NEW ORLEANS — The Dillard University men’s basketball team forfeited Wednesday’s home game against Philander Smith College and are thus no longer in contention for this year’s Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) championship.
Coach Mike Newell said all of his players were eligible, but one was not certified by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA). It was an oversight that was just recently discovered.
“It was a honest mistake, by several people including me,” Newell told WGNO Sports.
“In my 50 years of coaching, I have never seen it happen,” said Newell.
“It truly was an administrative error,” said Newell.
WGNO visited Dillard to discuss COVID-19’s impact on the team’s regular season.
The Panthers will now move to the semifinals of the tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. on Feb. 27.