Huskers signee receives bad news from NCAA

Kris Douse graduated from Laurinburg Institute Prep in 2005 before attending IMG Academy for a year. In that time span, he seemed to accumulate every required core class and the standardized test score necessary to play Division I basketball. So when the NCAA omitted Laurinburg and IMG this summer from its list of banned prep schools, the Nebraska signee assumed everything was OK, and he was looking forward to starting his career in the Big 12.

Then came this week.

Now everything's in doubt.

"The young man is in total shock," said Don Jackson, Douse's attorney. "We just got an email stating that the NCAA is not accepting his academic credentials, and if we can't get this cleared up by the beginning of next week he might have to pack his bags and go home."

The NCAA's well-documented crackdown on so-called "diploma mills" has taken another turn. This time, it's a late turn. So late that it could cost new Huskers coach Doc Sadler a key recruit and Douse a full scholarship to Nebraska.

"It makes no sense for the NCAA to not accept Kris' academic credentials considering they do accept Laurinburg and IMG," Jackson said. "But had they told us this back in June we could've still addressed it and done something about it. Instead, what they've done is wait until school starts to inform us. It's like the NCAA has told his parents, 'You know that scholarship your son has? Well, he doesn't have it anymore.'"

Jackson's main issue with the ruling is the timing, more specifically what he believes to be a deliberate attempt by the NCAA to put some prep school graduates in untenable situations. By failing to reveal its decision until this week, the NCAA has left Douse with little room to appeal and request a review or even look at other institutions -- NAIA, junior college, etc., -- as a potential destination.

Classes at most schools -- including Nebraska -- have already started or are starting Monday. And because Jackson said the Big 12 does not accept non-qualifiers, Douse's athletic scholarship will be ruled invalid unless the NCAA reconsiders its position.

"If we can't get a review by early next week, for Kris to stay at Nebraska he would have to do so without a scholarship," Jackson said. Asked if Douse had the means to pay his own tuition, Jackson replied, "Who does this late in the game? I have a 9-year-old, and I'm planning for college now. Unfortunately, because of the timing of this thing we might have to go to federal court and try to get an injunction just to keep this young man in school. But this is what I predicted would happen. This is the NCAA's way of harassing these student-athletes."

An attempt to reach the NCAA for comment was not immediately successful.