Forfeits Seem Unlikely for Nevada Las Vegas

Nevada Las Vegas probably will not be required to forfeit any games as a result of the controversy surrounding the academic work of forward J.R. Rider, school officials said.

Rider, the No. 2 scorer in the nation, was suspended from the team Tuesday after school officials learned he had turned in a paper for a community college correspondence course that was partly the work of a UNLV tutor. A passing grade in the course allowed Rider, a senior, to retain his eligibility for the 1992-93 season.

UNLV Athletic Director Jim Weaver said Wednesday he sees no cause for forfeitures as a result of the matter, which is currently the subject of an investigation by the school. The school’s findings will be forwarded to the NCAA for review.

“We talked to the NCAA (Tuesday) morning and were told nothing (in terms of penalties) would revert back to the season,” he said.

The NCAA has, as a result of infractions cases, stricken team and individual performances from NCAA basketball tournament records, but has rarely caused a team to forfeit regular-season games.

Another factor considered in such matters is institutional responsibility.

Although questions about Rider’s academic work came to light in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article last Thursday, school officials said they did not learn of the problem regarding Rider’s paper until it was disclosed in the Review-Journal on Sunday--a day after the Rebels were defeated by Cal State Long Beach in the semifinals of the Big West Conference tournament.