All Auburn players are practicing, including the 2 whose mothers allegedly rec'd payments

[Franisdaman]

All Auburn basketball players are practicing, including the two whose mothers assistant coach Chuck Person and co-defendant Rashan Michel claimed to have given money, as detailed in a federal complaint.

Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl refused to identify the two players mentioned in the federal complaint against Person or clarify their status for the upcoming season, saying only that he stands by the statement from the university and "the conduct alleged in the criminal complaint is unacceptable."

Auburn president Steven Leath told AL.com the school has "a pretty good indication of which students have been identified" in the complaint, which states their mothers received $11,500 and $7,000 from Person, respectively, and one received $5,000 from Michel.

Leath would not indicate if those players have been ruled ineligible.

"I'm not going to comment on anything to do with students," Leath said.

Based on the timeline outlined in the complaint against Person, who was one of four assistant coach and 10 people arrested by the FBI on Tuesday, as well as other identifying material in the document, it appears redshirt-sophomore Danjel Purifoy is most likely "Player-1" and sophomore Austin Wiley, who is referenced in a conversation between Person and Michel, is most likely "Player-2."


Pearl would not say if he, any member of the coaching staff or Auburn's compliance department has spoken to Vicki Orr, Wiley's mother, or Purfoy's mother, Waukesha Williams-Blevins.

"We try to make good communication with our families and recruits," Pearl said. "I would say that we just tried to be as much as we possibly could, as far as our communication, available and try to be as much as we could business as usual."

Attempts to reach Orr, Williams-Blevins and Mustpha Heron's father have been unsuccessful.

Purifoy averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds while making 25 starts and appearing in 29 games last season.

Wiley averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds while making 22 starts in 23 games last season.

Heron averaged team-highs in points (15.2) and rebounds (6.1) last season.

James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.

Link: http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/...rn_basketball_players.html#incart_river_index

 

[Franisdaman]

Although all players practiced on Friday, it remains to be seen if any players will be ruled ineligible before the start of the season.

The federal complaint against Person alleges that he accepted $91,500 in bribes over a 10-month period to help steer two players toward a financial adviser who turned out to be a cooperating federal witness. Of that $91,500, Person is alleged to have given $11,500 to the mother of Player-1 and another $7,000 to the mother of Player-2. If the FBI or NCAA can prove those allegations, the players would likely be ruled ineligible and in violation of NCAA rules.

When asked if he considered his team an NCAA Tournament contender if players are deemed ineligible, Pearl did not directly address that scenario.

"I feel like this team has a chance to compete in the Tournament," Pearl said. "I like the way we've prepared. I like the chemistry. I like the way they're respecting one another. I like the way they're working in the classroom and the way they're working in the weight room.... I think you're going to see a team that looks a little further ahead than where we would have been had we not returned 70 percent or so of our scoring, or 65 percent of our rebounding. That's by far the most I've returned since I've been the coach here.

"Every year it's been a rebuild by virtue of the status of the roster. This is the first time where we've got a lot of guys back. I think we'll look better than what we would have on Sept. 29, or any other year."

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

LINK: http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/...arl_confident_as_ever.html#incart_river_index

 

[Franisdaman]

Person has been on Pearl's staff at Auburn since 2014. Person has been known for his prowess on the recruiting trail, and he helped land three of the top signing classes in program history between 2015-17, including landing the school's first five-star signee in guard Mustapha Heron.

LINK: http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/...son_suspended_without.html#incart_river_index