NCAA Further Investigating Nerlens Noel

The NCAA has furthered its investigation into the recruitment of Kentucky star freshman Nerlens Noel. Per SI.com, two NCAA enforcement officials traveled to Noel’s New Hampshire prep school for a three-hour meeting in early August, inquiring about how Noel paid for his unofficial college visits to Louisville, Kentucky and Syracuse. “This is the NCAA enforcement staff’s second trip to New England regarding Noel. Assistant directors of enforcement Cindi Merrill and Frank Smith also traveled to Noel’s public high school in Everett, Mass., in May to meet with school officials there. What made the NCAA’s visit to Tilton intriguing is that a senior Kentucky official, UK chief compliance officer Sandy Bell, accompanied Merrill and Smith for the meeting. Bell didn’t ask many questions, according to the source, but did take notes and spoke up occasionally. The presence of two NCAA enforcement officials and Bell gives the appearance that this case has gone beyond the routine checking of top prospects, according to one former NCAA investigator. Noel has tweeted that he arrived in Lexington this week and is excited for the season. But it appears that the amateurism issues the NCAA has been probing the past few months will follow him there.”