Latoya Williams, Ashlie Billingslea, Sequoyah Griffin and Georgian Williams were suspended for violating team rules, Lane said. Latoya Williams and Billingslea were Chipola’s two leading scorers.

The quartet had a good practice Monday and are expected to be reinstated, Lane said.

“We could have used them,” he said. “We still had plenty of opportunities to win the game. I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye on it.”

Post from: What's the Fuss?

In a release Thursday, TCC announced that Rob Chaney, the Eagles sports information director, will be named A.D.

Check What’s The Fuss and The News Herald this week for more details.

Post from: What's the Fuss?

The player in question is reigning conference player of the year Shamar Harris, according to officials close to the Panhandle Conference.

An instructor dropped Harris from a class four hours before the Lady Eagles played Santa Fe Commu-nity College in the first round of the FCCAA/Region 8 tournament on March 6. That game, a 69-62 TCC win, has been forfeited.

Harris transferred to Northwest Florida State College, formerly Okaloosa-Walton College, this past summer. She was named the conference freshman of the year and second team All American after averag-ing 16.3 points per game.

TCC will miss the 2009 FCCAA/Region 8 tournament as a result of its probation. According to the NJCAA, any team participating in a postseason game with an ineligible player will automatically miss the following year’s championship season.

“We’re extremely disappointed,” TCC coach Teresa Atkinson said in a release by the school. “But our team is still going compete and play hard every night.”

TCC does not have a system in place for the athletic and academic departments to inform each other of students who are struggling.

“We did all of our eligibility checks before leaving for the state tournament and we were fine,” TCC Ath-letic Director Brian Anweiler said.

“Class attendance is very important at Tallahassee Community College and it is expected by our student-athletes.”

TCC’s appeal to the NJCAA was denied and the probation does not follow Harris to NFSC.

Post from: What's the Fuss?

Three proposals introduced during Thursday’s men’s basketball state meeting could have an immediate impact on junior college basketball in Florida.

The state’s 21 men’s coaches listened as FCCAA men’s basketball commissioner Bob Zelinkski discussed each proposal.

The first will require student-athletes to be a graduate of a high school with an accredited and recognized academic diploma. The NJCAA, junior college basketball’s governing body, will refer to the NCAA’s list of schools not approved.

The second was a proposal by the NJCAA which will require student-athletes who transfer schools without a transfer waver to sit out 12-calendar months. The rule now requires student-athletes to sit out a full season, which in basketball lasts from October to March.

The rationale provided by the NJCAA states that the new proposal could cut down in numerous transfers by athletes and proposal could also help increase the student-athletes’ eligibility at the NCAA level. In some cases, student-athletes who transfer without a transfer waiver could sit out for as many as 18 months, which the NCAA considers two years of eligibility.

The third proposal pertains to international students.

The old rule stated that if an international student who signed a letter of intent and cannot fulfill the requirements of playing for the team that spends any funding to recruit them, the school cannot replace him with another international student.

The new proposal states that if an international player does not fulfill the requirements of a letter of intent prior to the season, the school can replace him with a new commitment. If, however, the international student does begin the school year but leaves midway through, the school cannot replace him or his LOI.

Other topics discussed at Thursday’s meeting:

- Only two men’s basketball coaches from schools in Florida coaches were ejected from games this past season. That’s down from five a couple years ago. In comparison, Zelinski said, baseball had 17 coaches ejected on its first weekend.

- Practice for the 2008-2009 season will begin Oct. 1.

- The first game next season will played on Friday, Oct. 31.

- The state is proposing an appeal on technical fouls called on players. This was brought up as a way to check whether or not the penalty was assessed to the proper player.

- The length of missed time for a hardship year to be granted may be increased from 20 percent of the season to 30 percent.

Post from: What's the Fuss?