The NCAA has warned every school recruiting top-ranked high school basketball prospect Shabazz Muhammad over financial dealings that could compromise his amateur status, CBS Sports reported Wednesday, citing sources.
The NCAA is looking into connections between Muhammad's family and two financial advisers, Benjamin Lincoln and Ken Kavanagh.
Lincoln, a North Carolina-based financial analyst, is the brother of Jeff Lincoln, an assistant at Muhammad's Las Vegas high school team, Bishop Gorman. Kavanagh is a financial planner based in New York.
Sources said Lincoln paid for Muhammad's unofficial visits to college campuses on at least two occasions and that Kavanagh helped fund his Las Vegas-based summer team, Dream Vision Foundation.
Muhammad's father Ron Holmes confirmed both statements were true but said he had continually made the NCAA fully aware of the situation.
"When Benjamin and I met in 2007, my son Shabazz was in the seventh grade," Holmes said.
"Back in 2007, none of us knew that Shabazz would be able to play college ball, let alone be as good as he is now. In fact, I don't remember any colleges contacting us until Shabazz was in the ninth or 10th grade.
"By 2010, Shabazz was getting a lot of interest from high major colleges, including North Carolina and Duke. We had an opportunity to take unofficial visits to both schools in North Carolina.
"Benjamin offered to pay for our plane tickets and hotel room. When we went on the visits, we filled out the NCAA compliance forms and fully disclosed that our family friend, Benjamin Lincoln, had paid for the trips."
Holmes added, "When we were approached by the NCAA, we cooperated naturally.
"We had told the truth from the beginning and had disclosed everything. It is frustrating that we have been honest and above board from the start and now there are those who are questioning what we did ... I don't think we've done anything wrong."
Kavanagh, meanwhile, said he did not think he had violated any rules by donating money to Muhammad's summer program because he has a preexisting relationship with the family that allows him to operate within NCAA guidelines.
Kavanagh also said he has known Dream Vision coach Clay Williams — who is Muhammad's godfather and a close friend of Holmes — for more than two decades.
Muhammad is reportedly still considering UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, UNLV, Duke and USC.
