Billy Gillispie's Ranger College team must forfeit all 31 wins after NJCAA's ineligible-player ...

[TexasTowelie]

Billy Gillispie's Ranger College team must forfeit all 31 wins after NJCAA's ineligible-player ruling upheld

In his first season at Ranger College, Billy Gillispie coached the basketball team to a 31-7 record and fourth place in the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament, but those accomplishments officially evaporated Thursday.

Ranger College president Bill Campion said the school was informed Thursday that the court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a May ruling by the NJCAA, which determined that forward Joshua Simmons should not have been allowed to play last season because he had applied to enter the NBA draft.

Ranger previously had lost an appeal through the NJCAA executive committee. Gillispie and a Ranger attorney traveled to Colorado to appear before the Arbitration for Sport on Sept. 19-20. Arbitrator Nancy A. Hopf's ruling in the NJCAA's favor means Ranger has exhausted its appeal options.

"As a result of the arbitration hearing, the original sanctions the NJCAA placed against Ranger stand," NJCAA executive director Mark Krug stated in a Thursday email to The News. "Their men's basketball team will be on probation for the 2016-17 seasons, which results in no postseason play. They also must forfeit all games originally identified by the NJCAA and their fourth-place finish at the 2016 NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Championship will be vacated."

Read more: http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2016/10/06/arbitration-sport-upholds-njcaa-ruling-meaning-billy-gillispies-ranger-college-team-must-forfeit-wins-using-ineligible-player