John Calipari is miffed about the “firestorm” over Skal Labissiere’s NCAA eligibility.
“I think my team will be fine and you guys will figure it out when we go out there the first game,” he told reporters Wednesday at Media Day, according to Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier-Journal. “How did this become such a huge (deal)? This became like a firestorm. Where did this come from? Feel real good what my team’s going to look like on the first day.”
Calipari also said that only the “best players” get reviewed by the NCAA. The 6-foot-11 Labissiere is projected as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com.
“Everything is good to go,” Calipari said. “Every year we’ve been here, players go through the review. You won’t believe this: it’s always the best players that get the review.”
For his part, Labissiere told Kentucky reporters, “I expect to play by the first game of the season.”
The NCAA is looking into questions surrounding Labissiere’s amateurism after Memphis-based AAU coach Keith Easterwood told SNY.tv and CBSSports.com last November that Labissiere’s guardian, Gerald Hamilton, hoped to profit off Labissiere, a native of Haiti who lived with Hamilton after escaping an earthquake in his homeland in 2010.
Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com published excerpts of an email the NCAA sent to Easterwood asking specific questions about Hamilton:
**Has Mr. Hamilton ever texted you asking for your help in finding someone that could advance Mr. Hamilton a sum of money related to Skal Labissiere?”
**Did Mr. Hamilton ever inquire to you about how he could procure a ‘shoe’ deal for Skal Labissiere?”
Kentucky is slated to play its first exhibition game on Friday.
Photo: USA Today Sports
