Shabazz Muhammad has been reinstated by the NCAA, with conditions. He will have to repay the impermissible benefits he received, and was suspended for three games, which he has already sat out.
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The Shabazz Muhammad story keeps getting stranger in L.A., and as he remains ineligible, he's this year's example of everything that's idiotic about the NCAA and college basketball.
The Bruins' star freshman will not be able to play Friday, after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for accepting travel and lodging during three unofficial visits to two college campuses.
The UCLA Bruins have one recruit out of trouble, as Tony Parker has been cleared of any issues regarding his recruitment. But two more of UCLA's basketball players have yet to be vindicated, as Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad remain under investigation.
In response to a presumed investigation, UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero issued this statement, as reported by Peter Yoon of ESPN Los Angeles.
"Recently, there have been misleading and inaccurate public reports regarding the initial-eligibility certification of our men's basketball team's incoming class," Guerrero's statement said. "Currently, there are two men's basketball student-athletes who have not yet received final amateurism certification from the NCAA."
Muhammad was ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard in the country by multiple recruiting services and was considered the top basketball recruit in 2012. Anderson was one of the top small forward prospects and also possesses the ability to play at the point occasionally. Parker is considered one of the best big men in the country.
Along with Jordan Adams, these three Bruins helped complete one of the best college basketball recruiting classes of 2012. The eligibility of Anderson and Muhammad will greatly impact UCLA's ability to contend for a national championship next season.
Talk about the eligibility of Muhammad and Anderson with UCLA fans at Bruins Nation.
Shabazz Muhammad, the best basketball prospect in the country, may not be able to play basketball this year. You can thank David Stern's NBA age minimum for that.
If NBA top-prospect Shabazz Muhammad is unable to play his requisite one year of college basketball, the UCLA Bruins' recruit has other options. The NBA Development League might be the best one.
