Perry Jones III Declared Ineligible

Excerpt from Baylor.edu:

Baylor University freshman forward Perry Jones III has been declared ineligible for a pre-enrollment amateurism violation/preferential treatment, school officials announced before the Bears were to take the floor to face Oklahoma in the opening round of the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Mo., at 6 p.m. Wednesday. This is not considered to be an institutional violation of NCAA rules.

Baylor University was informed of the NCAA's decision on Jones III this afternoon and immediately appealed to have his eligibility reinstated.

"We are profoundly disappointed in the timing and determination in this matter," said Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. "This outcome appears to be inconsistent with other recent, widely discussed NCAA decisions."

Jones III had no knowledge of three, 15-day loans between his mother and AAU coach that were provided while Jones III was in high school. The loans were repaid in a timely manner, according to interviews conducted by Baylor officials and the NCAA staff. Prior to his enrollment at Baylor, Jones' AAU coach also paid for Jones' travel to a professional pre-season football game in San Diego, Calif.