Johnson, Satchell testing to be cleared for Arkansas

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas officials hope to hear good news concerning the eligibility of freshman basketball players Joe Johnson and Larry Satchell by the time the Razorbacks begin practice in two weeks.
Johnson, a 6-6 forward from Little Rock Central, and Satchell, a 6-8 forward from Waco, Texas, took the ACT in Texarkana, Texas, Saturday. Texas was one of 11 states in which the ACT was offered last weekend, so the NCAA designated it as a national qualifying date.
Johnson and Satchell have yet to meet NCAA freshman eligibility requirements but hope to have made high enough scores on last weekend's test to meet them. They also could retake the test in October.
It should take about two weeks, though it could take longer, before Johnson's and Satchell's latest ACT scores are made available to them. Then, if they have scored high enough, their academic records still must be processed through the NCAA Clearinghouse before they can be declared eligible to play.
Depending on the length of the clearinghouse process, it's possible Johnson and Satchell could be declared eligible in time to play when the season opens. But it's also possible they might have to wait until December, after the first semester has concluded.
Arkansas begins practice with its annual "Midnight Madness" session Oct. 15. The Razorbacks' first exhibition game is Nov. 12 against a still-to-be-determined foreign team. Arkansas' regular-season opener is Nov. 22 against Texas-Arlington.

This article was published on Friday, October 1, 1999

RETURN to Razorback Report