By ERIC CRAWFORD
The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville basketball player Marvin Stone has been asked to meet with NCAA investigators on Sunday regarding his amateur status, his attorney said Friday. Cardinals coach Rick Pitino, however, said he has "no concern at all" about the senior's eligibility.

"I feel very comfortable that it is nothing that has to do with the University of Louisville," Pitino said, adding that he wasn't sure about the subject of the NCAA's visit. "It's like the IRS. Everybody gets nervous, but if you do the right things and pay your taxes on time and be a good boy, you may not get any penalties."

Stone's attorney, Don Jackson of Montgomery, Ala., said Friday that he expects the 6-foot-10 center to be asked whether he received special benefits as a member of a Huntsville, Ala., AAU team run by Huntsville businessman Mark Komara.

Jackson said his inquiries suggest that the NCAA has an ongoing investigation into Komara's AAU program and that Stone, who transferred from the University of Kentucky, is the latest of Komara's former players to be approached. He added that he hasn't heard anything to make him believe that any school is a target of the investigation.

John Carns, Louisville's associate athletic director for compliance, said he will be at the meeting but added that the university hasn't been notified that it is the subject of an investigation. Spokesman Brooks Downing said that UK - where Stone played 2 1/2 seasons after leaving Huntsville's Grissom High School - hasn't been contacted, either.

Still, the absence of notification doesn't guarantee that the NCAA isn't looking. It interviewed three Auburn players in September, then served the school with a preliminary letter of inquiry in October regarding the basketball program's dealings with Komara. Auburn's Brandon Johnson missed the first 13 games of the season after being found to have received improper benefits.

"Based on the nature of the other people who have been interviewed and from what we've been able to determine, the focus of the questions is going to be whether Marvin received extra benefits in that (AAU) program," Jackson said. "And the answer to that question is absolutely no."

If Stone were guilty of receiving improper benefits, he could be declared ineligible or be subject to smaller penalties.

Pitino isn't worried about Stone missing games, but Jackson said Bill Saum, the NCAA's director of agents, amateurism and gambling, had given him reason to believe Stone's eligibility could be at issue.

Saum couldn't be reached for comment Friday by The Courier-Journal and declined comment when questioned by The Associated Press. NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said the organization does not comment on interviews with student-athletes.

When asked whether the NCAA had advised him that Stone's eligibility could be in jeopardy, Jackson replied, "Yes. Absolutely.

"As a matter of fact, I was told if we did not submit him to questioning by their attorney and he did not cooperate to their satisfaction - essentially without preparation because of his schedule - that his eligibility might be in question."

Jackson said he asked that the meeting be delayed but the NCAA refused. He said he had spoken to Stone for only about 10 minutes since taking the case on Thursday and would have little chance to talk with him before the meeting because the Cardinals play at Cincinnati Saturday.

"Essentially, I was told that he didn't need to be prepared and that he didn't even need an attorney," Jackson said. "At the same time, they are not even willing to give us specific information as to what the questions are about, but they want Marvin to be able to walk in and talk ad nauseam about things that happened five or six years ago."

Komara did not return phone messages to his business Friday, nor did his attorney, Behrouz Rahmati.

Stone has started all 17 of Louisville's games. He has averaged 11.6 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds. He met with Pitino briefly on the matter Friday morning but wasn't made available for comment.

NCAA investigators have interviewed several of Komara's former players in the past year, notably the players at Auburn. The investigation also has reached into the high school ranks, with interviewers speaking to Mississippi high school star Jackie Butler, who committed to Mississippi State last fall. Also interviewed last fall was Cincinnati guard Chadd Moore, a former standout at Lee High School in Huntsville and later Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. Moore did not miss any games.

To comply with NCAA amateurism guidelines, AAU programs may provide athletes with expenses for travel, meals and equipment in connection with competitions but nothing else.

Pitino said he expects the interview to be routine and said it shouldn't distract Stone.

"I don't think there is a situation," he said. "The NCAA randomly comes in to speak to players from time to time to find out either about his past, to find out about other people. ... You don't know whether they're speaking about Marvin or if they want to know something else about somebody else. I hope they're not wasting their money trying to find out where to eat in town."