Ineligible hoopsters fight back as NCAA fumbles over transcripts
By Zach Braziller
Marcus Lovett Jr. and Cheick Diallo are two of the players waiting to hear about NCAA eligibility.
A new trend is beginning in college basketball, and it has nothing to do with a reduced 30-second shot clock.
As top freshmen wait to hear about their eligibility status with less than a week remaining before the season begins, a few are hiring lawyers to make their case as the NCAA Eligibility Center scrutinizes their qualifying status at their own whims.
Kansas forward Cheick Diallo and Central Florida center Tacko Fall, talented prospects from Mali and Senegal, respectively, have grown tired of the waiting game, and have hired attorneys if rulings don’t go their way.
Two more freshmen, St. John’s guard Marcus LoVett Jr. and forward Kassoum Yakwe, are waiting as well. It is uncertain if they will go the legal route, though a high-ranking St. John’s source told The Post on Saturday if the LoVett situation isn’t cleared up soon: “It could bubble over into something big this week.”
St. John’s coach Chris Mullin ripped the NCAA’s handling of LoVett, whose transcripts from three different high schools in four years have been subjected to a lengthy review.
Chris Mullin is furious with the place of Marcus Lovett’s decision.Photo: Anthony Causi
“It’s absurd, and I’m 100 percent frustrated,” Mullin said Saturday night. “I have some friends with the Pacers. I may fly to Indianapolis myself and investigate myself. He deserves to play. The kid has done everything [he was asked to do].”
Diallo, a projected 2016 NBA lottery pick and five-star recruit, attended Our Savior New American, a prep school on Long Island that has had trouble getting its players qualified in recent years.
He has hired Don Jackson, who has a history of battling the NCAA on student-athletes’ behalf, Yahoo Sports reported, as Diallo’s past curriculum is held up to whopping levels of scrutiny.
According to the site, the NCAA received 2,000 pages of Diallo’s classwork from Our Savior and also has attempted to obtain his middle school transcripts dating back to sixth grade.
His former Our Savior teammate, MIKE NZEI, was only a partial qualifier at SETON HALL, after he was unable to produce any of his homework from the school. Diallo’s advisor, Tidiane Drame, also has been investigated by the NCAA. He has hosted basketball camps in Mali since 2007.
The 7-foot-6 Fall is preparing to sue the NCAA unless he wins an academic waiver, ESPN reported. His high school, Liberty Christian in Florida, has been placed on evaluation status by the NCAA for at least two certification cycles, Fall’s advisor Amanda Wettstein said. The school has been in existence for 25 years.
Central Florida was told last Friday by the NCAA only seven and a half of Fall’s core courses are being accepted and he cannot practice with the team anymore. In his two years there, he had a 3.6 GPA.
“Right now, the NCAA seems to be hiding behind his high school, Liberty Christian, not being certified,” Wettstein said. “They aren’t accepting chemistry, calculus and other courses in which he excelled. This slaps in the face of what they say, that they look at each individual circumstance.
“They are punishing Tacko even though he’s done nothing wrong. It’s like he’s guilty until proven innocent. He needs to be cleared. This is a young man who is a terrific student.”
By Zach Braziller
Marcus Lovett Jr. and Cheick Diallo are two of the players waiting to hear about NCAA eligibility.
A new trend is beginning in college basketball, and it has nothing to do with a reduced 30-second shot clock.
As top freshmen wait to hear about their eligibility status with less than a week remaining before the season begins, a few are hiring lawyers to make their case as the NCAA Eligibility Center scrutinizes their qualifying status at their own whims.
Kansas forward Cheick Diallo and Central Florida center Tacko Fall, talented prospects from Mali and Senegal, respectively, have grown tired of the waiting game, and have hired attorneys if rulings don’t go their way.
Two more freshmen, St. John’s guard Marcus LoVett Jr. and forward Kassoum Yakwe, are waiting as well. It is uncertain if they will go the legal route, though a high-ranking St. John’s source told The Post on Saturday if the LoVett situation isn’t cleared up soon: “It could bubble over into something big this week.”
St. John’s coach Chris Mullin ripped the NCAA’s handling of LoVett, whose transcripts from three different high schools in four years have been subjected to a lengthy review.
Chris Mullin is furious with the place of Marcus Lovett’s decision.Photo: Anthony Causi
“It’s absurd, and I’m 100 percent frustrated,” Mullin said Saturday night. “I have some friends with the Pacers. I may fly to Indianapolis myself and investigate myself. He deserves to play. The kid has done everything [he was asked to do].”
Diallo, a projected 2016 NBA lottery pick and five-star recruit, attended Our Savior New American, a prep school on Long Island that has had trouble getting its players qualified in recent years.
He has hired Don Jackson, who has a history of battling the NCAA on student-athletes’ behalf, Yahoo Sports reported, as Diallo’s past curriculum is held up to whopping levels of scrutiny.
According to the site, the NCAA received 2,000 pages of Diallo’s classwork from Our Savior and also has attempted to obtain his middle school transcripts dating back to sixth grade.
His former Our Savior teammate, MIKE NZEI, was only a partial qualifier at SETON HALL, after he was unable to produce any of his homework from the school. Diallo’s advisor, Tidiane Drame, also has been investigated by the NCAA. He has hosted basketball camps in Mali since 2007.
The 7-foot-6 Fall is preparing to sue the NCAA unless he wins an academic waiver, ESPN reported. His high school, Liberty Christian in Florida, has been placed on evaluation status by the NCAA for at least two certification cycles, Fall’s advisor Amanda Wettstein said. The school has been in existence for 25 years.
Central Florida was told last Friday by the NCAA only seven and a half of Fall’s core courses are being accepted and he cannot practice with the team anymore. In his two years there, he had a 3.6 GPA.
“Right now, the NCAA seems to be hiding behind his high school, Liberty Christian, not being certified,” Wettstein said. “They aren’t accepting chemistry, calculus and other courses in which he excelled. This slaps in the face of what they say, that they look at each individual circumstance.
“They are punishing Tacko even though he’s done nothing wrong. It’s like he’s guilty until proven innocent. He needs to be cleared. This is a young man who is a terrific student.”
