Drake involved in another Kentucky NCAA violation, does ‘Hotline Bling’ dance at Pepperdine

By Jan 9, 2016, 10:15 AM EST
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
2 Comments

Popular Canadian rapper Drake is no stranger to basketball and can usually be found multiple times a year attending a game courtside.

Most of the time, the Toronto native is watching his beloved Raptors or some other NBA team take the floor. But this week, Drake found himself wrapped up in a few college basketball headlines as he was (again) involved in a self-reported Kentucky NCAA violation while Drake also attended a WCC game on Thursday night.

We’ll start with Big Blue Nation.

It’s well-noted by this point that Drake and Kentucky head coach John Calipari are friends and the rapper has made the Wildcats his semi-official college basketball team of choice. Drake has airballed jumpers with Kentucky in warmups at Big Blue Madness and already been apart of one minor, self-reported Kentucky recruiting violation for taking a photo with former recruit and current freshman Charles Matthews at that same Big Blue Madness event.

According to a report from Jerry Tipton and Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Kentucky self-reported a second minor violation involving Drake back in Oct. 2015 after they realized that sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis had received some special treatment after a Drake concert in Chicago on May 29, 2015.

Ulis was reportedly attending a party after the concert when a member of Drake’s management team recognized him and invited him to meet with the rapper. Drake met with Ulis for three or four minutes, according to the report, and the duo posed for a picture that Ulis posted on his Instagram on May 30, 2015.

6⃣🙏 @champagnepapi

A photo posted by Tyler Ulis (@tulis3) on

After following NCAA procedure, Ulis was declared ineligible by Kentucky but his eligibility was restored on Oct. 14, 2015. Considered a Level III violation, the NCAA defines the incident as “isolated or limited in nature” with any competitive or recruiting advantage being “minimal.”

So, Drake seems to get into warm water (they are minor violations, so the water can’t be hot) with the NCAA every time he simply takes a photo with Kentucky basketball players — depending on the time and nature of the incident.

Thankfully, nothing came of this concert incident and Ulis was allowed to play all season without any further incident.
On the lighter side of things, Drake attended Pepperdine’s home game against Pacific on Thursday night to show support for family friend Lamond Murray Jr., a junior guard on the Waves and the son of former Raptors guard Lamond Murray.
Murray Jr. scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, his first career double-double to help Pepperdine to a WCC win as Drake did the “Hotline Bling” dance on the Firestone Fieldhouse scoreboard.

Then after the game, Pepperdine head coach Marty Wilson had Drake step in and say some words to close down the postgame huddle, with the rapper mentioning that he might return for Pepperdine’s Saturday home game against St. Mary’s.

Overall, an eventful week for Drake in the world of college hoops and it’s probably only a matter of time before he’s attending another game or taking another photo with a Kentucky player.

Kentucky moves scrimmage to Eastern Kentucky for flood relief

Associated PressSep 26, 2022, 4:17 PM EDT
Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK
0 Comments

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky will play its annual Blue-White men’s basketball scrimmage in Eastern Kentucky to benefit victims of the devastating summer floods.

The school announced that the Oct. 22 event at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville will feature a pregame Fan Fest. Ticket proceeds will go through Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief.

Wildcat players will also participate in a community service activity with local organizations in the relief effort.

Kentucky coach John Calipari said the team was excited to play for Eastern Kentucky fans and added, “We hope we can provide a temporary escape with basketball and community engagement.”

The scrimmage traditionally is held at Rupp Arena. It will occur eight days after its Big Blue Madness public workout at Rupp.

Kentucky’s Tionna Herron recovering from open-heart surgery

Associated PressSep 20, 2022, 1:06 PM EDT
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times/USA TODAY NETWORK
0 Comments

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy says freshman Tionna Herron is recovering from open-heart surgery to correct a structural abnormality.

The 6-foot-4 post player learned of her condition after arriving at school in June and received other opinions before surgery was recommended. Senior trainer Courtney Jones said in a release that Herron underwent surgery Aug. 24 at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and is recovering at home in DeSoto, Texas.

Elzy said Herron “is the definition of a warrior” and all are grateful to be on the other side of the player’s surgery. Herron is expected back on campus early next month and will continue rehabilitation until she’s cleared to return to normal activity.

“Her will and determination to eventually return to the court is inspiring, and it’s that `game-on’ attitude that is what makes her such a perfect fit in our program,” Elzy said in a release. “We are so thrilled for Tionna’s return to our locker room; it’s not the same without our full team together.”

Herron committed to Kentucky during last fall’s early signing period, rated as a four-star prospect and a top-70 player in last year’s class. Kentucky won last year’s Southeastern Conference Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament’s first round.

