Eligibility



  • @nuleafjhawk

    So if the NCAA decides to give you either the deciding vote on Diallo’s situation or the help arranging the bikini clad cheering section option…which one are you choosing?



  • @SoftballDad2011 DUDE!!!

    I can’t make a decision like that this early in the morning!

    How do you think we’d do without him???

    Oh crap - I’ll go with Diallo - I wouldn’t remember what to do with the 22 year olds any more… 😞



  • @nuleafjhawk “How do you think we’d do without him?”

    Based upon what I heard on the radio last nite (note…heard, not saw - thanks Zenger), I would have to say that should you give Diallo the thumbs down vote…at least you would some company to occupy your attention after you turn the game off before halftime.



  • @SoftballDad2011 awwwww - we’ve done OK without him for the past 116 seasons - I think we’ll be fine.



  • Wisconsin’s going through the same thing with a 6’11" kid from Denmark. Seems to be a conspiracy against tall foreign dudes.



  • @nuleafjhawk Said the guy sitting in the living room full of 22 year old bikini models?!?!?!



  • @nuleafjhawk Are these 22 year olds presumed OADs?



  • @SoftballDad2011 said:

    @nuleafjhawk Said the guy sitting in the living room full of 22 year old bikini models?!?!?!

    That could be heaven, but more likely hell. Give me Diallo!



  • Another scenario.

    Diallo is ruled ineligible.

    We persevere this year with a talented squad, albeit short a key component.

    But then Self pulls off the ultimate magic trick by pulling two rabbits out of the same hat…

    …as he convinces Cheick into sticking around one more year and we pair him on the post in 2016-17 with incoming blue chipper Marquis Bolden.

    …just trying to make some lemonade out of the lemons the NCAA might send our way!



  • Rustin Dodd of the KC Star posted:

    "The case, Self has said, centers on Diallo’s time at Our Savior New American, a private school in Centereach, New York."

    Apparently Coach Self was still hopeful that Diallo would be cleared and waited until 4:00 PM yesterday to tell the big guy he would not be playing. Interesting that other players that attended the same school (although not as long) were cleared. Maybe the issue is about course that he took back then and the newer players that took those classes elsewhere had them accepted while Diallo so far has not. I would guess that KU is probably saying that he is doing well in College so obviously those courses were not a problem.

    While Coach Self appears to be optimistic about it having Diallo practice as if he is going to be elegible, I would guess the odds of being cleared are 50-50…and the end result could go either way.

    Any chance that a potential second year at KU by Diallo is giving the remaining unsigned bigs second thoughts?



  • Sorry, I didn’t scroll down far enough to see that this had already been discussed.



  • @JayHawkFanToo

    I wondered that too…but with Jamari Perry and Hunter leaving there should still be room.



  • @SoftballDad2011 why would he stay w/ncaa not letting him play? Going to KU a year or semester plus maybe 2 summer sessions, would that make him eligible for next year? Frustrating! Can’t imagine what he’s going thru! Sucks!



  • @Crimsonorblue22

    After 1 year in college the academic issues pretty much go away, provide the do well in college. At least that is what happened to McLemore; Traylor was also a partial qualifier and had to sit out his freshman year. He would definitely play in his second year.



  • @Crimsonorblue22

    If I were in his (CD) shoes there is no way I stick around for next season to play for free while the ineptCAA makes billions off of my back.

    It’s lovely how the ncaa has policy and procedure regarding eligibility for every single school yet no say in punishment for student athletes that get behind the wheel and drive impaired…



  • @nuleafjhawk

    “But at the same time I think I heard my wife say " Sure, you can have a bunch of scantily clad 22 year old girls over to watch all the games. And I’ll clean house and cook for them too. " Something like that…”

    Can you PM me the hearing aid brand you use? I have good hearing, but I need it filtered down to what I want to hear.



