Trae Golden’s decision to transfer from the University of Tennessee basketball team has taken another bizarre turn.  It was announced early last week that the senior-to-be would transfer from Cuonzo Martin’s program to another school, leaving the Vols without a proven point guard for 2013-14.

Reports at the time cited academic issues — namely repeated acts of plagiarism — as the reason for Golden’s departure.  UT’s associate AD for compliance, Todd Dooley, then revealed on radio that Golden did not have the hours necessary to graduate at Tennessee, meaning he will have a hard time finding a new home as well.

By midweek, Golden’s father called such reports “totally inaccurate.”

Now to the present.  Yesterday the University of Tennessee fired the director of its Office of Student Judicial Affairs.  The school has launched an investigation into whether or not Jenny Wright had improper relationships with student-athletes at UT.

A graduate of Tennessee, Wright has hired an attorney who said that she tried to resign rather than cooperate with the investigation.  “She didn’t think the climate at UT was such that her reputation would be preserved,” Robert Kurtz said.  “UT didn’t have any interest in protecting that.  Even if everything is proved to be completely false, the damage to your reputation can’t be undone, and you can’t un-ring that bell.  That’s why these allegations are so powerful.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy Hyams of WNML-AM/FM in Knoxville reported yesterday afternoon that — according to sources — one of the athletes Wright is alleged to have an improper relationship with is Golden.

As Wright’s attorney has stated, it’s unfortunate that this situation has come to light before anyone has found her guilty of having inappropriate relationships.  As a result, Wright will have to rehab a tarnished reputation while any male athletes involved will, most likely, get a pass in the court of public opinion.  If a man has sex, he’s a stud.  If a woman has sex, she’s easy.  That’s not fair, but it is how our society tends to view these things.

Obviously, no one employed as the director of a school’s Office of Student Judicial Affairs can go around having sex with athletes.  That kind of behavior is unacceptable.  And if it’s found that Wright did have a relationship with Golden, it will raise questions regarding his alleged repeated acts of plagiarism while still on the UT basketball team.

But this is a story of sex.  And though that’s an act that everyone takes part in, it’s still a topic that drives ratings, sells papers, and ups pageviews.  The presence of dirty laundry will ensure that this story won’t go away quickly, at least not for Wright.

Whether UT investigators find proof of wrongdoing or not.

SEC Basketball

1. The spring signing period is underway.  The nation’s No. 1 prospect has yet to make a decision.  Huntington Prep’s Andrew Wiggins is said to be choosing from four schools - Florida State, Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky.  Both of Wiggins’ parents attended Florida State. Here’s how Wiggins would fit in next year’s lineup at each of the four schools.

2. Kentucky is expecting  three signed letter of intents within the next week.  Even without Wiggins, that means Kentucky will have eight signees in its 2013 class.

3. Rutgers loss is Auburns’ gain.  JUCO forward Chris Griffin was set to sign with Rutgers but when the Mike Rice scandal hit, he decommitted and signed a letter of intent with Auburn today.  He’s one of three players the Tigers are expected to sign in the spring signing period.

4. Kenny Paul Geno, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound small forward from Booneville, Miss., sent his letter of intent to Georgia today. He’s planning on holding a news conference Thursday morning.  ”By the time that he leaves, they’re gonna be very proud that they gave him an opportunity to play at Georgia,” Bonneville head coach Michael Smith said. “He’s gonna play and contribute. He’s gonna play (next year).”

5. Murfreesboro, Tennessee native Darius Thompson signed with Tennessee today, becoming coach Cuonzo Martin’s fourth member of the class of 2013. “At 6-4, he’s got good size for a point guard. He’s a proven scorer who can shoot it with range, and I’m confident that he’s going to be able to help us in a number of areas.”

6. Alabama coach Anthony Grant has two experienced guards coming in next year.  Tulane transfer Ricky Tarrant and JUCO guard Algie Key signed with the Crimson Tide today.  Tarrant will have to sit out a year. He was the Conference USA Freshman of the Year for Tulane two seasons ago.

7. Tuesday night, Brian Bridgewater of Scotlandville High School (LA) said “it’s not LSU.”  Wednesday, the forward committed to the Tigers. He chose LSU over Wichita State and TCU.

