Repeat of Morris-type saga unlikely this fall
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Randolph Morris probably has no idea how much of an effect he is having on college basketball.
We're not talking about the Kentucky sophomore center's 13.3 points or six rebounds a game in 21 contests last season. Morris' impact is instead being felt by underclassmen across the country because of what Morris did to earn a 14-game penalty to start the season.
No one wants to be the next Morris, the player who declares for the draft and then either withdraws or, like Morris, goes through the draft without being selected and attempts to return to school, only to find out he didn't adhere to the rules regarding payments for workouts.
The only player this spring who could fall prey is Villanova sophomore guard Kyle Lowry, but he is expected to stay in the draft, so for the first time in years, there could be a fall without a suspension of a player who tested the NBA draft process.
"You've got to be smart about it," South Carolina junior forward Renaldo Balkman said. "What [Morris] went through was crazy, but he set an example for everyone else as far as paying your own way."
Added Balkman's coach, South Carolina's Dave Odom: "If the player [who goes through the process] wants to come back, then it is incumbent upon me and the university to have written proof to protect the university against any backlash prior to the school year -- and even into the season itself. It can't be what a player said anymore. A Division I head coach has to have his head in the sand to think there will be any more exceptions."
Morris initially was ruled ineligible for the season before getting the reduction down to 14 games for his relationship with an agent and his failure to pay for all of his workout expenses up front.
In light of the Morris case, and ones before him like Lawrence Roberts of Mississippi State and Charlie Villanueva of Connecticut, the NCAA decided to be proactive. They put together an NBA worksheet for all prospective draft prospects that laid out the basics for those interested in testing the process.
In the past, the NCAA was much more reactive. For years, policies regarding expenses and the NBA predraft camp weren't clear. As rules changed (a few years ago, the NCAA ruled it a violation if the NBA paid for a player's expenses at the predraft camp), it was hard for underclassmen, agents, coaches and the NBA to keep up.
So, the NCAA dispatched Rachel Newman-Baker, the head of the agents and amateurism department, and her assistant director, Deana Garner, to visit with the NBA players' association, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and certified agents -- all within the past two months.
"The NCAA was great and upfront," said Nevada coach Mark Fox, a statement that likely hasn't been uttered too often by coaches in dealing with eligibility issues. Fox helped junior forward Nick Fazekas test the process before Fazekas announced on Friday that he would return to school. "It was clear what Nick could and couldn't do, but it helps to have a family that has sense in the process and Nick did."
According to the NBA draft educational worksheet, you would lose your eligibility if:
• You agree orally or in writing to be represented by an agent or any individual acting on behalf of the agent (e.g. runner).
• You accept any benefits from an agent, prospective agent or any individual acting on behalf of the agent (e.g. runner).
• You do not pay for all expenses in conjunction with a professional team tryout as they are incurred.
• You tryout with a professional team during the academic year.
• If you enter the draft and are drafted by a professional team.
The rest of the worksheet dealt with often-asked questions, the most telling of which dealt with a player not being permitted to have a written or oral agreement with an agent. The questions continued (and this is where Villanueva and Morris got in trouble) to spell out that the agent cannot provide any expenses for a tryout or even arrange a private workout/tryout.
That's where Lowry's situation might become dicey if he were to seek a return, since agent Andy Miller helped organize a workout for his clients (in conjunction with the NBA) that included NC State sophomore Cedric Simmons, Bradley sophomore Patrick O'Bryant and Lowry during the break between predraft camp sessions on Wednesday.
The NCAA's draft worksheet does say that underclassmen can have an advisor, as long as that advisor doesn't market the player to NBA teams. The advisor would be considered an agent, though, if he contacted teams on the player's "behalf to arrange private workouts or tryouts."
That's why the NCAA encouraged college coaches to act as the facilitator this spring in setting up workouts for their players if immediate family members needed any assistance.
(Lowry, who has had his high school coach acting as an advisor and Villanova coach Jay Wright also heavily involved, has been working within the NCAA rules governing workout expenses. His mother got a credit card to pay them in advance. Lowry's time spent working out at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., though, could create another potential financial issue if he doesn't have documentation that he paid for it in advance.)
The players who were in Orlando this week clearly understood the rules, which is a change from recent years.
"I knew I couldn't put myself in that situation where I wouldn't be eligible," said UCLA sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar, who still doesn't know whether he'll stay in the draft. "I asked our compliance department and my coach, and the NCAA said this is how you do it. They made it real easy. I had one team say we'll pay for it and you pay us back, but I said I'll take care of it. I've got the receipts, so there won't be any questions."
Farmar said the one rule he'd like to change is the one that says a player can't have a tryout while still in school. UCLA is on a quarter system and Farmar had to drop down to a part-time course load of two classes in order to test the process. He was doing school work while he was in Orlando. Farmar said he'd like to see a rule in which a player could take the classes over the summer if he decided to return to school.
Cal State Fullerton junior point guard Bobby Brown, who said his chances of staying in the draft are at 60-40, wants to see the payment procedures relaxed -- something that may or may not be up for debate in the near future. This issue has directly led to some players staying in the draft, like Cal's Leon Powe, who cited this as a reason when he said it was hard to really pursue the draft because of the financial handcuffs put on underclassmen.
"It's real difficult," said Brown, who worked out for Phoenix twice in addition to both Los Angeles teams. "You're paying for the plane ticket and hotel. I wasn't familiar with [the Morris case] at first, but then I heard about it and said, 'Dang, they're really enforcing the rules.'"
After they leave here, some players will continue to work out in the week before the June 18 deadline, although they may be limited by financial restrictions.
"It's pretty tough for a college student who doesn't have a job to pay for stuff like that if you don't have an agent," said Loyola of Chicago junior forward Blake Schilb. Schilb worked out for nearby Milwaukee and will also work out for Chicago next week.
Schilb said the rules make underclassmen think about their every move, in advance, if they want to return. The NCAA's proactive nature on this issue ensured that this spring. As Odom said, no head coach can put his head in the sand about these issues -- and no underclassman can plead ignorance anymore.
Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com
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