  • @Kip_McSmithers

    Why do you think the NCAA is inept. You do understand that it is only enforcing the rules the member schools, including KU, tasked it to enforce, right? Coach Self himself indicated that the NCAA was just doing its job…

    I don’t mean to single you out but but I am at a loss to understand why the NCAA is demonized for doing its job. If Diallo would have been cleared and Labissiere was still in limbo, we would probably be lauding the NCAA for being thorough and doing its job. Just my 2 cents…which are not worth much nowadays. 😞



  • @Crimsonorblue22

    Wishful thinking on my part in hoping he appreciates Bill Self’s investment of time and Self going to bat for him with the NCAA so much that he feels he owes KU something for its effort…

    …beyond that, I got nothing.



  • Was on the other site and saw the recurring comments about how stupid Self is for signing Diallo when he won’t be eligible.

    I just want to ask those people how they would feel if Self had pulled out of the Diallo sweepstakes and he ended up being eligible for ISU, Kentucky or St. John’s (especially since the SEC and other conferences can allow partial qualifiers to compete).



  • Anyone else think the NCAA will take the easy road and label Diallo a partial qualifier so that the Big 12 can be the bad guy?



  • I know there are a ton of Bilas haters here BUT he makes a very good point. like he states on twitter, Diallo can speak 4 different languages and yet the NCAA still hasn’t cleared him, like Bilas says, come on NCAA let the kid play



  • @jayballer54

    And if Cheick has that intellectual aptitude and if Algebra is the problem, let him have the opportunity to quiz out…don’t punish him just because the course May have been too easy - when Cheick could have potentially gotten through even if it had been a course that was up to standards.



  • @SoftballDad2011 I believe @HighEliteMajor made an excellent point when talking about recruiting Diallo with concerns of eligibility. If we stayed away from other, slightly lower recruits in hopes to sign Diallo, then it’s understandable. But Self signed him late after a couple swing and misses. We had scholarships available so it was well worth the risk.



  • @JhawkAlum

    I agree and believe you will find similar a post if you review my posts from last spring/summer.

    I also believe that if you do some research that you will find 24/7s Jerry Meyer tweeted that Diallo had Eligibilty concerns about two weeks before he signed with us…tough to find now but he did. He stated he thought there was a chance that Diallo would play overseas to avoid any NCAA bru-ha-ha that might result from his high schools ongoing scrutiny.

    Despite that, I Then and now believe the decision to sign him no matter how slight the chance that he might be that he would play this year was good business.

    As HEM (and others) stated previously, all of the incoming freshman on our radar had already signed elsewhere. And at the time Diallo signed we still had a scholarship or two in hand if the right transfer came about, as we were still chasing Eubanks, Coleby and eventually Vick.

    We eventually gave that scholarship away and missed on the opportunity to land the 7’1" transfer from Providence.

    I believe the Diallo signing was still was worth the risk…even if he doesn’t play this year.

    because even if we backed off he could have still ended up at Kentucky or St. John’s and played this year because other conferences don’t penalize partial qualifiers as harshly as the Big 12…so we pass and as fate tends to do, we end up playing him in late January when the Wildcats come to town or in the big dance. Of course that doesn’t even consider how much greasier the skids for NCAA clearance seem to be in Lexington than they tend to be in our neck of the woods.

    Even if he never plays for us, the signing may have prevented us from playing against him later…plus we still have a slight chance of seeing play for us next year if this year doesn’t work out…remote, I know…but still a chance.

    Worth the risk given that the closet was bare for impact players who could contribute this year.



  • @JayHawkFanToo If Diallo had to sit out a year…don t you think he would be projected high enough that he would go to the league.?



  • @Hawk8086 see oubre riding the pine, but w/💰



  • @Hawk8086

    I don’t know. It would depend on how the NBA scouts rank him. Since he would not be showing his game on national or any TV for that matter, the evaluation would be solely based solely on what they see during practice and coaches really don’t allow much of that.

    McLemore apparently did great during his RS year but did not go up on the draft boards and we know he kicked butt in his one year playing. Perhaps he could have gone after his one RS year but teams will take only so much risk.

    By his own admission, Diallo is very, very raw and has much to learn about the game, i.e develop basketball IQ and practice alone will not do that. Even if he plays this year, he might not develop enough to warrant a lottery pick or even a 1st round pick…very few players are the savant that Embiid is/was; most take much longer to develop.



