UNC reviews recruit's visit

NCAA contact rules at issue

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina is conducting a review to determine whether NCAA rules were broken during a basketball recruit's campus visit last weekend.

Guard Iman Shumpert of Oak Park, Ill., told the Observer he spoke with and played pickup basketball against NBA players Raymond Felton, Sean May and Marvin Williams during his official visit. All three played for North Carolina's 2005 NCAA championship team.

"They were just using different ways to try and persuade me to go there, especially Sean May," Shumpert told the InsideCarolina.com Web site, whose report led to UNC's review. The Web site is not affiliated with the university.

Felton and May play for the Charlotte Bobcats, and Williams is a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

NCAA rules forbid representatives of a school's athletics interests from making recruiting contacts.

North Carolina assistant athletics director for compliance Amy Herman, who is conducting the review, said the NBA players are considered athletics representatives because they have promoted North Carolina.

NCAA Rule 13.02.3.1 states that once someone is identified as a representative of athletics interests, that person retains that identity indefinitely.

May and Williams are enrolled in classes at North Carolina, so Herman said they're allowed to talk to recruits just like any other student. She said the rules for students apply to May and Williams just as they do for students in the Rams Club, the athletics booster group.

"If they meet the qualifications of a student, then they're able to have contact," Herman said.

Felton is not enrolled, and Herman said she plans to talk with him to determine the extent of his involvement. In Felton's case, NCAA rules allow only for "unavoidable incidental contact" involving "normal civility."

She also plans to talk with UNC coaches after they return from recruiting out of town.

If a violation occurred, North Carolina would follow normal procedure and self-report it to the NCAA as a secondary (not major) violation, Herman said. Schools often self-report violations of this type. The NCAA does not comment on possible rule violations.

Shumpert attended North Carolina's football game against Virginia during the weekend visit.

"[The three former players said] nothing but good things about North Carolina," he said. "And then talked about how it helped them prepare for playing at that next level [NBA]. But they were all pretty considerate about how it was a hard decision for me, and they sort of backed off when it came to that regard."

Shumpert said the players told him he had to make the best decision for himself and his family and not to let anyone pressure him. He also has visits scheduled to Marquette and Georgia Tech and plans to choose among the three schools before his senior basketball season begins.

The 6-foot-4 guard is ranked No. 15 in his class by Scout.com.

Efforts to reach Felton and May were unsuccessful.

Herman said previous NCAA rulings do not prohibit prospects from playing in pickup games against former players.

North Carolina sports information director Steve Kirschner said it's not unusual for the school to conduct a review of possible rule violations.