Nikita ineligible for first 10 games

[RusskyHoya]

Nooooooooooooooooooo!

Prior to coming to this country," Coach Thompson said, "Nikita briefly participated with a professional team in Europe. He was not compensated but the NCAA has ruled that he will have to sit out the first ten games of the season."

The 6-8, 205 lb forward from Minsk, Belarus will be able to practice with the team but cannot play before the Fordham game at the Verizon center on December 31.

[DoubleOhHoya]

It's too bad he couldn't be ineligible for the last 10 games of the year. This eliminates some of his best chances to get minutes.

[MCIGuy]

Well as much as I hate to admit it I suppose this is some sort of cosmic justice for that Terp thread started yesterday.

[kchoya]

So, if he had participated with the Knicks' team, would that count as a "professional" team?

[strummer8526]

Eh, he'll be about as productive as I expected, anyway.

[Filo]

And in other news, when Chris Wright was a paperboy, Abe Pollin was on his route and Chris apparently accepted a gratuity from Mr. Pollin. As the result of this infraction, Chris will be sitting out the first 20 games of the season.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Isn't the exclamation, more properly: "Nyyyyyyyyyyyyet!"?

[HoyaLawya]

I've always felt that that has to be the most ridiculous rule the NCAA has.

Totally xenophobic perspective on the rest of the world, where high school sponsored sports teams are nothing like the U.S. If you don't join a club team, with its mix of paid and unpaid players, you simply don't get to play your sport in many countries.

NCAA should look to whether the player was not compensated. Period. Turning "pro" or being a "pro" implies that you're paid.

[AustinHoya03]

hoyalawya said:

I've always felt that that has to be the most ridiculous rule the NCAA has.

Totally xenophobic perspective on the rest of the world, where high school sponsored sports teams are nothing like the U.S. If you don't join a club team, with its mix of paid and unpaid players, you simply don't get to play your sport in many countries.

NCAA should look to whether the player was not compensated. Period. Turning "pro" or being a "pro" implies that you're paid.

Good post. I'll add that with high school hoops on ESPN, Nike contracts for HS teams and AAU squads, there are arguably kids playing in America who are just as close to "going pro" as those in Europe who join club teams.

[idhoya]

Knicks beat the Nuggs last night. Be careful kchoya

[HoyaLingus]

stpetersburghoya said:

Isn't the exclamation, more properly: "Nyyyyyyyyyyyyet!"?

this wins the thread.

[prhoya]

Did he participate this summer or the previous one? If it's the previous one. why would he be penalized now after having played high school basketball in the US?

[hoyalawyer]

hoyalawya said:

I've always felt that that has to be the most ridiculous rule the NCAA has.

Totally xenophobic perspective on the rest of the world, where high school sponsored sports teams are nothing like the U.S. If you don't join a club team, with its mix of paid and unpaid players, you simply don't get to play your sport in many countries.

NCAA should look to whether the player was not compensated. Period. Turning "pro" or being a "pro" implies that you're paid.

nice name ;-)

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

I'd just like to add that I talked to Nikita a bit about the Big East season (with RusskyHoya to clean up my Russian) - he's a very nice, well-spoken guy - none of this is his fault and I feel really bad that it happened to him and hope it doesn't stunt his development as a player.

[Hoya50]

i am soooooooo tired of these hypocrites at the ncaa enforcing these draconian punishments for acts with no malicious intent.

please explain to me how nikita used his basketball celebrity for his personal benefit. i remember when lawrence phillips used his girlfriend's head as a battering ram and received a whopping zero game suspension from the ncaa. yet, richard jefferson had to sit because his best friend's dad (bill walton) bought him a plane ticket to visit his son.

i find it interesting that the ncaa can sell jerseys, use likenesses of players, have "student athletes" wear corporate logos and yet balk in the name of amateurism at the slightest whiff of supposed impropriety. it's a sham - plain and simple.

[Hordac]

I think that this may lead to a redshirt year for Nikita.

[kchoya]

hordac said:

I think that this may lead to a redshirt year for Nikita.

Why would you think this? What benefit would the program gain from that?

[SFHoya99]

kchoya said:

hordac said:

I think that this may lead to a redshirt year for Nikita.

Why would you think this? What benefit would the program gain from that?

I'm not a huge redshirting fan, personally, and it almost never happens anyway. But, the benefit would be, if you thought Nikita could be a real contributor (in the main rotation) by junior year, you could get three good years out of him. He'd have experience and maybe less worries about PT than the seven McD's AAs around him. Moving him into the '08 class doesn't help class balance, tho.

That said, I'm not sure the NCAA would allow the 10 game suspension to be served during a redshirt, or that Nikita would want to redshirt.

[lichoya68]

nikita the ncaa is ridiculous ridiculous like not giving deke the extra year and etc. etc. so -PRACTICE HARD AND DROP 30 ON THE FORHAM RAMS REVENGE IS SWEET GOHOYAS SORRY FOR THIS RIDICULOUS THING MAN GO HOYAS

[jerseyhoya34]

Camille with the daily boilerplate on Nikita and other developments...
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/07/AR2007110702376.html