  • @JayHawkFanToo I would guess we all think he’d be better staying, but money talks.



  • @JayHawkFanToo

    UK case vs KU case are apples and oranges. You know that. UK was about the guardian shopping his player and not about education. They are inept because well you may not realize this but some kids only have 7 more classes before they take their finals. And at this rate Diallo and Yakwe might have their associate degrees before the ncaa finally makes a judgement.

    And like I said before. The NCAA holds very little power. We need to get rid of them and install a new governing body that can enforce actual rules. Not just rulings on who gets to participate. My statement about the QB from tOSU… How can the ncaa claim to be the governing body when all institutions and conferences don’t play with the same rules?? And when they do step in to punish tOSU (tats) they don’t enforce it on the NCAA cash cow game but instead the following season…? Or they over enforce and have to back track because they hold no legal authority.

    Also have you heard any news on UNC fake classes?? I noticed UNC is ranked pretty high and a good UNC increases cash in the NCAAs money making sport so I don’t imagine we will be hearing of any punishments.

    See also: Miami. Syracuse. Louisville. Penn State. Manziel. Cam Newton… And so on.

    Why are you such an apologist?



  • @Kip_McSmithers

    Apologist? For what? My comment about UK was because we seem to complain about the NCAA when it affects us (as fans) negatively but we would cheer if it affected UK…or Duke negatively.

    Coach Self has said it himself that the NCAA is just doing its job and has no problems with it. The NCAA is not a government institution so saying that it had no “legal” authority is stating the obvious right? Schools and or Conferences do not have to join the NCAA but when schools, such as KU join the NCAA they agree to abide by the regulations created by the various committees comprised of official of the member schools. The problem is not with NCAA or KU, the problem is with Diallo and the school he attended.

    If you don’t like the NCAA rules, do something to change them, but as long as these rules are in effect, they should be followed. Call SZ and tell him to get his butt in gear and do something about it, after all, the ADs run the NCAA…while you are at it, tell him that his TV contract sucks…or blows…or both.

    Why should we pin the blame on the NCAA when all it is doing is the job they were tasked to do? Again, if Coach Self, one of the individual more heavily affected by the process. does not have a problem with NCAA…why should I? I don’t. I guess I believe in the concept of taking personal responsibility and not blaming someone else for my mistakes and whining about it…I guess I am old school that way. Just my opinion and I guess we just agree to disagree; please know that it is nothing personal, just a difference of opinions.



  • This whole thing has just dragged on way too long. The closer its gotten to actual games the more anyone would feel upset or frustrated about there being no decision. If he was just another player, there’s no issue, but he’s a potentially very important player to the team.

    I know its not the perfect analogy but like the Tom Brady situation with the NFL, it dragged on forever for no reason & upset a lot of people whether fans of the Patriots or not about how the NFL handled things. There was a real chance he was going to miss those 4 games, without any resolution & that would have been an even bigger issue.

    Whether this slow played process will end up helping us in the end or not, not knowing all the facts has created this perception that the NCAA has no idea what they are doing. I have a very biased opinion against the NCAA but I have listened to what others have said like @JayHawkFanToo about seeing the other side of things & not blaming the NCAA for doing their job.

    The Tea Leaves say they are in an appeal. Why else would Self have to be in meetings all day on a game-day. This has nothing to do with Bill Self other than him being the coach of Diallo.

    Friday’s have been a popular day for clearing kids, we may get a decision today??? IF not maybe 2065…



  • Do you really think that what Self is saying right now to the media is how he really feels?? HCBS can’t say how he really feels about all of this because that could jeopardize the process. So of course he’s going to always say they’re doing an amazing job and blow rainbows up asses. I’m sure Cindy hears how he really feels when he gets home and goes to the garage to scream f u mf’ers for thirty minutes.

    As for CD. He is a top rated player. Top 5. Ben wasn’t as highly ranked coming out of high school so of course he needed to stick around another year to prove himself. Diallo on the other hand has what the NBA covets. Potential. And honestly he needs to go. Because Joel.

