Two weeks after an ESPN investigation into the Indiana Elite AAU program suggested that Indiana commit Hanner Perea received extra benefits from club coach, the decorated senior-to-be made his first public comments about the story.
Perea spoke to several Indiana-based reporters on Wednesday at the Indiana Junior-Senior All-Star game. He denied that anyone with Indiana Elite had steered him toward committing to the Hoosiers and insisted he wasn't worried that the allegations against him could threaten his college eligibility.
From the Bloomington Herald-Times:
"I picked IU because that's where I feel good. I feel that I'm going to be in a nice place with good people around me. That's why I picked IU. … They never tried to push me. The first thing they told me was I could go anywhere I want. I like IU. I've been around IU a lot, so that's why I picked them."
"Not everything they said is true so I'm not going to worry about it. I haven't done anything wrong."
"I'm just going to keep playing and doing what I'm doing," he said. "In the end, everyone will know what is true. When I first saw it, it bothered me but I just have keep moving ahead."
The allegations against Perea stemmed from a five-month ESPN investigation into the connections between Indiana, Indiana Elite and the A-HOPE Foundation, a non-profit specializing in bringing African players to the United States.� Perea, a Colombia native, was said to have received a cell phone, iPod, laptop and other impermissible benefits from Indiana Elite coach Mark Adams, founder of A-HOPE.
Whether Perea faces eligibility issues as a result of the alleged benefits could come down to if Adams is the legal guardian for Perea. Adams has previously told the Bloomington Herald Times that he's been in contact with Indiana's compliance department and the NCAA, both of which indicated they were satisfied that what he provided A-HOPE prospects was not against the rules.
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