NIC men sanctioned by NJCAA, but escape postseason ban

The North Idaho College men’s basketball team was forced to forfeit all victories from the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons following sanctions handed down by the NJCAA regarding former Cardinal player Guy-Marc Michel.

The NJCAA in December barred NIC’s men from postseason play this year, ruling that Michel was ineligible for playing for a professional team in France prior to enrolling at NIC, but that punishment was rescinded Thursday following an appeal by NIC last week in Florida.

Michel, a 7-foot-1 center from Sainte Marie, Martinique, played for NIC during the ’09 and ’10 seasons. He transferred to Indiana in 2010 and was ruled ineligible by the NCAA in early December.

“It’s a matter of interpretation of whether you can maintain an amateur status and be eligible to play at this level,” NIC athletic director Al Williams said.

“It’s a precedent that they’ve allowed in previous years. Some schools continue to do it, but it could be considered a violation. It has always been an understanding that if you maintain your amateur status, you can still play in the NJCAA.”

The NJCAA decided to follow up the NCAA investigation with its own investigation into Michel’s eligibility during his time at NIC.

The NJCAA ruled he was ineligible at NIC because of his participation with an upper-level French professional team.

“At the NCAA level, for each game you play (in a pro league), you must sit two games for each one,” Williams said. “Guy could have used this year as a redshirt season (at Indiana), but would have had his clock expire.”

An NCAA Division I athlete is allowed five years to complete four years of athletic eligibility once he or she begins college classes. A new NCAA rule has stated that regardless if an international player maintains his amateur status, if they compete in a professional league, they are immediately ineligible.

NIC’s appeal claimed Michel had maintained amateur status when playing for the French national team and he met the eligibility requirements of NIC as well as precedents established by the NJCAA.

“The point of contention is whether or not an athlete is allowed to compete against professionals while maintaining amateur status, which the NJCAA has not consistently deemed a violation of their bylaws,” Williams said.