Eligibility Unclear for Indiana’s Perea and Jurkin
After Indiana University’s exhibition win over Indiana Wesleyan, IU head coach Tom Crean addressed the eligibility of Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Peter Jurkin:
“What I can say about that is that we go through a lot in a program,” he said. “There’s situations that are always going to arise and every one of them has got a process to it. And we’re in the middle of that process. We just are. That’s the extent of it. They’re two great kids that are trying to get better every day and it’s not like it’s anything that we’re dealing with that just came up. It’s been a process for some time. And that’s really where we’re at with it.”
When asked if Indiana was still waiting on Perea and Jurkin to be cleared by the NCAA, Crean has been very coy, talking about a process they had to go through without expressly saying they were waiting for the NCAA. But Jurkin played in the exhibition game, which would suggest he has his amateurism certification from the NCAA:
Bylaw 12.1.1.1.3 – Eligibility for Practice or Competition.
Prior to engaging in practice or competition, a student-athlete shall receive a final certification of amateur status based on activities that occur prior to his or her request for final certification or initial full-time enrollment at an NCAA Division I or II institution (whichever occurs earlier).
Competition includes any competition: foreign tours, alumni games, closed-door scrimmages, and exhibitions in additions to regular season games. Jurkin played, so he had to have gotten some sort of decision from the NCAA. Perea may have too, but since he did not play in the exhibition, we can’t know for sure.
As far as what the decision for Jurkin is, there are a few possibilities:
- A final certification, but Indiana is checking out potential amateurism issues on their own.
- A final certification, but Indiana is checking out other eligibility issues, like the use of seasons of eligibility.
- A final certification that includes a suspension for regular season games, and Indiana just hasn’t told anyone.
- A waiver to play in the exhibition while certification is ongoing (which would be more or less unprecedented).
Even with the uncertainty, on the plus side Jurkin has received some sort of clearance to start playing, even in a game that doesn’t count. On the other hand, it is not comforting that the two players who appear to have eligibility issues outstanding are both centerpieces in Mike Fish’s article on their AAU program last year
Find opportunities for athletic scholarships and get connected to college coaches.