SEC Football

8. Jacksonville, Florida prospect Tyreke Johnson  is projected as a cornerback/wide receiver.  He’s also just 13 years old and is reportedly on the verge of getting some big-time college offers.  Here’s how his coach described him. ”He’s built and put together like a Greek God as a seventh grader.” Johnson’s brother De’Andre is a Florida State 2015 commitment.

9. Alabama picked up its fourth commitment of the 2014 class with the news that linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton picked the Crimson Tide.  The four-star linebacker chose Alabama over Auburn and Tennessee. He’s planning to graduate in December and enroll at Alabama in January.

10. Auburn’s first defensive commitment in the class of 2014 is linebacker Deshaun Davis. He chose Auburn over 10 other schools, including LSU, Florida State and Tennessee.

11. Thaddeus Snodgrass is the highest ranked wide receiver recruit ever to commit to Kentucky. The Ohio receiver says he’s working on bringing additional recruits to the Wildcats.  ”There will be a couple more commitments in a couple of days or maybe a week.”

12. Four-star running back Mike Horton from Ohio is on Kentucky’s radar.  He’s expected to make his college choice this weekend.

13. Arkansas running backs coach Joel Thomas will have recruiting responsibilities in the Dallas, Texas area. ”I’ll also have Arlington, Mansfield, Irving and I’ll work my way out to east Texas to Tyler and Longview,”

Alabama fell 58-57 to Maryland last night in the NIT third round
Of the six SEC teams invited to take part in postseason basketball, only Florida remains alive
Florida will play Florida Gulf Coast Friday in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament
Ole Miss F Murphy Holloway has been named MrSEC.com’s “Most Productive Player of the Year” in the SEC
Arkansas F Marshawn Powell has announced that he will turn pro rather than return for his senior season
Kentucky C Nerlens Noel missed the last part of the season with an ACL injury but he’s still #1 on several NBA mock draft boards
Tennessee basketball coach Cuonzo Martin is expected to pursue a contract extension and renegotation this offseason
Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel has decided to ban himself from Twitter because it had become a “distraction”
Follow SEC basketball, football, and recruiting at MrSEC.com

The NCAA has decided not to implement controversial changes to its recruiting rulebook
The changes would have allowed schools to hire extra recruiters and to mail an unlimited amount of correspondence to prospects
Florida’s Billy Donovan has been named the AP’s SEC Basketball Coach of the Year
Georgia F Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been named the SEC Basketball Player of the Year
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy on his brash star guard: “The Marshall Henderson Show is like the traveling circus”
Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin says the NCAA’s decision to invite just three SEC teams to this year’s tournament shows a “lack of respect”
Follow the Southeastern Conference each day at MrSEC.com and twitter.com/mrsec

Thursday’s SEC hoops action: LSU 64 – South Carolina 46
After starting SEC play at 6-0, Ole Miss has lost of four of five
South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney is considering a $5 million insurance policy to protect against serious injury
LSU will make the hiring of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron official Friday
One NBA draft analyst says Kentucky F Nerlens Noel will still be a top-five pick even with a torn ACL
Riding a two-game win streak, Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin says: “I think we can beat any team in this league now.”
Get your SEC football, basketball, and recruiting news from MrSEC.com every single day

VolQuest.com — the Rivals.com site covering Tennessee athletics — is reporting that Vol forward Kenny Hall was arrested at some point this week for driving with a suspended license.  No disciplinary response has been announced by UT, but Hall was suspended from Tennessee’s final 11 games last season due to an unspecified rules violation.

Has has started all 19 games for Cuonzo Martin’s side this season and is averaging 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.  He scored a season-high 14 points last weekend in Tennessee’s loss at Arkansas.

1. Alabama coach Anthony Grant

2. Arkansas coach Mike Anderson

3. Auburn coach Tony Barbee

4. Florida coach Billy Donovan

5. Georgia coach Mark Fox

6. Kentucky coach John Calipari

7. LSU coach Johnny Jones

8. Mississippi State coach Rick Ray

9. Missouri coach Frank Haith

10. Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy

11. South Carolina coach Frank Martin

12. Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin

13. Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy

14. Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings

When Andy Katz tosses praise toward the SEC is usually flows in the direction of Lexington, Kentucky and John Calipari (and why not, all he does is win and sign the top class in the nation annually).  But in recent weeks he’s shown a little love to two ex-Purdue assistants… Rick Ray of Mississippi State and, today, Cuonzo Martin of Tennessee.

