Eric Manuel
Encyclopedia
Eric Manuel was an American
college basketball
player.
Born in Macon, Georgia
; Manuel made the Parade
and McDonald's
All-America teams as a high school senior in 1987. The 6 in 6 in (1.98 m) small forward
/shooting guard
signed with the Kentucky
Wildcats
, and broke into the starting lineup by the middle of his freshman year. He was named to the all-Southeastern Conference
freshman team.
Just before the start of his sophomore season, however, questions surfaced about his college admissions
exams. Manuel had fallen short of a qualifying score on his previous attempts to take the SAT
and ACT. When he took the ACT at Lafayette High School
in Lexington
—home to UK—he finally got a passing score. In 1989, as part of a larger probe into the Wildcat program, the NCAA
investigated Manuel's test scores after finding out he had made a dramatic nine-point improvement when he took his last ACT. When Manuel took the ACT at Lafayette High, 211 of a possible 219 answers were the same as those of another student, Chris Shearer. To the NCAA, this suggested that Manuel had cheated. Indeed, according to ACT officials, there was only a two-in-a-million chance that two students' answers could have resembled each other so closely without cheating.
Manuel adamantly denied any wrongdoing, but voluntarily stayed out of the lineup while the investigation progressed so as not to risk Kentucky being forced to forfeit any games if he were declared ineligible. As it turned out, the investigation dragged through the entire 1988-89 season.
It was to no avail. On May 20, 1989, the NCAA placed Kentucky on three years' probation for a number of serious recruiting and academic violations. As part of the ruling, the NCAA took the unprecedented step of banning Manuel from playing another game for any NCAA member school. The NCAA found that Manuel had cheated on the ACT and lied to the NCAA and university staff. It also forced Kentucky to vacate its two wins in that year's NCAA tournament
(though it allowed Kentucky to keep all of its regular season wins), saying that UK should have known Manuel was ineligible. In a separate action, the SEC stripped Kentucky of its 1988 regular season and conference tournament titles.
Raw Recruits, a book that took a critical look at the UK program, noted that there was an empty seat between all students, and that Shearer was right-handed and sitting to Manuel's left. The book's authors, Alexander Wolff
and Armen Keteyian
, said that Manuel would have had to look over an empty space and Shearer's right arm to copy off of him—something that would not (or should not) have gone unnoticed by Shearer, the five proctors for the test, or other students sitting near them. Shearer reportedly boasted that he'd helped Manuel get into Kentucky. Ed Dove, the public defender who represented Manuel in the NCAA case, believes that Manuel may have been tripped up by signing two answer sheets. He believes Manuel took the test honestly on one, but someone else—without Manuel's knowledge—copied Shearer's answers on the second and sent it to ACT headquarters in Iowa City.
Manuel transferred to Hiwassee College
in Tennessee before enrolling at NAIA power Oklahoma City University
. The NAIA initially tried to ban Manuel from playing for any of its member schools as well, but ultimately an Oklahoma district court judge allowed Manuel to play. He helped lead Oklahoma City to consecutive NAIA titles
in 1991 and 1992. He was picked up by the New Jersey Nets
of the NBA
, but couldn't make the roster. He played for a few years in Europe, then returned to Oklahoma City
to work as a sales merchandiser for a Coca-Cola
bottling plant. At last report, he was working for an electronics store in Oklahoma City.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
player.
Born in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
; Manuel made the Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
and McDonald's
McDonald's All-American Team
The McDonald's All-American Game refers to each of the all-star basketball games played each year for boys' and girls' high-school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top American and Canadian players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball...
All-America teams as a high school senior in 1987. The 6 in 6 in (1.98 m) small forward
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
/shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
signed with the Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
, and broke into the starting lineup by the middle of his freshman year. He was named to the all-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
freshman team.
Just before the start of his sophomore season, however, questions surfaced about his college admissions
College admissions
University admission or college admissions is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution....
exams. Manuel had fallen short of a qualifying score on his previous attempts to take the SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
and ACT. When he took the ACT at Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Lexington, Kentucky)
Lafayette Senior High School is a public high school located in Lexington, Kentucky's Picadome neighborhood. The school is one of five high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools district. It is among the largest high schools in Kentucky....
in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
—home to UK—he finally got a passing score. In 1989, as part of a larger probe into the Wildcat program, the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
investigated Manuel's test scores after finding out he had made a dramatic nine-point improvement when he took his last ACT. When Manuel took the ACT at Lafayette High, 211 of a possible 219 answers were the same as those of another student, Chris Shearer. To the NCAA, this suggested that Manuel had cheated. Indeed, according to ACT officials, there was only a two-in-a-million chance that two students' answers could have resembled each other so closely without cheating.
Manuel adamantly denied any wrongdoing, but voluntarily stayed out of the lineup while the investigation progressed so as not to risk Kentucky being forced to forfeit any games if he were declared ineligible. As it turned out, the investigation dragged through the entire 1988-89 season.
It was to no avail. On May 20, 1989, the NCAA placed Kentucky on three years' probation for a number of serious recruiting and academic violations. As part of the ruling, the NCAA took the unprecedented step of banning Manuel from playing another game for any NCAA member school. The NCAA found that Manuel had cheated on the ACT and lied to the NCAA and university staff. It also forced Kentucky to vacate its two wins in that year's NCAA tournament
1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri...
(though it allowed Kentucky to keep all of its regular season wins), saying that UK should have known Manuel was ineligible. In a separate action, the SEC stripped Kentucky of its 1988 regular season and conference tournament titles.
Raw Recruits, a book that took a critical look at the UK program, noted that there was an empty seat between all students, and that Shearer was right-handed and sitting to Manuel's left. The book's authors, Alexander Wolff
Alexander Wolff
Alexander Wolff is a writer for Sports Illustrated and former owner of the Vermont Frost Heaves of the Premier Basketball League .He has written several books about basketball, among them Big Game, Small World , a look at basketball around the world...
and Armen Keteyian
Armen Keteyian
Armen Keteyian is an American television journalist and author. He is currently CBS News' Chief Investigative Correspondent based out of New York, reporting primarily for the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, while also contributing to 60 Minutes.-Early life and career:Keteyian was born in...
, said that Manuel would have had to look over an empty space and Shearer's right arm to copy off of him—something that would not (or should not) have gone unnoticed by Shearer, the five proctors for the test, or other students sitting near them. Shearer reportedly boasted that he'd helped Manuel get into Kentucky. Ed Dove, the public defender who represented Manuel in the NCAA case, believes that Manuel may have been tripped up by signing two answer sheets. He believes Manuel took the test honestly on one, but someone else—without Manuel's knowledge—copied Shearer's answers on the second and sent it to ACT headquarters in Iowa City.
Manuel transferred to Hiwassee College
Hiwassee College
Hiwassee College is a private, accredited college located in Madisonville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1849, the college offers associate degrees as well as four year degrees, The majority of its associate degree graduates go on to attend, and complete, four-year...
in Tennessee before enrolling at NAIA power Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
. The NAIA initially tried to ban Manuel from playing for any of its member schools as well, but ultimately an Oklahoma district court judge allowed Manuel to play. He helped lead Oklahoma City to consecutive NAIA titles
NAIA national men's basketball championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship has been held annually since 1937 . The tournament was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion for smaller colleges and universities...
in 1991 and 1992. He was picked up by the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, but couldn't make the roster. He played for a few years in Europe, then returned to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
to work as a sales merchandiser for a Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
bottling plant. At last report, he was working for an electronics store in Oklahoma City.
External links
- Stats for Eric Manuel at BigBlueHistory.net