Enes Kanter Ruled Permanently Ineligible By The NCAA

Kanter’s eligibility has long been in question and speculation about how the NCAA would handle his case reached a boiling point after The New York Times’ Pete Thamel uncovered Kanter had been paid more than $100,000 while playing professionally in Turkey. Nedim Karaks, general manager of Kanter’s professional team, Fenerbahce Ulker, spoke with Thamel and detailed the financial records turned over to the NCAA.

Karakas said that Fenerbahce provided housing to Kanter and his family for more than three years, provided them with food and pocket money and paid Kanter a salary of more than $6,500 a month during his final season.

With DeMarcus Cousins gone to the NBA, Kanter was expected to contribute for the Wildcats right away. The 6-foot-9 center was a consensus top-25 recruit and chose Kentucky after de-committing from the University of Washington in early 2010. Losing Kanter is a blow to Kentucky for the upcoming season and leaves the Wildcats dangerously thin in the post. Betting on Kanter’s eligibility was a gamble, ESPN’s Andy Katz said, Kentucky had to make.

Kentucky took a gamble on the 6-11 Kanter, and it will hurt the Wildcats’ inside game and their prospects for winning the SEC or competing for a Final Four berth if he is not around. But there was no one else the Wildcats could have landed up front that would have equaled Kanter’s talent in this class that wasn’t already committed or signed.