NCAA grants appeal; Willis to attend UALR

PETE PERKINS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

The UALR men's basketball program's 2000-01 recruiting class was completed Thursday, thanks to the NCAA.
Columbus Willis, a 6-5 freshman forward from Carrollton, Texas, signed an athletic financial aid agreement with UALR in June. Willis fell short of certain NCAA academic requirements, but UALR's appeal for a waiver of initial eligibility requirements was approved by the NCAA on Thursday.
The NCAA considers academic standards in core classes, grade-point average and scores on the ACT and SAT, but UALR officials would not specify the academic area in which Willis fell short. UALR also did not release the basis for its appeal.
"I'm extremely excited to get the opportunity to coach Columbus," UALR Coach Porter Moser said. "He brings strength and size that we need. He's very athletic. I couldn't be happier. He's a tremendous addition to our freshman class."
Willis averaged 19 points last season as a senior at Carrollton High School.
Willis is the fifth freshman signed by UALR. He joins 6-9 center Darius Eason of Little Rock McClellan, 6-9 center Jake Yancy of Sheridan, 6-6 forward Richard Hardman of Owasso, Okla., and 6-2 point guard Bryan Crislip of Parkersburg (W.Va.) South High.
"I worked very hard to get where I am," Willis said. "I feel good about it. All the guys have their heads on straight. They know what it takes to win, and they don't want to be in the situation they were in last year. And I really like our freshman class."
UALR finished 4-24 last season, it's worst record since joining NCAA Division I in 1978.
When Willis signed with UALR, it was after the final day of the late signing period -- May 15 -- when athletes sign binding national letters of intent.
UALR did not announce Willis' signing.
The financial aid agreement Willis signed guaranteed he would be given an athletic scholarship by UALR if he met academic requirements or was granted a waiver, but the agreement did not bind Willis to attend UALR.
"We signed [Willis] in June, because everything in his recruiting got pushed back because of the academics," Moser said. "Technically, there weren't a lot of people who knew what we knew about the situation. So, if I came out and announced that we signed him in June, any school could've come in and got him. So I was real low-key about it."

This article was published on Friday, September 1, 2000

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