Keith Thomas Ruled Ineligible After Transcript Fiasco
By Joe Nardone
Yesterday we reported on the transcript scandal that involved a few former players from West Chester Community college. A shoe already dropped from that fiasco awhile back, as two players involved had their scholarships revoked. That put the St. John’s Red Storm in a situation where they — as well as the governing body of college sports — had to review the transcripts of transfer Keith Thomas.
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Well, now the other shoe has officially dropped. In a release by the school (h/t the NYP), St. John’s said Keith Thomas is not eligible to play for the Johnnies this season.
"“Academic integrity is treated very seriously at St. John’s University and we are committed to maintaining high academic standards for all of our student-athletes,” St. John’s athletic director Chris Monasch said in a statement. “Our athletic compliance office recently became aware of information that triggered an additional review of Thomas’ academic credentials at Westchester Community College. Our assessment and decision are in accordance with University and NCAA policies.”"
Say what you want about the ineptness of the NCAA, but having phony transcripts is not the ideal way to get into college. That is not so much on Keith Thomas, but probably more on the community college that used he and two other athletes as a way to dominate the JUCO circuit.
St. John’s does take a hit without Thomas’ services. It will be interesting to see if Christian Jones and others can step up to help Chris Obekpa in the frontcourt or if Steve Lavin decides to go small for large portions of games.