The top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers lost two of their talented newcomers for the first nine games of the season, after the NCAA ruled forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea and 7-foot center Peter Jurkin received impermissible benefits prior to their enrollment with Indiana.
No. 1 Indiana loses pair of freshmen for 9-game suspension
The NCAA handed down a 9-game suspension to Indiana freshman Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Peter Jurkin for receiving impermissible benefits from a former AAU coach.
Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE
Both players will have to repay a portion of the benefits to a charity of their choice before returning from the suspension. The ruling handed down by the NCAA hinged on the status of AAU coach Mark Adams, who supported both players through his A-Hope program. The program helps international players cover the costs of travel and logistics as they move to the U.S. to play basketball.
The problem for Indiana arose when the NCAA determined that $185 in donations to IU’s Varsity Club from 1986-92 by Adams, long before his work with A-Hope, made the AAU coach an Indiana booster. Indiana’s athletic department reported the violation to the NCAA and now plans to appeal the length of the suspension for both players.
If the nine-game suspension holds, Perea and Jurkin will miss key non-conference games against Georgia, Ball State and No. 11 North Carolina.
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