NCAA Suspends Whitlock for 16 Games

The NCAA has suspended Hawaii basketball player Tes Whitlock, a standout at Loara High and Saddleback College, for 16 games because of his involvement in a college credit scam.

The NCAA said Thursday that Whitlock gave false and misleading information to investigators looking into whether he received improper academic credit while attending Saddleback. Whitlock took two correspondence courses from the Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God while at Saddleback.

“I’m definitely disappointed by the suspension,” said Whitlock, the Rainbows’ leading scorer last season. “However, I know what I did was wrong and a mistake. I apologize to the NCAA, the university and to my teammates. I know that my teammates were counting on me, and I let them down.”

Whitlock will be eligible to play Jan. 18.