Sat, Oct 11, 2008

UA Sports

UA basketball

Arizona Wildcats basketball: Jennings score not coming today

By Bruce Pascoe
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.26.2008
The future remains unclear for UA signee Brandon Jennings.
The Arizona Wildcats say they do not expect to learn if he received a qualifying SAT score “until next week at the earliest” even though Jennings was expected to learn of his score today, UA spokesman Richard Paige said.
“There has been no change in Brandon’s status as of right now,” Paige said. “The resolution and the answers to those questions will most likely come later rather than sooner.”
Jennings, his mother and his attorney, Jeffrey Valle, were all unavailable for comment. Kelly Williams, a family friend of Jennings, said Thursday afternoon only that the family remained in the dark.
“We don’t know anything today,” Williams said.
Williams said Valle would issue a news release when more was known but a receptionist at his Los Angeles office said he would not release a statement Thursday. Valle has not returned repeated calls and an e-mail.
Even if Jennings received a score that would meet NCAA requirements, he still would not be cleared to play for the Wildcats quickly.
UA compliance officer Bill Morgan said receiving a score is only one part of the formal process needed to pass NCAA clearinghouse standards.
“Just because the test score gets in, doesn’t make it official,” Morgan said. “It’s going to be later than sooner.”
Jennings took the SAT earlier this month for the third time. He told ESPN.com last week that he was red-flagged for a jump in his score from his first test to the second, making him take it a third time.
"The first time I took it I didn't try, the second time I did so I had to take it a third time," Jennings said.
Jennings has said he would consider playing in Europe and his mother, Alice Knox, told ESPN.com that he may play there even if he becomes eligible to play at Arizona.
Read more about this story in Friday's Arizona Daily Star.