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Report: Ex-con helped lure Ware to UCF

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11:23 AM ET 05.01 | In late March, after the University of Tennessee fired Coach Bruce Pearl, a talented high school guard from the Atlanta area named Kevin Ware decided to rescind his commitment to the Volunteers. Ware ended up picking the University of Central Florida, which has never won an N.C.A.A. tournament game and plays in a second-tier league, Conference USA. Central Florida, it turns out, had an ally in its recruitment of Ware: Kenneth Caldwell, a Chicago man with a substantial criminal record and apparent ties to a prominent sports agency. Ware said Caldwell called him repeatedly to talk up Central Florida, traveled to Atlanta to meet with his family and even arranged joint phone conversations with the university's basketball coach, Donnie Jones, and his staff -- contact prohibited by the N.C.A.A. "He was pushing for U.C.F.," Ware said of Caldwell in a telephone interview Thursday. Informed of Caldwell's background, Ware on Thursday said he would not attend Central Florida.

New York Times

Donnie Jones, Joe Murphy/Getty Images

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May 1, 2011 11:30 AM ET

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In college recruiting, there are the formal "ex cons" and the "cons" that haven't been caught yet.

Deep Creek

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May 1, 2011 11:34 AM ET

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Quality of School not to mention the talent by the pool!

Hippy Weed

Columbus , OH

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May 1, 2011 11:47 AM ET

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College basketball - it's Calipari time.

!@#$%^&*()

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May 1, 2011 11:52 AM ET

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Pimpin ain't easy

DENVERROB

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Comment #7 has been removed

May 1, 2011 01:47 PM ET

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It is the American Dream!

Hippy Weed

Columbus , OH

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May 1, 2011 02:16 PM ET

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QUOTE:

Originally posted by

Shady dealings in college athletics. Say it aint so Joe. Say it aint so.

So.

Deep Creek

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May 1, 2011 05:18 PM ET

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QUOTE:

Originally posted by

Shady dealings in college athletics. Say it aint so Joe. Say it aint so.

Still. This is great reporting. These things seem to usually come out after the fact and the school then has to vacate its season's record . Also makes you wonder what it might have taken to get the kid to originally commit to a UT run be Pearl.

Hatrunner

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May 1, 2011 10:00 PM ET

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QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 05:18 PM ET 05.01 by Hatrunner

Also makes you wonder what it might have taken to get the kid to originally commit to a UT run be Pearl.

Maybe it was that UT was good under Pearl. Just a hunch.