alleged to have discussed adopting the Chicago teenager, which sources said was not solely a benevolent gesture but one designed to expand his influence over Liggins. Barnett loudly denies it, but seven people — among them Liggins, his mother and an NCAA official — told ESPN.com that he indeed had proposed the idea. Barnett is also said to have cut off Liggins’ cellphone service soon after he committed to Kentucky.
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[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6587673″][COLOR=#0d1db8]Complete Article[/COLOR][/URL]
The ESPN investigation also led to these articles:
[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6587668″][COLOR=#0d1db8]Basketball ties that bind[/COLOR][/URL] (trouble for Indiana University?)
[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6587669″][COLOR=#0d1db8]Top IU recruit Perea receives benefits[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6587677″][COLOR=#0d1db8]Player feared deportation[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6587681″][COLOR=#0d1db8]On A-HOPE’s watch, but not officially[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6587684″][COLOR=#0d1db8]Feeling pressure to pick a school[/COLOR][/URL]
