TRCC Raiders to lose six scholarships

The Three Rivers men's basketball team will lose six scholarships for two years starting next season and the athletic program has a whole will undergo an audit, the school announced Thursday.

The sanctions were imposed by the National Junior College Athletic Association in a letter to college dated Tuesday, however the school will appeal the ruling.

"On behalf of the college, I plan to appeal to the NJCAA for additional review due to what I believe to be a factual error in at least one of their noted violations," Three Rivers President Dr. Devin Stephenson said. "Additionally, I will be requesting another review of the sanctions, based upon this error."

The NJCAA declined comment when reached by phone Thursday.

Three Rivers Athletic Director and men's basketball coach Gene Bess chose to withold any comment until a later time.

In her letter to Three Rivers, NJCAA Executive Director Mary Ellen Leicht wrote that the association had identified four violations:

* Prior to the 2007-08 academic year, NJCAA bylaws did not allow the purchase of insurance for student-athletes;

* Payment by the college for dental expenses is not allowed by NJCAA rules;

* NJCAA rules do not permit a member college to pay for tuition costs incurred at another institution;

* Division I scholarship guidelines allow for transportation costs to be paid one time per academic year to and from the college by direct route. The college may not pay for a second trip for any student-athlete.

The violations were between 2005 and 2008, the letter states.

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