Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/series/the-worldwide-pipeline-of-youth-basketball-in-kentucky/)
The ruling ends a summer of speculation about whether Bassey would be allowed to play for Rick Stansbury’s Hilltoppers. It’s still unknown where he got his diploma.
The NCAA has strict rules to prevent teams from recruiting top players through jobs for parents or high school coaches. If teams want to hire an individual associated with a prospect, they have to offer one of just a few coveted top jobs.
WKU said Bassey graduated, but officials have been mum on the details of how, or from where, he is reclassifying to the class of 2018. The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting interviewed numerous experts in the field about what this means for WKU’s top recruit, a Nigerian native who is already forecast as a top NBA draft pick in 2019.
Aspire Academy has parted ways with its academic partner and the controversial international recruiter who brought much of the team’s talent to Louisville — a week after one of those star players left early for Western Kentucky University.
Prep academies offer what most traditional high schools can’t: athletic scholarships, mid-season transfers and a national playing schedule. The talent they attract brings shoe deals, sponsorships — and controversy.
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