The NCAA ruled Monday that Cedrick Banks, Illinois-Chicago’s leading scorer and best defensive player, is academically ineligible for at least the first four games of the season.
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Banks, a 6-foot-2-inch junior from Westinghouse, will miss the season opener Friday at Evansville, along with Sunday’s home opener against Eastern Illinois and road games Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 at Illinois State and Indiana. After delays to obtain more information, the NCAA ruled that Banks fell one credit hour short of the minimum of 28 needed to be eligible to play sports at this stage of his career.
Banks’ grade in a summer-school course was disallowed, dropping him below the 28 credits, a UIC representative said. Banks can regain eligibility for the second semester, which begins before the Dec. 14 home game against Southern Illinois.
“We’re disappointed at the NCAA ruling, but we must deal with it as a team,” UIC coach Jimmy Collins said. “Adversity is part of college basketball. We must move on.”