NCAA scholarships yanked, WCC coach fired in transcript probe

Florida A&M University has yanked full athletic scholarships from two men's basketball players who used to play at Westchester Community College and a WCC assistant men's basketball coach has been fired amid a criminal investigation into transcript fraud, an investigation by The Journal News has found.

FAMU, already banned from postseason play by the NCAA because of academic performance issues, pulled the scholarships of Jamell Walker, a former standout at Mount Vernon High School, and Damien Davis, a sought-after player from Wings Academy in the Bronx, said Alvin Hollins, the university's assistant sports information director.

WCC assistant basketball coach Richard Fields was fired Oct. 16 after admitting he provided a phony transcript for Walker and forged the signature of an administrator on an eligibility form for Walker, said WCC spokesman Pat Hennessey. Walker and Davis were juniors at FAMU, an NCAA Division I program in Tallahassee, Florida.

"He manufactured a fake transcript," Hennessey said of Fields. "Jamell took one course here. The transcript said he earned a full degree and graduated."

Davis' transcript reflects "significantly more credits that he actually earned here," said Hennessey, without being more specific. He did not say who WCC believed was responsible for altering Davis' academic record.

Hennessey confirmed that the New York State Office of the Inspector General is aware of the situation. "No criminal charges have yet been filed," he said.

Bill Reynolds, a spokesman for the Inspector General's Office, declined comment Friday.

Walker and Davis could not be reached for comment. Walker, who graduated from Mount Vernon in 2012, led the Knights to their sixth consecutive Section 1 Class AA basketball title that year. Knights coach Bob Cimmino did not return phone calls.

Fields denied meeting with WCC officials, being fired or knowing anything about transcript fraud allegations. He said he hasn't talked to Walker or Davis in recent weeks.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Fields said when reached by phone Friday night. "I left (WCC) because I wanted to leave."

Hennessey said WCC officials spoke with head coach Tyrone Mushatt and "we determined that Mushatt was not involved, unaware, had nothing to do with this."

Mushatt could not be reached for comment.

The news comes the same week a report was released detailing a scandal at the University of North Carolina going back 18 years, where hundreds of athletes, including football and basketball players, were given credits for no-show classes, allowing them to stay eligible. More than 3,000 students were implicated in the scandal.

Walker and Davis were removed from FAMU's basketball roster Thursday after The Journal News asked the university about their status with the team.

NCAA spokeswoman Emily James declined to comment Friday on the transcript issues. FAMU called WCC on Oct. 15 and asked about the transcripts, Hennessey said. The WCC administrator who spoke to FAMU learned his signature had been forged, Hennessey said.

No sanctions have been instituted against the WCC team by its own conference, the National Junior College Athletic Association, he said.

The WCC program has had some success in recent years placing players in Division I schools, including Keith Thomas, who plays for St. John's and Jarrid Famous, an NJCAA Division 1 All-American first team selection in the 2008-09 season, who went on to play at the University of South Florida.

Florida A&M lost players who would have returned to its men's basketball team this year because the university fell below NCAA Academic Progress (APR) standards, making the football and men's basketball teams ineligible for postseason play, Hollins said. The head men's basketball coach hired over the summer, Byron Samuels, was starting over.

"Coach Samuels basically had to rebuild this team from scratch," Hollins said. "Our top three scorers all graduated, but a couple of our key rebounders and one of our reserves off the bench could have been a nice little nucleus to build around had they all stayed." Samuels told him Walker and Davis were "talented players," he said, and "really good kids."