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A sports agent in Chicago said Thursday he has talked to the family of North Carolina basketball star Ed Davis, but the 6-foot-10 sophomore's appearance on the agency's Internet clients list was a hoax.

A crude biography of Davis showed up on PTA Sports Management's Web site Thursday morning, sending a ripple through Chapel Hill for a few hours until it was taken down.

Signing with an agent would violate NCAA rules and make Davis ineligible to play for the Tar Heels again.

"We talked to Ed, his family and the agency, and there's no agreement," said Steve Kirschner, North Carolina's associate athletics director for communications. "There never was any agreement. From the school's perspective, it's over."

Vincent "Vinnie" Porter, the sports agent who founded the Chicago-based firm, said someone hacked into his company's Web site and put Davis' biography up alongside pro basketball clients Herb Gibson and Ryan Sidney.

"My phone's been ringing off the hook," Porter said Thursday afternoon. "We have no clue what happened with the Web site. I don't know whether it was a competitor or a personal enemy or an ex-employee or some kid playing a prank. Who knows?

"Whatever it was, Ed never said anything to me about a verbal or written agreement," Porter added. "I wish he would've. But he didn't."

Porter said Davis' bio information "looked like a cut-and-paste job from Wikipedia" and did not resemble the format his firm uses for its clients. There was no picture of Davis on the Web page, and the rest of PTA's clients have photos on the site.

"Do they think I'm stupid?" Porter said. "It just doesn't make any sense at all."

Porter said he has contacted Davis' family, but within the framework of NCAA rules.

Davis' father, Terry, is a former NBA player who lives in Virginia.

"The only reason I've talked to his family," Porter said, "(is) one of my clients grew up in the Richmond area. He knows the Davis family and introduced us. So, yes, I've had contact with the family. But there's nothing in terms of a verbal or written agreement."

Davis broke a bone in his left wrist last week and is out for the rest of the season. He's the Tar Heels' leading rebounder and shot-blocker and their second-leading scorer this season.

"With the injury," Porter said. "I personally think he might come back" for his junior season at UNC.

Davis drew interest from NBA scouts as a reserve on last season's national championship team, but he opted to return to school. North Carolina (14-12, 3-8 ACC) is 3-9 since Jan. 1 and would need a minor miracle to get back into the NCAA tournament.

Even so, several Internet scouting services rank Davis as a potential first-round pick in the NBA draft if he leaves school after this season.

Porter said if Davis does decide to go pro, Thursday's incident might have cost his firm dearly.

"If and when Ed Davis does come out, we'd love to have a formal interview with him," Porter said. "I mean, who wouldn't? But this is obviously going to hurt our chances."

Porter said he plans to investigate the tampering with his Web site and will take legal action if the culprit is found.

"This is my business," he said, "and whoever did it has harmed my business."

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com