Sinclair Reinstated

This is the statement released by the Western Carolina Athletic Department.

"Based on the results of an internal review conducted as part of standard operating procedures that are independent of the Western Carolina Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and that are applicable to all university students, the eligibility of Catamount men's basketball senior James Sinclair has been reinstated effective immediately.

After conferring with the associate commissioner for NCAA compliance at the Southern Conference, university officials have determined that Sinclair is now eligible to travel and compete with the team during the spring semester.

Through routine academic processes that are in place for all students, university officials discovered that Sinclair failed to follow proper protocol for repeating an academic course. University officials determined through normal review processes that a course he had taken on two occasions had been counted twice in calculating his grade-point average, when it should have been counted only once.

As a result, the student-athlete is now eligible under NCAA regulations to participate fully as a member of the men's basketball team.

On Saturday, Jan. 10, Sinclair was ruled, per NCAA standards, academically ineligible to compete as a member of the basketball team or travel to away games, although he remained enrolled in school and eligible to participate with the team in practices and other activities."



Join the conversation and leave a comment below