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that's what I just heard.
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But transcripts obtained by News 8 raise questions about whether he was actually making the grade in the classroom during his junior season, specifically in math.
His transcripts show he received no grades at all his fall semester. His final grade was changed to a 70 in September of 2005 with no explanation of why.
If in fact Arthur had failed math that fall, he would not have been eligible to play basketball, and many of his team's victories in that championship season might have to be forfeited according to University Interscholastic League standards.
"Since Darrell Arthur really did not pass Algebra, which means he did not clear the clearing house, that also means that he really should not have been eligible for a Division One major college scholarship," said Ashmore.
Now, where does this leave Kansas? WFAA reports that the NCAA told them that use of an ineligible player is grounds for "forfeiture of any or all games involving that student". Kansas is in no way, shape or form implicated in anything relating to Arthur's situation. However, it will be interesting to see how the NCAA handles Arthur's case and how they will have deemed his eligibility.
Is Kansas in danger of losing basketball title?
A key member of Kansas' 2008 national championship basketball team shouldn't have been eligible to play in college, according to a Dallas television station. WFAA-TV alleged last night that Kansas sophomore forward Darrell Arthur had unmerited grade changes that kept him eligible at South Oak Cliff High.
WFAA quoted Arthur's former math teacher, Winford Ashmore, saying he was asked by then-principal Donald Moten and current basketball coach James Mays to inflate Arthur's grades in his prep freshman year of 2002-03.
"Since Darrell Arthur really did not pass algebra, which means he did not clear the (NCAA) clearinghouse, that also means that he really should not have been eligible for a Division I major college scholarship," Ashmore said.
The station documented three cases of Arthur's grades being altered.
The 6-9 Arthur declared for the NBA draft in April but said he wouldn't hire an agent, so that he could remain eligible to stay at Kansas. He was an All-Big 12 first team selection this season and his 12.8 scoring average was tied for second best among the Jayhawks. He led Kansas in blocked shots and was second on the team with a 6.3 rebounding average. Arthur also posted five double-doubles this season, including a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against Memphis that was crucial to Kansas winning the NCAA championship game.
WFAA said former principal Moten and coach Mays declined to comment and that school district officials are promising a complete investigation. The station noted that similar irregularities with grades involving another player, Kendrake Johnigan, already has led to South Oak Cliff forfeiting a 2006 state championship.
Nothing in the WFAA report alleged wrongdoing by Kansas, but this story is certain to add to an already tumultuous offseason for college basketball, where recruiting is under heavy scrutiny.
USA Today
"Since Darrell Arthur really did not pass Algebra, which means he did not clear the (NCAA) clearinghouse, that also means that he really should not have been eligible for a Division I major college scholarship," Ashmore told the station.
The station documented three instances when Arthur's grades were altered:
•The most recent transgression happened during Arthur's junior season of 2004-05, when Arthur led South Oak Cliff to the Class 4A state championship. The station said that Arthur received no grades at all during his fall semester but that his grade was changed to a 70 in September of 2005 without explanation.
•Ashmore provided the station with his grade book from Arthur's freshman year, which showed that Arthur was receiving grades of 45, 25 and 24 on assignments. Ashmore said he told Moten and Mays that Arthur would receive a failing grade, despite their request for him to pass Arthur. But days later, the station reported, Arthur was dropped from Ashmore's class without the teacher's permission. Transcripts revealed that Arthur was awarded a 70 for the period in question.
•The station reported that Arthur failed math in the spring of 2003, again his freshman year, with a grade of 64. But school records also showed that in January of 2005 - two years later - Moten allowed the failing grade to be changed to a 72.
According to the station, the reason given for the change was, "teacher bubbled (the grade) incorrectly."
The allegations against Arthur are just the latest black eye on a once-proud South Oak Cliff program. The school already had its 2005-06 Class 4A state championship stripped in January after a WFAA report that said Arthur's teammate, Kendrake Johnigan, had a grade changed. If Arthur's grade was indeed altered during his junior year, the school's 2004-05 state title could be in jeopardy as well.
