Cliff Alexander may well have played his final game in a Kansas uniform.
The freshman Jayhawks big man has missed the past three KU games because of an NCAA-related issue that has threatened his eligibility. On Saturday, we learned more of what that issue could be.
Turns out, one of Alexander's parents might have cost their son a chance at playing in an NCAA Tournament.
A report from Yahoo Sports has Alexander's mother taking out a loan from a finance company last August. The company in question, Ludus Capital, works with professional athletes and agents on big money loans, per the report. Ludus Capital has offices based in New York City and Delray Beach, Fla. (Alexander is from Chicago.)
It's not unusual for these kinds of transactions between college players and finance companies, but they are only allowed to occur after a player has signed with an agent and officially declared his college career over. Doing this prior breaks NCAA bylaws.
More from Yahoo's report here:
Alexander’s family took meetings with NBA agents during August, sources said. Discussions with agents for the purpose of gaining information on a player’s market value do not violate NCAA rules, but entering into a written or verbal agreement and receiving compensation is a violation. Alexander has not yet been interviewed by the NCAA, sources said, though not because of a reluctance by either the school or NCAA investigators.
Sources said legal counsel has been retained by the Alexander family and that may be slowing the investigative process. Alexander will not be reinstated until after an NCAA interview occurs and a decision is made on whether benefits received by his family are impermissible.
Alexander was first announced out shortly before Kansas' home game against Texas last weekend.
The former five-star recruit is averaging 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. Kansas finished its regular season on Saturday with a dramatic 75-73 last-second loss at Oklahoma. The Sooners won on a tip-in just before the buzzer.
