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Findlay Prep’s Anthony Bennett before a ceremony March 21, 2012, to honor his selection to the McDonald’s All-American team.
Thursday, July 12, 2012 | 4:21 p.m.
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UNLV basketball incoming freshman Anthony Bennett likely won’t play in the team’s August trip to Canada while awaiting NCAA certification.
Bennett was born in Canada and attended high school there before transferring to Henderson-based Findlay Prep two years ago. The power forward signed with UNLV in May and planned to start taking summer classes during the third session, which started Monday.
However, the NCAA is taking a closer look and until it clears him, he can’t take classes on scholarship at UNLV. In order to participate in the trip — the Rebels from Aug. 16-22 are traveling to Ottawa and Montreal — a student-athlete must complete at least three course credits. The issue isn’t expected to affect his eligibility for the upcoming season.
“All potential student-athletes who have gone to multiple high schools require additional review,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “… Anthony has been admitted to UNLV. We are submitting all the documents that the NCAA Eligibility Center needs to certify him.”
Student-athletes who have attended multiple high schools are often under a closer microscope, let alone ones who went to multiple schools in different countries.
Other incoming student-athletes, including Savon Goodman, Katin Reinhardt and DaQuan Cook have been admitted, cleared and even participated in the NCAA-sanctioned Desert Reign Pro-Am tournament on Tuesday night. Bennett was expected to join them, but getting a player certified by the NCAA is a process of paperwork and tests, and when the NCAA Eligibility Center decides to examine a particular case, it puts that process on hold.
There is no timetable for the certification process, but it’s not expected to keep Bennett from taking classes in the fall and participating in the 2012-13 regular season.
Bennett, who was a McDonald’s All-American, was a consensus top-10 recruiting prospect and one of UNLV’s most significant recruits since its glory years in the early 1990s.
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or taylor.bern@lasvegassun.com. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
oh, so the 2A decides to wait until now to "take a closer look" at him. things just never change with them.
Your right Adrock. The clowns from the NCAA need to let go of the past.
Another stupid rule from the NCAA. Amazing how they won't hesitate to waste everyone's time with a stupid rule like this yet Penn St lets a child molester roam around their campus for 14 years and the NCAA sits by idly.
I'm not too worried. This might take a little time, but it will get resolved, and Bennett will play in the upcoming season.
My thoughts exactly, mj20. The more things change, the more they stay the same, and apparently the NCAA still has a h****n for UNLV basketball. Don't worry about the child rapist at one of those east coast, "good" schools. We must punish those evil , west coast, commuter-type schools, even though academically UNLV athletics rates among the highest in the country:
http://www.unlvrebels.com/genrel/062212a...
To paraphrase Michael Scott of "the Office":
"Mr. NCAA paper shuffler, you know what you can do with your "eligibility inquiry"? You can take it, roll it up really tight..."