The Morning Dish – Tuesday, July 27nd
Clemons Applies at Livingstone: Former Missouri point guard Ricky Clemons has formally applied for admission to D-II Livingstone College (Salisbury, North Carolina). Clemons, who appeared in an exhibition game at the school and scored 25 points last week, was rumored to be attending Livingstone for this fall semester. However, SID Adrian Ferguson indicated that Clemons application has not yet been accepted, and that an athletic scholarship was not available, to Clemons or any other student-athlete, at this time. Clemons is the lightning rod whose allegations now have the NCAA investigating the Missouri basketball program.
Okafor Signs: The No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor, has signed with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. The three-year contract is for at least $10.05 million over three years, based on the NBA’s rookie salary scale, but the team did not release the specifics of the contract. Okafor was recently named as a member of the U.S. basketball team that will compete in the upcoming Olympics in Athens, Greece.
NCAA Reformers: According to some in Washington, D.C., the NCAA violates the laws of due process during investigations of its member institutions. Alabama Senator Richard Shelby (R) is pushing for a congressional investigation into the NCAA’s process of investigation and punishment. According to Shelby, echoing a request by Representative Spencer Bachus earlier, the NCAA has the powers to sanction and or eliminate a school’s participation in intercollegiate athletics, and the schools not only are denied due process or appeals, but are subject to the testimony of secret witnesses. It gets even more egregious when one considers the economic impact of intercollegiate athletics. Disclosure: Senator Shelby, an Alabama alum, may have been peeved at Alabama’s recent football probation or Auburn’s basketball probation.
Waiting for a Refund: Back in 2003, Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight said that he would forfeit his salary following a disappointing 6-10 Big 12 season, only the second time a Knight team didn’t reach the NCAA’s. But ESPN reported that Knight still hasn’t forfeited the money, 16 months later. AD Gerald Myers stated that due to contractual and tax red tape, Knight simply can’t write a check for his $250,000 salary back to the university or to a charity. Texas Tech plans to accommodate Knight’s request, and will re-work his contract for an upcoming season to be only for $50,000 or less, which will keep him eligible for benefits.
Carey Moves to Portland: Former New Mexico guard Senque Carey has accepted a position as an assistant on Heath Schroyer’s Viking coaching staff. Carey, who was paralyzed in November 2002 by taking a charge against a Northwestern State player. Over the following months, Carey would recover from his spinal cord injury and walk again, but his playing days were over. Last season, he was student assistant at New Mexico while he finished his coursework. He replaces assistant Dedrique Taylor, who was hired at Nevada June 22nd.
