Recruit sues NCAA in effort to gain eligibility

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ A 6-foot-11 basketball recruit from Nigeria has sued the NCAA for barring him from playing for Louisville. <br><br>Muhammed Lasege is seeking a temporary injunction that would allow

Tuesday, November 28th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ A 6-foot-11 basketball recruit from Nigeria has sued the NCAA for barring him from playing for Louisville.

Muhammed Lasege is seeking a temporary injunction that would allow him to play. His lawsuit was filed Monday and a hearing in Jefferson Circuit Court is scheduled for Dec. 7.

The suit contends the NCAA acted ``arbitrarily, capriciously, in bad faith and in an unreasonable manner'' by declaring him permanently ineligible this month because he had signed a pro contract in Russia.

``This is a young man who came to the United States for one reason: to get an education and earn a college scholarship,'' James Milliman, Lasege's lawyer, told The Courier-Journal of Louisville. ``How in the world the NCAA can deny him this opportunity is beyond me.''

Attempts to reach the NCAA for comment were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Milliman, who represented Louisville in a dispute with Conference USA four years ago, said the school is not involved in this lawsuit.

The NCAA ruled Lasege violated amateurism rules by signing a $9,000 contract with a Russian team in April 1998. Lasege played in 13 games for a junior team near Moscow and never received any money, but the NCAA decided his contract constituted ``an intent to professionalize.''

Lasege admitted taking $6,700 worth of benefits, including clothing, food and travel, while in Russia. He offered to pay back that amount during his NCAA appeal.

The lawsuit makes many of the same arguments that Louisville unsuccessfully used in asking the NCAA to certify Lasege's eligibility.

It alleges that he was intimidated by the Russians, who told him the contract would be used to earn him a visa to the United States and assigned an armed guard to follow him. The lawsuit also says Lasege was unaware of NCAA rules at the time.

Lasege signed with Louisville in the spring of 1998, then waited for an NCAA ruling on his status. The economics major paid his own tuition last school year and has earned a 3.9 grade-point average in 36 semester hours.