NCAA Gives Cunningham Another Season

The NCAA has granted Cal State Fullerton basketball player Jason Cunningham another season of eligibility.

An earlier request was not approved by the NCAA staff, but an appeal to the NCAA subcommittee on student-athlete reinstatement went in Cunningham’s favor, Fullerton’s athletics compliance director June Kearney said Thursday.

“We’re happy that that we were able to get it done,” Kearney said. “The subcommittee has the authority to grant extensions that do not meet the normal criteria, and they felt that this case qualified under extraordinary circumstances.”

Athletes normally are given five years to complete four years of eligibility, but Cunningham will be allowed to complete his eligibility over six years.

Cunningham had been told that he had to sit out the 1996-97 season because he transferred from another four-year school, Nevada Las Vegas. Fullerton had appealed that decision because Cunningham had not played the previous year at UNLV, but the season ended before Cunningham could be reinstated.

Cunningham, a 6-5 forward who played in high school at Los Alamitos, played as a freshman at West Ark Community College in Fort Smith, Ark., and for one season at Fullerton College. He transferred to UNLV but was not on the team.

Cunningham played Division I basketball for the first time last season. He played in 25 games and started 14, averaging five points and 3.9 rebounds.