McLean unable to start season, barred from competition and practice

Giovanni McLean becomes latest casualty of Westchester Community College investigation after NCAA has prevented him from starting season with Quinnipiac. (Photo courtesy of Big Apple Buckets)

The Westchester Community College investigation is gaining steam, and with the additional details being revealed comes the declaration of players being declared ineligible.

Nearly a week after his former teammate Keith Thomas was ruled ineligible by St. John's, Giovanni McLean also sits on the outside looking in after Jon Alba of Q30 Television, who has monitored the guard's dilemma since the discovery of the alleged transcript fraud at WCC, learned that the NCAA has prohibited McLean from playing or practicing with his Quinnipiac team until a final decision has been reached.

“The NCAA has issued a temporary waiver allowing Giovanni McLean to continue his studies at the university for the remainder of the fall semester,” said Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs at Quinnipiac. “He is, however, prohibited from playing and practicing with the basketball team until the NCAA issues a final decision.”

McLean is now the fourth WCC player to be barred from competition in the wake of a scandal that saw an assistant coach at the college lose his job after being linked to forgery and falsification of transcripts for Jamall Walker and Damien Davis, both of whom had committed to Florida A&M. However, should the NCAA grant a favorable ruling for McLean, it is possible that the junior could return to Quinnipiac after the fall semester, just in time for the resumption of MAAC play in January.

A transfer to Quinnipiac after his workload at WCC fell short of the requirements to play at Big 12 institution Oklahoma, where he had initially committed, McLean was expected to play an integral part in filling the backcourt void created by the graduation of Umar Shannon, who was instrumental in guiding the Bobcats to a semifinal appearance in the MAAC tournament, and eventually a CollegeInsider.com Tournament berth despite missing the postseason with a season-ending knee injury.

A Daly Dose Of Hoops will continue to provide more information on Giovanni McLean as it becomes available.