How players are handling stiffer NCAA academic eligibility requirements

BY EBENEZER SAMUEL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, November 21st 2007, 4:00 AM

Del Mundo for News

Zamal Nixon can admit it. Four years ago, as a freshman at Xaverian, he wasn't focused.

"I wouldn't say I was a slacker," he says. "But I could have worked harder."

Nixon says he failed "one or two classes" at Xaverian in 2002-2003, and those struggles resurfaced years later.

Last year as a senior, he transferred to Boys & Girls HS, hoping the school's uptempo offense would invigorate his college recruitment. That happened; by season's end, the University of Houston, Fairfield and Virginia Commonwealth were calling.

But when college recruiters saw Nixon's transcript, their faces soured. The hyperactive guard, a finalist for Daily News Player of the Year, was on target to meet NCAA academic requirements, but he was a few classes behind the curve.

Even when Houston took a gamble and offered Nixon a scholarship in April, his situation was precarious.

"I was on track," he says. "But I couldn't fail any classes."

By scrambling to pass a handful of classes in his final semester, Nixon was fine by June. But he knows he caught a break.

"This year," he says, "you can't wait too long. Before you know it, you have a lot of catching up to do."

Last year, things were less rigid. Had Nixon failed a course or two, he would have had a fallback. He could have headed to prep school, improved his grades and trotted off to college.

But beginning this year, prep school will no longer be available as a cure-all for GPA woes. And GPA woes will carry heavier consequences.

This year, the NCAA has tightened the initial eligibility requirements for Division I scholarship athletes.

Prospective athletes now must pass a total of 16 so-called "core courses" in four years of high school; the average of these courses determines their "core GPA," which must be at least 2.0.

Through last year, students needed just 14 courses in their core GPA, and players could redo any required courses to earn passing grades in prep school. This year's seniors will be limited to taking only one core course in prep school after they're finished with high school.

The new requirements apply to all NCAA-sanctioned sports for which athletes can earn scholarships, from track to lacrosse.

To Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of membership services, the beefed-up requirements are within reach. According to data from the NCAA, the average student-athlete enters college with 18 core high school courses.