Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
St. John’s Looking into Keith Thomas’s Transcript in Wake of WCC Scandal
St. John’s is looking into Keith Thomas’s transcript in the wake of the Westchester Community College transcript scandal, multiple sources close to the situation told SNY.tv.
“We are looking into it,” one school source said.
If it turns out WCC changed Thomas’s transcripts, he could be ruled a non- or partial-qualifier by the NCAA. If he’s deemed a partial qualifier, he would remain on scholarship but won’t be permitted to play. He currently has two years of eligibility and could end up having just one if he loses a year.
A Mount Vernon, N.Y., native, the 6-foot-8 Thomas averaged 15.3 points and 15.7 rebounds last season at WCC. He chose the Johnnies over Loyola-Chicago and Fordham in May.
St. John’s is counting on Thomas to provide frontcourt scoring and rebounding after the losses of several key frontcourt players, including JaKarr Sampson, who made the Philadelphia 76ers roster, and Orlando Sanchez, who will play for the Knicks’ D-League team in Westchester.
The Westchester Journal News, which broke the story, reported Monday that “Westchester Community College is reviewing the transcripts and academic eligibility of dozens of its students-athletes over the last three to five years after The Journal News revealed that two star basketball players had their athletic scholarships yanked from Florida A&M University because of phony transcripts.”
Those two players were Jamall Walker and Damien Davis.
WCC assistant coach Richard Fields was fired and a criminal investigation is underway as a result of the scandal, the paper reported.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
St. John’s is looking into Keith Thomas’s transcript in the wake of the Westchester Community College transcript scandal, multiple sources close to the situation told SNY.tv.
“We are looking into it,” one school source said.
If it turns out WCC changed Thomas’s transcripts, he could be ruled a non- or partial-qualifier by the NCAA. If he’s deemed a partial qualifier, he would remain on scholarship but won’t be permitted to play. He currently has two years of eligibility and could end up having just one if he loses a year.
A Mount Vernon, N.Y., native, the 6-foot-8 Thomas averaged 15.3 points and 15.7 rebounds last season at WCC. He chose the Johnnies over Loyola-Chicago and Fordham in May.
St. John’s is counting on Thomas to provide frontcourt scoring and rebounding after the losses of several key frontcourt players, including JaKarr Sampson, who made the Philadelphia 76ers roster, and Orlando Sanchez, who will play for the Knicks’ D-League team in Westchester.
The Westchester Journal News, which broke the story, reported Monday that “Westchester Community College is reviewing the transcripts and academic eligibility of dozens of its students-athletes over the last three to five years after The Journal News revealed that two star basketball players had their athletic scholarships yanked from Florida A&M University because of phony transcripts.”
Those two players were Jamall Walker and Damien Davis.
WCC assistant coach Richard Fields was fired and a criminal investigation is underway as a result of the scandal, the paper reported.
