UCLA Basketball Program In Trouble?

 

 Say it isn't so.  After so many disappointing years and the Wooden era seemingly a mirage, the UCLA basketball program hoped to reverse the trend with a blue-chip recruiting class.

UCLA went out and recruited four of the best high school players in the world which included   Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson.  Make no mistake, their is tremendous pressure to put UCLA back on the sports map after years of mediocrity.  Ben Howland's job may depend on it.
Practice is scheduled to begin in early October and the prize recruits are still awaiting official clearance.

The ongoing investigation into their eligibility has added fuel to Internet speculation that UCLA must have cheated to attract such talented athletes.

"I'm sorry people feel that way," Coach Ben Howland said. "It's unfortunate and unfair to our players … these are all really good kids."

UCLA issued a statement last week, saying it was working "closely with the [NCAA] to establish the facts and circumstances for a fair and thorough review."

 Muhammad has faced the greatest scrutiny. Investigators want to know about money he allegedly received from Benjamin Lincoln, who is associated with his high school, to help pay for unofficial visits to Duke and North Carolina.

Officials are also looking at Ken Kavanagh, a New York financial planner who partially funded the summer team Muhammad played for in his hometown of Las Vegas.

Muhammad's family has said both men were long-time friends, and thus permitted under NCAA rules to give financial aid. Muhammad has said he expects to be cleared.

The Anderson investigation involves a reported relationship with Thad Foucher, an agent who works with Arn Tellem at the Wasserman Media Group. That company is headed by well-known UCLA alumnus and benefactor Casey Wasserman.

Anderson and Foucher could not be reached for comment and Wasserman declined comment. The NCAA does not discuss ongoing investigations.

As a precaution, UCLA did not take Muhammad on a recent trip to play exhibition games in China. The team did take Anderson, who recorded double-doubles in two of the three games.

Anderson's eligibility is expected to be confirmed soon, according to a person close to the situation who is not authorized to speak on behalf of the university or the player.

While university officials have remained largely quiet on the subject, their recent statement decried "misleading and inaccurate public reports".

"UCLA will not, and cannot, endanger the privacy of our student-athletes or the confidentiality of the process by providing a more specific response at this time to these reports," the statement said.

The Bruins were coming off a 19-14 season in which they failed to reach the NCAA tournament. Howland had suffered the additional embarrassment of a Sports Illustrated article that chronicled player misbehavior and questioned whether he had lost control of the team.