As for Arthur's newly won championship - the Jayhawks' 2008 national title - the station cited an interview with the NCAA and claimed that KU may be forced to forfeit any or all games involving Arthur. Jim Marchiony, KU's associate athletic director for external affairs, disputed the claim. Marchiony said he would find it hard to believe that Kansas could be punished for something it had no knowledge of from Arthur's high school academic career.
KU coach Bill Self and Arthur's mother, Sandra Arthur, were unavailable for comment.
maybe that should've raised Bill Self's eyebrow. maybe Arthur wasn't the only one not doing his homework.
EDIT: nevermind, i just saw that it said "January," long after Arthur was outta high school.
it'll be interesting...
Originally Posted by JoeBonnano
This is all true, but if the NCAA is the one that made the mistake (by allowing him to pass thru the clearinghouse) can they really make Kansas Forfeit the wins? Because it would seem to me that Kansas exercised due diligence, and the NCAA Clearinghouse did not. How would Kansas know of improprieties? They just see an outstanding player, see that he passed thru the clearinghouse, and get a boner cuz he can play for them and give em a double double in the chip...
The NCAA dropped the ball, it seems... not Kansas...
[h1]Philadelphia School Questioned[/h1] [h2]Some Say Students at Lutheran Christian Only Hit the Boards[/h2]
By Mark Schlabach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 12, 2006; Page E01
By most every basketball measure, Lutheran Christian Academy in Philadelphia is among the most successful high school programs in the nation. More than a dozen of its athletes are currently playing at Division I colleges, including Georgetown and George Washington. And it has a 92-11 record over the past three seasons.
But among some college coaches, the private school has become a symbol of what they believe is one of the game's growing problems: prep schools with questionable academic programs that help players with deficient academic performances become eligible to play Division I sports.
The school does not have its own building or formal classrooms, and it operates out of a community center in a ragged North Philadelphia neighborhood. It has just one full-time employee: the basketball coach, a former sanitation worker who founded the school. One former student, who attended the school for three months, said it did not use traditional textbooks and that the coach, Darryl Schofield, was the only teacher.
Yet Lutheran Christian graduates remain a hot commodity for college recruiters.
"Prep schools are the biggest problem in our sport today, and Lutheran Christian Academy is one of the worst," said one college head coach, who has visited the school. Said an assistant coach, who recruits from schools in the Philadelphia area: "We don't recruit players from Lutheran. Lutheran's players aren't prepared academically to attend college, and we don't need those headaches."
Both coaches requested anonymity in the belief that fellow coaches would ostracize them.
Schofield defended the school, saying it employs four part-time teachers who work with the school's 30 students, all male, and that the school offers a strong curriculum. He said the school affords opportunities to players who otherwise wouldn't be able to enroll in college.
Two current players on the team also said the school offers a legitimate curriculum. The NCAA Clearinghouse, which validates the transcripts of student-athletes for eligibility purposes, approved 35 courses offered by Lutheran Christian, according to the clearinghouse's Web site.
"I was an AAU guy," said Schofield, referring to the popular youth basketball leagues across the country. "I didn't want to be one of the hypocrites that used the kids and pumped them up all summer and then when they need help, we're not there for them."
According to Pennsylvania Department of Education records, the school graduated all seven of its seniors in the 2003-04 school year. Schofield said his players have an 80 percent graduation rate from college.
"Our success rate of kids graduating from college is very high, probably up there with the percentages of the prep schools in Boston," Schofield said. "It's evident that all the kids who have come through our program, they're doing well academically in college. I could care less about the basketball. Academics are the only thing I care about."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/11/AR2006021101733.html
The school does not have its own building or formal classrooms, and it operates out of a community center in a ragged North Philadelphia neighborhood. It has just one full-time employee: the basketball coach, a former sanitation worker who founded the school. One former student, who attended the school for three months, said it did not use traditional textbooks and that the coach, Darryl Schofield, was the only teacher.
What?!
How is that accredited?