    And finally a paragraph from the IndyStar. - “Star players in the NCAA tournament are worth far more than their scholarships. The latest study of their true value was in The Atlantic, which estimated that the true value of freshman star Andrew Wiggins to Kansas was $575,565.” That’s why Diallo needs to go. So he can actually cash that check.



  • @Kip_McSmithers I think that is where u will find coach Beaty too, in his own garage!



  • @BeddieKU23

    “The Tea Leaves say they are in an appeal. Why else would Self have to be in meetings all day on a game-day. This has nothing to do with Bill Self other than him being the coach of Diallo.”

    Good chance we are in appeals because Self was asked that question and couldn’t answer. If we weren’t in an appeal, he would have said so because he knows fans would feel better about everything.

    My guess (pure guess) is that we are in the appeal process now. Not because it has taken this long, but from that reaction. So I’ve got my bet down on a Riverboat pot with the master player himself.



  • @jayballer54 Respectfully, what does speaking four languages have to do with meeting the core requirements for eligibility?

    It’s nice the kid can speak four languages. I’m sure that will help him in life, I guess. But does that mean that he took his core mathematics, science, English ,etc. classes from bona fide instructors taught at the correct level of instruction, with appropriate text books and curriculum?

    Remember, the minute you compromise the rules, then the rules will begin to collapse. There are some, like Jay Bilas, that want that to occur. On one hand, they say they love college basketball. On the other hand, they take ever effort to destroy it.

    Cheick Diallo and our personal desires to have him declared eligible for one Kansas basketball season is not important enough to compromise the structure of the game, in the larger scope of maintaining the game we love, which is college basketball.

    When we start worrying about whether a player is paid his supposed fair market value, or when we want to water down core standards for participation, such an outcome will eventually destroy the game.

    If folks want professional basketball, there is the NBA. I don’t.



  • One could liken the Diallo case to Cam Newtons. Now it’s not Apples to Apples but Cam’s defense was he didn’t know his dad was shopping him. So if Diallo is ruled ineligible are we to assume that CD knew his Algebra classes weren’t up to par?

    We were all 14 and 15 at one time. And I know some 14-15 year olds are the exception, like jfan, but can we say for certain that Diallo knew which core classes were legit when he was a frosh and soph in school? For most of us, again we know jfan you are one of the exceptions, we wouldn’t have the slightest clue. And we aren’t talking about some bogus underwater basket weaving class or paper class that we all know is bogus. This was a core class offered by his school. Did I know which teachers were easier? Well yes. But did I know if my curriculum was NCAA worthy? No.

    And jfan, you asked for examples of ineptness. I gave some. Do you think they handled those cases correctly??



  • @HighEliteMajor

    “Remember, the minute you compromise the rules, then the rules will begin to collapse. There are some, like Jay Bilas, that want that to occur. On one hand, they say they love college basketball. On the other hand, they take ever effort to destroy it.”

    Right on the money!

    @Kip_McSmithers

    “We were all 14 and 15 at one time. And I know some 14-15 year olds are the exception, like jfan, but can we say for certain that Diallo knew which core classes were legit when he was a frosh and soph in school?”

    Cheick may have been 14 or 15 when he took an inferior Algebra class or didn’t take one at all… but he was 18 or so when he finished HS and had time to correct this while in HS.

    Yes… he was (and is) young, but the rules for entering college or playing D1 ball can’t be compromised. Should we let anyone into med school, without the grades and classes, etc., because they are young and didn’t know better?

    We wouldn’t be having this discussion if it was for Cheick to enter med school. I think we all lower our academic standards for the minimum bar into playing D1 basketball. I’m not pointing fingers because I’m as guilty as anyone in here!



  • @HighEliteMajor I respect your opinion but I definitely do not think that Jay Bilas is trying to destroy college basketball in the least bit. I think his intent is to improve it. The way I look at is that rules are great when they serve a purpose. The purpose for the NCAA’s rules should be to eliminate players that exploit systems to skip through high school (I.e. basketball factory) and disallow players that violate their armature status. For Diallo, most indications are that there is a hangup on an entry level type of course that isn’t NCAA approved. So for example, he could have taken a simple high school algebra course, done well, understood it, but there was something missing from the curriculum that the NCAA says its not a valid course. Now in this same hypothetical example, he could be taking college calculus right now, doing well and passing the course, but the NCAA may deny him eligibility to play NCAA sports because of this high school algebra course.

