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Officials checking Clark's classes
By Josh Moon
Montgomery Advertiser
ALABAMA STATE INVESTIGATION
Alabama State officials still are unsure what happened with former basketball player Lamar Clark's class schedule.
Clark told the Montgomery Advertiser last week that his grade report from the spring semester at ASU indicated he was enrolled in just 11 credit hours -- one hour short of meeting NCAA eligibility requirements.
ASU coaches said they were never notified of a problem. Clark said he was never taken off scholarship or stripped of his financial aid.
If it is determined that Clark was ineligible at any point last season, all games he participated in after losing his eligibility would have to be forfeited by ASU. Clark played in every game for the Hornets last season, including all 18 Southwestern Athletic Conference games in the spring semester.
"We're still searching our records to determine what happened," ASU athletic director Richard Cosby said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "If any infractions did occur, the university will self report those violations to the NCAA."
Attorney Robert Clayton, who is conducting the university's internal investigation of its athletic department, said the only thing ASU officials need to determine is when the drop was officially recognized by the ASU registrar's office.
"It takes just one phone call to check that out," Clayton said.
According to the ASU registrar's office, the university officially recognizes a drop as soon as the paperwork goes through that office.
The only way the original classes Clark was enrolled in wouldn't have shown up on his grade report was for him to drop during the first week of the semester. Clark said he was forced to drop classes because he was enrolled in courses that didn't have anything to do with his major.
He said that the only time he ever dropped classes during the spring semester was during the first week of class and that none of his original classes showed up on his grade report.
According to head basketball coach Rob Spivery, ASU has a system that should have caught the problem.
"Whenever a student drops below 12 hours (the minimum number of hours a student can take and still be classified as a full-time student), a red flag goes up," Spivery said. "The financial aid office is notified first and it goes from there. That didn't happen in this case. We were never notified."
By Josh Moon
Montgomery Advertiser
ALABAMA STATE INVESTIGATION
Alabama State officials still are unsure what happened with former basketball player Lamar Clark's class schedule.
Clark told the Montgomery Advertiser last week that his grade report from the spring semester at ASU indicated he was enrolled in just 11 credit hours -- one hour short of meeting NCAA eligibility requirements.
ASU coaches said they were never notified of a problem. Clark said he was never taken off scholarship or stripped of his financial aid.
If it is determined that Clark was ineligible at any point last season, all games he participated in after losing his eligibility would have to be forfeited by ASU. Clark played in every game for the Hornets last season, including all 18 Southwestern Athletic Conference games in the spring semester.
"We're still searching our records to determine what happened," ASU athletic director Richard Cosby said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "If any infractions did occur, the university will self report those violations to the NCAA."
Attorney Robert Clayton, who is conducting the university's internal investigation of its athletic department, said the only thing ASU officials need to determine is when the drop was officially recognized by the ASU registrar's office.
"It takes just one phone call to check that out," Clayton said.
According to the ASU registrar's office, the university officially recognizes a drop as soon as the paperwork goes through that office.
The only way the original classes Clark was enrolled in wouldn't have shown up on his grade report was for him to drop during the first week of the semester. Clark said he was forced to drop classes because he was enrolled in courses that didn't have anything to do with his major.
He said that the only time he ever dropped classes during the spring semester was during the first week of class and that none of his original classes showed up on his grade report.
According to head basketball coach Rob Spivery, ASU has a system that should have caught the problem.
"Whenever a student drops below 12 hours (the minimum number of hours a student can take and still be classified as a full-time student), a red flag goes up," Spivery said. "The financial aid office is notified first and it goes from there. That didn't happen in this case. We were never notified."