Katz had this to say just one day after the Vols and Martin landed a commitment from a five-star West Tennessee prospect whom Duke and Kentucky were also chasing:

“Cuonzo Martin is doing a tremendous job of increasing the talent and perception of Tennessee basketball.  Martin secured another commitment Monday for 2013 in landing 6-5 shooting guard Robert Hubbs.  The Vols will be just fine going forward in the SEC under Martin.”

After inheriting a messy situation from Bruce Pearl and the NCAA, Martin got off to a wretched start last season before his squad finally bought into his defense-first system.  When they did, he led Tennessee to a surprising #2 seed in the SEC Tournament in New Orleans before losing in the NIT.

In addition to securing a commitment from Hubbs in Monday’s daylight hours, Martin also got a commitment from the son of 13-year NBA vet Antonio Davis last night. 

He might not have Pearl’s style, flash and flair — and it seems some Vol fans miss that — but Martin seems to be doing everything else right.  Including “increasing the talent and perception” of the Vol hoops program.

1. Gators come up short.  Louisville 72 – Florida 68. Billy Donovan now 0-7 against Rick Pitino.

2. Pitino: “They outplayed us for 32 minutes.” Florida outscored 18-3 in final eight minutes.

3. Bradley Beal deflects question about his potential future NBA career: “I’m really not focusing on next year right now.”

4. Pitino on potential Louisville-Kentucky matchup.  ”Awesome.”

5. Kentucky vs. Baylor today:  ”This current Kentucky team’s coronation — what will legitimize and commemorate this roster as one of the greatest ever — only comes with a championship.”

6. Senior Darius Miller has gone from Billy Gillespie and the NIT to John Calipari and the NCAA Tourney.

7. Calipari:  ”I’m not watching any other games. Why do I care?”

8. Kentucky’s Terrance Jones and Baylor’s Perry Jones III know each other from AAU basketball.

9. Gregg Marshall is staying at Wichita State.  Unclear if he was a serious candidate at South Carolina.

10. Frank Martin talks about the South Carolina rumors.

11. Month-by-month – Cuonzo Martin’s first year at Tennessee.

12. Kevin Scarbinsky on basketball in Alabama: “Basketball has never mattered as much as football in this state, but basketball used to matter here, and it used to really matter in March. It’s been years.”

13. Les Mile on LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger:  “I think Zach is a real leader for us, and he enjoys that role.” Also likes what he sees from running back Jeremy Hill.

14. Gunner Kiel responds to Miles: “I’m just going to use it as fuel.”

15. Linebacker Jarvis Jones leads what should be a very good Georgia defense this fall.

16. Twitter post: “Alec Ogletree bodyslams Isaiah Crowell. “

17. With Alshon Jeffery and Bruce Ellington watching, South Carolina’s young receivers got their chance on Saturday.  DeAngelo Smith could be a key weapon this fall.

18. Tennessee’s spring camp opens on Monday.

19. Lou Holtz on the 2011 Bama defense: Clemson gave up 10 touchdowns in one bowl game, Alabama defense gave up 9 touchdowns all year.

20. Who will catch AJ McCarron’s passes this fall?  Kevin Norwood, for one.

21. Outland Trophy winner Barrett Jones has spent the last two spring breaks in Haiti.

22. Auburn QB Kiehl Frazier: “I feel a lot more comfortable this year.”

23. Keep your eye on Mississippi State wide receiver Joe Morrow.

24. Early impressions are favorable for Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace.

25. Joker Phillips likes what he sees from his Wildcats after their first day in pads.

Extra

26. End of an era.  The shrinking importance of high school basketball in Indiana.

Not surprisingly, Cuonzo Martin has reiterated what a Tennessee spokesman said last night: He’s not leaving Knoxville for Illinois:


“We’re building something special here.  I enjoy my job at Tennessee, and I’m looking forward to bigger things next season.”


And about that CSNChicago report he and Illinois shared mutual interest?  “There was never anything to it,” he told The Knoxville News Sentinel.