    I look at the NCAA’s set of rules like a fish net. When this net has holes so big where players like Skal (who’s situation is so far in left field) get through and players like Diallo get hung up, the net is no longer serves its intended purpose and something needs to change.



  • @drgnslayr

    If Diallo were entering Med school that means he already has a college degree or 100 plus college hours so no we wouldn’t be talking about this.

    Is there evidence that CD knew his Algebra classes were bogus prior to his final semester at OSNA?

    Is there evidence that KU lowered the admission standards for CD?



  • Diallo eligible or not, if Mick and Bragg stay healthy we are in very good shape, inside 15 feet. Hunter looks hungry and Carlton possesses talent to win Big 12 Frosh of Year honors. A month ago I viewed this squad as Elite 8 w/o Diallo, Final 4 with him. Now I tend to envision a title run with or without him. Huge factor: team health, esp. current top 6 players. (Clearance by NCAA might go up in smoke if Big 12 takes a firmer stance.)



  • @Kip_McSmithers

    Okay… made a bad example.

    How about entry level into Harvard?

    “Is there evidence that CD knew his Algebra classes were bogus prior to his final semester at OSNA?”

    No… but do we let rules slide because he didn’t know? I’m not saying everything is fair in life, but then we open a big bag of bogile if exceptions are made. I’m sure exceptions are made often and we don’t know it. But why would one person receive an exception and another not? And what kind of message do we send to kids… goof up and don’t know about it, and you won’t pay the price.

    “Is there evidence that KU lowered the admission standards for CD?”

    Better not be! Or we will be in the same boat as UNC… maybe get our fingers slapped with losing a scholarship for a year or so (angry sarcasm at the UNC situation).

    I want Cheick legal to play as soon as possible. But if he doesn’t pass the bar that everyone else has to pass… it will be tough luck for us. Hey, come on… we aren’t Duke! We can’t go to the magic bag of dirty tricks to pull a few strings to get this done! (more angry sarcasm pointed at Duke)

    I think a lot of this should go past the NCAA and directly to our federal judicial system. These “handlers” are nothing more than pimps, and should be convicted like them. Pure exploitation.



  • @RockkChalkk Thanks – think of the academics as a threshold. You are right. He could have taken the high school algebra course, done well, only to find out that it was not taught at the right level. And he would be out of luck. Some kids have to go to prep school to fix things. The alternative is to permit exceptions. I would respectfully suggest that the academic rules are not a fish net (I know you referred to the “rules” in total). But when we mix academic issues with other eligibility issues, like a Skal situation or Selby, it makes folks angry.

    Regarding Bilas, he has advocated changing multiple aspects of the on-court game. He has cited the NBA example and the International example. He mocks those that love CBB as it is, calling them “Amish”, including directly to me – of which I take no offense. I’ve been called worse, and actually that is somewhat of a compliment.

    His point is to change the game in the name of progress. But he wants to change the game to suit his preference of the way basketball should be played. That is largely, by his own words, the NBA and international examples.

    That’s one aspect.

    The next aspect is that nearly daily he describes the NCAA as “unfair”, “embarrassing”, a “joke”, “horrible”, or whatever because of its rules. Those rules are promulgated and given force by the member universities. Bilas feels any transfer restrictions are unreasonable, in that I have never seen him suggest one to be reasonable – I’ve only seen him express outrage anytime a university simple won’t roll over on a transfer, regardless of circumstances.

    The final aspect is that he advocates for a free market for players free of NCAA restrictions. One where players market their skills to each university, the university could bid, and the player could sign with whomever he chooses.

    To me, that – in total – is destroying college basketball as we know it.



