Kentucky head coach John Calipari committed a minor recruiting violation last week at the SEC spring meetings.
Cal was asked about Ashton Hagans, a five-star point guard from Georgia that was originally committed to Georgia in the Class of 2019 before reopening his recruitment and pledging to the Wildcats in the Class of 2018. Cal answered.
“He wanted us all along and we had waited, and Mark did a good job and jumped on it. I told him, ‘You’re smart,’” he told The Athletic. “But then the kid opens up when he figures out that stuff is happening. And we get a terrific player.”
The problem?
Hagans has not yet finished the academic requirements to reclassify, according to Kyle Tucker, which means that he has not yet signed a letter of intent with the program, and that means that it is against NCAA rules for Cal to comment on the record about the player.
All things considered, this is not a big deal and amounts to nothing more than a secondary violation. Kentucky will get a slap on the wrist from the NCAA, Hagans will not have his eligibility questioned and we’ll all forget this happened by the next time the Cavs and Warriors tip off in Cleveland.