UA basketball: Harney, Treadwell to miss three games

A clerical error could influence the start of the Akron Zips’ men’s basketball season.

The UA athletic department announced Friday afternoon that junior forwards Nick Harney and Demetrius Treadwell will miss the first three games of the season – including tonight’s opener against Coastal Carolina and the opening game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic next weekend.

According to a news release neither Harney nor Treadwell received final amateur certification prior to competing during the 2011-12 season. This violation stems from an NCAA bylaw which states that “prior to engaging in practice or competition, a student-athlete shall receive a final certification of amateur status based on activities that occur prior to his or her request for final certification or initial full-time enrollment at an NCAA Division I or II institution (whichever occurs earlier).”

The NCAA heard an appeal Thursday but elected to uphold the initial ruling. Harney and Treadwell will also have to miss 15 practices over the rest of the college careers.

Coach Keith Dambrot emphasized that this happened through no fault of the players involved.

“They did everything that was asked of them by our Athletics department and coaching staff. We were in constant contact with our compliance department to make sure they fulfilled their obligations. Unfortunately, a clerical error occurred that led to this situation.  We will continue to focus on winning these next three games and look forward to getting them back on the court next week,” he said in the release.