WKU’s Morton, NCAA have no timetable on meeting

WKU assistant basketball coach Jake Morton was named Tuesday in a Yahoo! Sports report regarding impermissable benefits at Miami (Fla.) from 2002-2009. Morton coached there from 2008-2011.

Cole Claybourn

WKU assistant men’s basketball coach Jake Morton has

yet to meet with NCAA officials regarding his alleged involvement

in helping facilitate improper benefits to athletes during his time

at Miami (Fla.).

Senior Associate Athletic Director for Communications

Todd Stewart told the Herald on Sunday that there is still no

timetable for when the NCAA will meet with Morton.

Morton, who was an assistant coach at Miami from

2007-2011 and was hired by WKU in June, was accused in a Yahoo!

report on Tuesday of helping Miami athletics booster Nevin Shapiro

set up a transaction for $10,000 to help secure the commitment of

basketball recruit DeQuan Jones.

Shapiro said in the Yahoo! report that Morton set up

the transaction in 2007 and became a middle-man for funds.

Photos of Morton with Shapiro and other Miami

assistant coaches in Shapiro’s VIP suite at a Miami night club,

where Miami football recruits were present, were featured in the

Yahoo! report.

The NCAA contacted WKU on Wednesday, a day after the

Yahoo! report was published, and said they wanted to meet with

Morton regarding the allegations.

Athletics Director Ross Bjork said in a statement to

the Herald that WKU plans to cooperate fully with the NCAA during

the investigation, and will help facilitate interviews as much as

possible. 

Bjork released an initial statement Tuesday night

after the report was published, saying he and Head Coach Ken

McDonald “did their homework” during the interview process and that

Morton passed all background checks before he was hired.

The period during which the alleged violations

occurred was from 2002-2010. 

Bjork was not implicated in the report, although he

spent time as the Associate Athletic Director at Miami from

2003-2005.

The Bowling Green Daily News reported that the NCAA

didn’t ask to speak with Bjork regarding the violations.

President Gary Randsell told the Herald on Wednesday

that WKU and the basketball program will face no ramifications,

regardless of what the NCAA decides in regards to Morton.

“There would be no implications for us,” Ransdell

said. “We’ll let that run its course. Until we have any reason to

feel differently, we’ll be supportive of our employee. But we’ll

certainly cooperate with the NCAA and the investigation.”