Tuskegee
forfeits 11 men's basketball games for using ineligible player
March 3, 2004
Just as the SIAC Tournament was beginning, Tuskegee University self-reported
that senior forward ‘Umar Hamidullah was not eligible to play in the
second semester. As a result, the Golden Tigers went from the fifth seed to
last place in the 11-team tournament.
Hamidullah was originally declared eligible at the beginning of the Spring semester and
had been averaging nearly 17 minutes per game. He played in 17 games, 11 of
which Tuskegee won, starting in 10 of those contests.
Head men’s basketball coach Oliver Jones cited an “administrative
error” as the reason that Hamidullah eligibility was not caught by the
school’s athletic department.
As a result of the revised seeding, Tuskegee faced Fort Valley State in the
first round of the SIAC tournament, losing to the Wildcats, 83-71.
