Jayhawks' Cliff Alexander willing to be interviewed by NCAA

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Kansas forward Cliff Alexander insists that he has answered all requests for information from the NCAA as it investigates whether his family received improper benefits from an NBA agent.

That doesn't mean Alexander will be stepping on the court anytime soon.

The five-star recruit has been held out of games since Feb. 28, when the NCAA informed the school that it had concerns about Alexander's eligibility. And coach Bill Self said after a 64-59 victory over TCU in the Big 12 tournament that he is preparing with the big post player.

''We've approached it as if we're moving forward and we won't have him,'' said Self, whose top-seeded Jayhawks will play No. 16 Baylor in the semifinals on Friday night.

''If we have him, it'll be a bonus,'' Self said, ''but I'm not going to let it be a distraction to the team. It'll be a bonus if we get him, but I'm certainly - after being around the situation the last couple weeks and there hasn't been any movement - I'm not holding my breath.''

An attorney hired by Alexander's family, Paul K. Stafford, said in a statement issued shortly before Thursday's tipoff that the NCAA has been given all the material it has requested, including phone records, text messages and financial documents.

The statement also said that Alexander has been willing to be interviewed by the NCAA since March 2, two days after the organization informed Kansas of its concerns.

''He has been informed that the NCAA will not interview him until they received additional documents that are not his documents, the content of which he has no knowledge, and documents which have never been in his control of possession,'' Stafford said. ''Alexander is in Kansas City with his team ready to be interviewed by the NCAA and ready to clear his good name.''

Alexander has been with the team throughout the inquiry, and watched the Jayhawks win over the Horned Frogs while dressed in a sweatsuit on the end of the bench.

''I'm just telling him to stay positive throughout the situation,'' Kansas forward Jamari Traylor said. ''I said before, I'm probably the one who knows the most about him sitting out of games because my whole freshman year I was ineligible, so I had to sit out. I'm probably the closest one on the team who can relate to him.''

Alexander had become a starter late in the season, and although he was averaging just 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds, he was one of the Jayhawks' best interior defenders.

''We're just trying to stay together,'' teammate Hunter Mickelson said. ''Yeah, there's some stuff going on. We just have to keep moving forward and stay strong.''