University of North Carolina Athletics
NCAA, UNC Evaluating Vasco Evtimov's Status
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
December 15, 1998
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina and the NCAA are currently evaluating whether additional basketball games played by Vasco Evtimov in France will affect the student-athletecs eligibility.
Evtimov was suspended by the NCAA for 11 games because he played in 16 contests for Pau-Orthez, a team in the French A League, while serving a mandatory stint in the French military. He is scheduled to be eligible for Thursday's game in Chapel Hill against Louisville.
The NCAA determined Evtimov must sit out the games for UNC because it felt he gained a competitive advantage playing on a team on which there were professional players, even though he received no compensation. He was directed to play for Pau-Orthez by the French Basketball Federation as the only means by which a person in the French military could try out for the French National Team. The NCAA Division I Sub-committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement issued the 11-game suspension on December 1st.
Subsequent to that ruling, the NCAA learned and informed UNC athletic officials that Evtimov had played in more than 16 games for Pau-Orthez. University officials have responded to the NCAA's questions and are awaiting word on the status of his eligibility and return for Thursday's game.
"Vasco was not sure of the exact number of games he played for Pau-Orthez," says athletics director Dick Baddour. "Even to media inquiries the night we first announced his original suspension, Vasco was not certain of the number of games he played in for Pau. The number "16" originated from a Pau-Orthez statistics sheet the NCAA provided UNC officials. That was the only number of games in question. In our minds, the number of games was not central to the issue of whether Vasco was clear to have played for the team. The focus in our investigation was whether he was allowed to play for the team because, as a member of the French military, it was the only way he could try out for the French National Team. The NCAA Sub-committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement agreed that it was a legitimate explanation and shortened the suspension from 16 games to 11.
"The NCAA staff is working as expediently as possible to determine his eligibility status."
