California’s Fowlkes Has Penalty Reduced : College basketball: Bears’ star forward will now have to sit out only half of the season.

California star forward Tremaine Fowlkes appealed for leniency from the NCAA eligibility committee Thursday and came away partly successful, with the group ruling that Fowlkes will sit out only half the basketball season instead of all of it.

Fowlkes, who is being penalized by the NCAA for receiving $1,800 from former sports agent James Casey, will sit out the first 14 games of the regular season. He will be eligible to play the final 13 games, beginning Jan. 25 against Washington State.

The ruling was somewhat unexpected, since the NCAA eligibility committee--an appeals group made up of five Division I school representatives--had issued an edict to the NCAA staff earlier this year to treat agent cases harshly. The staff complied, ruling on Nov. 17 that Fowlkes, a sophomore, would have to sit out the entire season. But Cal thought the penalty was too severe and appealed.

“I feel good that it shows that the appeals process is in place,” said John Kasser, Cal’s athletic director. “. . . I’m happy for Tremaine that he will be able to play this season.”

But 14 games without Fowlkes is still a big loss for Cal Coach Todd Bozeman, who had planned to use Fowlkes and freshman star forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim as twin threats. Fowlkes, from Crenshaw High, was the Pacific 10 Conference freshman of the year last season and the team’s leading rebounder.

“I’m definitely happy for Tremaine that he will be able to play and compete,” Bozeman said. “I’m glad to get him back, but I’m not particularly satisfied with the amount of games.”

Fowlkes, who averaged 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds last season, was not made available for comment.

After a lengthy and complicated investigation by Cal and the Pac-10 involving Fowlkes’ acquisition of two cars, the player admitted he received $1,800 from Casey in March toward the purchase of a Chevy Blazer from Harbor Chevrolet in Long Beach. Casey was identified by the car salesman as the man who accompanied Fowlkes to the dealership and paid thousands in cash toward the purchase of the Blazer, which sold for $10,800.

Casey has told The Times he gave Fowlkes only $1,800. But he and Fowlkes contend that they are longtime friends and should fall under the NCAA’s existing family friend rule, which would have allowed Casey to give him the money.

Additionally, Casey, who was registered with the NBA players’ association from 1990 to ‘93, says he is no longer an agent and should not be considered as such.

But Fowlkes’ father, Ron Fowlkes, said that Casey is not a family friend. And the NCAA said it is not responsible to determine when an agent quits being one.