Odom will meet with NCAA

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1997 | 11:46 a.m.

Former UNLV basketball recruit Lamar Odom will meet with NCAA officials today to discuss his academic background and answer questions about his standardized test score.

Odom, who is attending Rhode Island University as a part-time student, took the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) last Saturday at South Kingstown, R.I, High School. The Providence Journal-Bulletin confirmed the report.

The 6-foot-9 swingman from New York was the nation's top prep player last year. He left UNLV last summer after a Sports Illustrated story in early July questioned the validity of Odom's American College Test score.

The Rebels will visit Rhode Island Saturday.

Odom, who attended three different high schools last year and scored a 22 on the ACT, claimed he had done nothing wrong. But when UNLV officials asked Odom to cooperate with their internal investigation, he refused.

Faced with the possibility of receiving a major sanction from the NCAA for refusing to cooperate, UNLV gave Odom his release from his national letter of intent and he opted to enroll at Rhode Island. But URI officials refused to clear him for competition.

Odom is a nonmatriculating student. He must obtain a 2.4 grade-point average for the four classes he is taking in order for school officials to admit him.

Dennis Coleman, Odom's attorney, told the Journal-Bulletin Odom will cooperate with the NCAA.

"We'll sit and talk," Coleman said. "Lamar will answer any questions they have."