Emoni Bates charged with 2 felonies

Associated PressSep 19, 2022, 3:16 PM EDT
Joe Rondone/USA TODAY NETWORK
2 Comments

SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, Mich — Emoni Bates, a former basketball prodigy who transferred to Eastern Michigan from Memphis, was charged with two felonies after police found a gun in a car during a traffic stop.

The 18-year-old Bates failed to stop at an intersection Sunday night and a search turned up the weapon, said Derrick Jackson, a spokesman for the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office.

Defense attorney Steve Haney told The Associated Press that the vehicle and the gun didn’t belong to Bates.

“I hope people can reserve judgment and understand there’s a presumption of innocence,” Haney said. “This was not his vehicle. This was not his gun. … We’re still gathering facts, too.”

Bates was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering identification marks on a firearm. He was released after his lawyer entered a not guilty plea. Bates’ next court hearing is Oct. 6.

“This is his first brush with the law,” Haney said in court. “He poses no threat or risk to society.”

Less than a month ago, the 6-foot-9 Bates transferred to Eastern Michigan to play for his hometown Eagles. Bates averaged nearly 10 points a game last season as a freshman at Memphis, where he enrolled after reclassifying to skip a year of high school and join the class of 2021.

“We are aware of a situation involving one of our student athletes,” EMU spokesman Greg Steiner said. “We are working to gather more details and will have further comment when more information is available.”

Bates was the first sophomore to win the Gatorade national player of the year award in high school basketball in 2020, beating out Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley. Detroit drafted Cunningham No. 1 overall last year, two spots before Cleveland took Mobley in the 2021 NBA draft.

Bates committed to playing for Tom Izzo at Michigan State two years ago, later de-committed and signed with Memphis. Bates played in 18 games for the Tigers, who finished 22-11 under Penny Hardaway. Bates missed much of the season with a back injury before appearing in Memphis’ two NCAA Tournament games.

In 2019, as a high school freshman, the slender and skilled guard led Ypsilanti Lincoln to a state title and was named Michigan’s Division 1 Player of the Year by The Associated Press. His sophomore season was cut short by the pandemic and he attended Ypsi Prep Academy as a junior, his final year of high school.

UConn to pay Kevin Ollie another $3.9 million over firing

Associated PressSep 15, 2022, 7:46 PM EDT
uconn
Michael Hickey/Getty Images
0 Comments

STORRS, Conn. — UConn announced Thursday it has agreed to pay former men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie another $3.9 million to settle discrimination claims surrounding his 2018 firing.

The money is in addition to the more than $11.1 million in back salary Ollie has already been paid after an arbitrator ruled in January that he was improperly fired under the school’s agreement with its professor’s union.

“I am grateful that we were able to reach agreement,” Ollie said in a statement Thursday. “My time at UConn as a student-athlete and coach is something I will always cherish. I am pleased that this matter is now fully and finally resolved.”

Ollie, a former UConn point guard who guided the Huskies to a 127-79 record and the 2014 national championship in six seasons as head coach, was let go after two losing seasons. UConn also stopped paying him under his contract, citing numerous NCAA violations in terminating the deal.

In 2019, the NCAA placed UConn on probation for two years and Ollie was sanctioned individually for violations, which the NCAA found occurred between 2013 and 2018. Ollie’s attorneys, Jacques Parenteau and William Madsen, accused UConn of making false claims to the NCAA for the purpose of firing Ollie “with cause.”

The school had argued that Ollie’s transgressions were serious and that his individual contract superseded those union protections.

Ollie’s lawyers had argued that white coaches, including Hall-of-Famers Jim Calhoun and women’s coach Geno Auriemma, had also committed NCAA violations, without being fired, and indicated they were planning to file a federal civil rights lawsuit.

The school and Ollie said in a joint statement Thursday they were settling “to avoid further costly and protracted litigation.”

Both sides declined to comment further.

Ollie, who faced three years of restrictions from the NCAA on becoming a college basketball coach again, is currently coaching for Overtime Elite, a league that prepares top prospects who are not attending college for the pros.

Dream’s McDonald returning to Arizona to coach under Barnes

Associated PressSep 8, 2022, 5:30 PM EDT
Getty Images
0 Comments

TUCSON, Ariz. — Atlanta Dream guard Aari McDonald is returning to Arizona to work under coach Adia Barnes.

The school announced that McDonald will serve as director of recruiting operations while continuing to fulfill her WNBA commitments. She will oversee all recruiting logistics, assist with on-campus visits, manage recruit information and social media content at Arizona.

McDonald was one of the best players in Arizona history after transferring from Washington as a sophomore. She was an All-American and the Pac-12 player of the year in 2020-21, leading the Wildcats to the national championship game, which they lost to Stanford.

McDonald broke Barnes’ single-season scoring record and had the highest career scoring average in school history before being selected by the Dream with the third overall pick of the 2021 WNBA draft.