  • Here is a hypothetical thought: Bill Self hopes and contests that if Diallo is eventually cleared by the NCAA, the clearance reads differently from that of Ben Mac and Jamari, both of whom were, as I recall, axed by the league.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    The brightest minds need to be involved together (meeting of the minds) in order for rules to change in college basketball. That is the intent of these committees. And, to a large part, they at least weigh concepts in deeper levels of consciousness over Jay Bilas. He is just a carnival barker, pitching his own agenda. He has a respectable knowledge of the game, but still limited…and also extremely biased… and it shows on some issues while other in-game situations he can be okay on. That is what really rubs me about him. He buys stature by being decent in front of the mic on some games, then turns around and spends his stature in areas like college rules, where he just thinks he knows what he is talking about. A big part of it is his desire to erase all contact from basketball… that relates to his own personal bias because he couldn’t cut it in the league because he had zero physicality. Very weak player. So… bring the game down to his old playing standard. Physical contact should always be a major part of basketball… but it should be regulated to a level where the gifted will overcome being touched while playing.

    WARNING: Be prepared for a horrible year of basketball officiating! They are opening the door for major, major controversies! Since they are broadening the scope of what a foul is, that just opens up the potential for further discrepancies… that means unfair calls (both real and perceived) that will determine the outcome of games. And they wanted to speed up the game… yeah… right.

    At least they have added in a penalty for guys flopping. But… I’m sure that will create controversy, too. I remember WUG and one of our guys gets a call for just having a slight jerk back in his neck. Hardly a big time flop.



  • @drgnslayr

    Although different in nature my comparison of the Cam Newton scandal in which Cam’s father and another gentleman tried to get Miss St to pay up for Cam’s commitment all unbeknownst to Cam left him suspended for only one day. And it wasn’t a game day. They ruled since Cam had no knowledge he should not be punished. The difference here, at the time all of this came to light Cam and Auburn were fattening the wallets of the NCAA, the SEC, ESPN, so on… Can’t punish stars when they’re lining your pockets!! Much like the tOSU tats scandal.

    So yes there is a precedent regarding punishment for a student athlete when they weren’t aware of the wrongdoing. But like I said above. Cam was leading the Auburn Tigers to the NC and the NCAA doesn’t want to jeopardize the product they have on the shelf. Because who the hell wants to watch Cam Newtons back up play for an SEC title??



  • @Kip_McSmithers

    I hear what you are saying.

    I guess the question is… is there any way that Cheick COULD have known he was taking a bogus Algebra class? I think if there was NO WAY he could know this then he belongs more in the Cam comparison. If he couldn’t know, then he is pure victim.

    If that be, then they could let him play but just make him take a no-credit algebra class to bring him up to snuff.



  • @drgnslayr bogus might be the wrong word, maybe lower level?



  • @drgnslayr

    There has to be more too it than that. There must be a lot of issues with Diallo’s classes.

    I’ve seen something posted somewhere else that Wilson (signed with Pitt) was asked for evidence & information about his homework for the classes he took. That would indicate to me that the NCAA is trying to discredit or prove the curriculum is not up to standard, maybe even the school entirely or at least certain classes (maybe even core classes) that they have took at Our Savior.



  • @BeddieKU23

    Glad I always kept my homework for up to five years after completing the class… Some of the requests are a bit out there



  • This is a complex subject and maybe sometimes we don’t know or just forget some details.

    My understanding is, Cheick could be a “full qualifier” or a “partial qualifier”: full means you did OK in high school and you did OK on the ACT or SAT entrance exams. “Partial” means you did OK on one or the other.

    BenMac and Jamari were “partial qualifiers”. At that point the decision to let them play or not was left to the Big 12. It was Big 12 rules that made them sit out a year.

    Does Jay Bilas want to dissolve the Big 12 too?

    I’m assuming the question is whether Cheick is “full” or “partial”. If he is partial,

    • he is “free” to attend KU,
    • “free” to keep his scholarship
    • and “free” to practice with the team.
    • He is also “free” to keep his full four years of eligibility.

    He is not “free” to use his first year of eligility this season. That’s all.

    This isn’t a “freedom” issue. It’s an “instant gratification” issue.

    On the flip side, it’s pretty daring on the part of the NCAA to judge US and foreign high school transcripts in a country where public education is theoretically run by the states. What other national organization tries to do that?

    One thing that does frustrate me, and I’m sure all of us, is this is taking so long. At this point I’ll bet it’s KU taking the NCAA to overtime.


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