BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - One three-credit class taken by UC guard Charles Williams at Compton College in California led to the investigation that has kept him from four basketball games and the start of the NCAA Tournament.
Williams is not expected to play in this weekend's NCAA Tournament games as an investigation of his eligibility continues. Williams, a 6-1 point guard who started 25
games, was left in Cincinnati as the team traveled Tuesday to suburban Detroit for a first-round game against Butler.
Sources close to the situation said the inquiry began in conjunction with a letter from the NCAA requesting all schools that had athletes take junior college classes at Compton College reassert the eligibility of those athletes. Compton officials said they have not heard of any NCAA directive and will look into the matter before commenting.
Chuck Smrt, director of enforcement for the NCAA, said he ''couldn't confirm or deny'' whether the organization issued such a request.
Williams said Thursday no one had told him playing this weekend was ruled out, but he added, ''It'll all be done next week. Everything is going to be answered.''
Williams said he did not know what the results of the inquiry would be, but that he deserved to be permitted to rejoin the Bearcats. They are 2-2 in the four games he's missed.
Asked whether he intends to return to UC for his senior season, he said, ''I'll have to see how things go.'' He said he was disappointed to miss the Butler game because he had never played in the NCAA Tournament.
Williams took one class at Compton last summer and later moved to Cincinnati and took four junior college-level courses at UC. One of the issues in the investigation involved how Williams paid for the Cincinnati courses. Williams said George Tarkanian, his junior college coach, paid for the classes.
This would only be an NCAA violation if Tarkanian were a representative of UC's athletic interests. Tarkanian is the son of Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian.
According to Tarkanian, Williams did not graduate from Chaffey College in California because a fee waiver was processed late, causing him to miss registration for several required classes.
Smrt said the NCAA has been in communication with UC as it pursues the investigation.
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