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The University of Memphis Charged With Multiple Level 1 and Level 2 Violations

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Credit: USA TODAY Sports

To begin the season, the Memphis Tigers had high hopes. After signing the top recruiting class in 2021, featuring two potential top-5 draft picks, Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren, the Memphis Tigers looked like they had the pieces to make a deep run in March.

However, the Tigers fell to 7-6 through 2020 which featured bad losses to Georgia and Ole Miss. The Tigers were able to rebound to end the season to make the NCAA Tournament and give Gonzaga a fight in the second round

While Memphis ended the season on a positive trend, it does not seem that the upward trajectory will continue for the Tigers, as the NCAA has charged them with “at least four” level 1 and two level 2 violations, reported by the Commercial Appeal in Memphis.

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The notice of allegations featuring these violations was received back on July 9, 2021, and is reported to show that the violations occured between May 2019 and February 2021.

The violations cite NCAA clauses related to lack of institutional control, head coach responsibility, and failure to monitor (sound familiar Louisville?). Stating, that head coach Penny Hardaway “failed to demonstrate that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance within the men’s basketball program.”

The notice of allegations also mentions that data from a computer hard drive belonging to former Memphis assistant, Mike Miller, was not deleted.

“A subsequent forensic examination revealed that the former assistant men’s basketball coach’s computer hard drive was formatted on June 5, 2020, and as a result, the data on the computer was deleted… The Institution failed to conduct an adequate investigation into why the computer’s hard drive was not preserved.”

In a response to the notice of allegations dated October 25, 2021, Memphis either denied or expressed their position that the allegations did not merit Level 1 designation.

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“The facts do not demonstrate a lack of control, a failure to monitor, a failure to cooperate, or a lack of (redacted) responsibility… Finally, the NOA contains no specific facts, and it is the specific facts that are imperative for the resolution of this matter.”

There is a dark cloud looming around the Memphis basketball program and head coach Penny Hardaway, and it will be interesting to see what comes of this.

In addition to Memphis, I expect to finally see progress on the NCAA investigations of other programs such as Louisville, Kansas, and LSU among others, this summer.

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BB Recruiting

Top 15 Point Guard Leroy Blyden Jr. to Meet With Mark Pope and Staff

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Photo via Toledo Athletics

Leroy Blyden Jr., the No. 15 point guard in the transfer portal rankings and the No. 66 overall prospect, is set to have a Zoom video call with Kentucky this week.

Blyden Jr. averaged 16.4 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game in his freshman season at Toledo, shooting 46.1% from the field. The 6-foot-1 guard was second on the team in terms of total points and assists, winning the MAC Rookie of the Year award and joining an elite list of mid-major studs in the portal.

The Detroit native inserted his name into the transfer portal on March 28, first reported by Jonathan Givony per agents Brandon Grier and Rob Murphy. He’s garnished high-major interest since the portal has opened, with Mark Pope and his staff inserting their name with the other teams eager to land depth at the guard position.

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A former three-star recruit, this is an example of a guard who is good in transition and can make plays in a fast-paced offense, boasting a 2.75 assist to turnover ratio. He shot 40.3% from deep this past season, with his splits rounding out with an 85% clip at the line.

Kentucky will keep their eye on one of the best young guards in the portal.

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Top 40 Transfer Terrence Brown Set to Meet With Kentucky

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Photo via Imagn Images

Being a couple days since the transfer portal has officially opened, a new name at the guard position has been linked with Mark Pope and the Wildcats. Terrence Brown averaged 19.9 points per game and 3.8 assists per game for the Utah Utes last season, and now he is set to have a Zoom video call with Kentucky this week.

Brown is currently the 39th ranked transfer in the country, looking to go elsewhere after hailing as the centerpiece of the Utes’ offense. On April 6, Brown announced via his social media that he had inserted his name into the transfer portal, but will also participate in the NBA Draft process.

Point blank, Brown is an offensive juggernaut and would be a nice get for any program, earning All-Big 12 honors for his play last year. He was reliable to the sustainability of Utah’s offense, and scored however and from wherever he wanted to, shooting 45.3% from the field, 32.7% from three and 77.5% from the from the line.

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The eventual senior wasn’t scared to take a game over in a given moment, and showed flashes of his defensive and playmaking abilities while doing so. He’s crafty and can get to the rim, and is able to operate an offense. Brown started with Fairleigh Dickinson for his first two years of college, seeing a major jump in production after his freshman season with the Knights.

We recently saw that the 6-foot-3 guard had an informal video call with Pope already earlier in the week, posting a screenshot of the FaceTime to his Snapchat story.

Kentucky is not the only team who has contacted Brown and will stay in touch, with teams such as Oregon, USC, North Carolina and Arkansas joining a long list of those who have shown interest. Pope and the Wildcats will monitor his name for the coming days.

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Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

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The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

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An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

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Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

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Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

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