Kent defends program;Sports;The former coach, who says he hasn't been contacted about probe, claims
Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard
Ernie Kent and two of his assistants during the final two seasons of his tenure as the Oregon men's basketball coach said Wednesday they haven't been contacted as part of the probe into the eligibility ofplayers on Kent's final two teams.
Kent, fired after last season, also offered a strong defense of his program, saying it was "above reproach" in its standards related toacademics and NCAA rules.
"I was at Oregon for 13 years," Kent said. "I think my track record speaks for itself."
There has been no indication of any wrongdoing by coaches on the previous or current staff, according to sources who spoke with The Register-Guard.
In acknowledging through a release to the media that there was a probe into the eligibility of players on the past two teams, Oregon limited itself to stating there was a question about the eligibility of"former players" and it had asked for Pac-10 assistance, "which in turn forwarded the information onto the NCAA for clarification."
"I don't know what they could be talking about," said Yasir Rosemond, a Kent assistant now in the same position at Seattle University. "I guess they'll investigate and we'll see what happens."
Asked if he had been contacted by Oregon, the Pac-10 or NCAA for information on the matter, Rosemond said "nobody has talked to me."
Mark Hudson, dismissed by Kent when the head coach reorganized hisstaff after the 2008-09 season, also said he's had no contact with anyone about the probe, and declined comment otherwise beyond affirming he was unaware of any possible violations.
Mike Dunlap, the assistant hired for Kent's final season after Hudson was let go, didn't respond to messages left for him.
He now works at St. John's University in New York.
Kenny Payne, the other Kent assistant, is now at the University ofKentucky, where a spokesman for the school responded to a reporter'sattempt to contact Payne by citing the school policy that "members of the basketball staff are not available for interviews."
Oregon has not identified any of the players who could be in question, but a source told The Register-Guard that none of the remaining nine scholarship players on the Ducks' roster are under investigation.
While Oregon also hasn't given any indication of why the eligibility of the "former players" is under review, sources indicated to The Register-Guard that Oregon's probe started with questions for MichaelDunigan about possible extra benefits he had received, which would be an NCAA violation and likely make him ineligible.
That, say the sources, is what prompted Dunigan to leave Oregon and sign a contract with a professional team in Israel earlier this month.
Rosemond said making that connection was tenuous reasoning, however.
"I think Mike just decided to go overseas," Rosemond said.
"Lots of guys go overseas to play."
