At one point Florida State basketball coaches were hoping to have Andrew Wiggins and Xavier Rathan-Mayes — two of the nation's top recruits — in the lineup this season.
But Wiggins opted in May to go to Kansas and Rathan-Mayes, who had signed with the Seminoles, was declared ineligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse on Monday.
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton confirmed that Rathan-Mayes would not be able to suit up in 2013-14.
"Following a review by the NCAA Eligibility Center, it was determined that some of the coursework Xavier completed during his high school enrollment could not be used to satisfy NCAA Division I initial-eligibility requirements," Florida State said in a statement. "The NCAA has allowed Xavier to enroll immediately at Florida State and receive athletics scholarship, however, he will not be permitted to practice or compete during his first year of enrollment."
Rathan-Mayes, a Scout.com four-star guard, averaged 13.7 points and 6.7 assists per game for Huntington (W.Va.) Prep last season. The NCAA Clearinghouse apparently had a concern with Rathan-Mayes' grades from another school, Christian Faith Academy in North Carolina.
"A source says the NCAA did not accept a full year of credits that Xavier Rathan-Mayes took at Christian Faith," Scout.com's Evan Daniels reports.
He was expected to give a lift to a Florida State team that already must replace leading scorer Michael Snaer (graduated) and forward Terrance Shannon (transferred to VCU).
Florida State has just four guards on the roster — senior Ian Miller and sophomores Devon Booker, Aaron Thomas and Montay Brandon.
Contact Bob Ferrante at bobferrante17@gmail.com or on Twitter @bobferrante.
