Iowa State appeals NCAA ruling

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DES MOINES (AP) — Iowa State has responded to an NCAA ruling that declared freshman guard Lucca Staiger ineligible. The NCAA ruled on Oct. 24 that Staiger, a 19-year old freshman from Baulstein, Germany, was ineligible to play for the Cyclones because his former German club team was classified as professional. Two players on Staiger’s team stipends it determined were above actual and necessary expenses. The maximum penalty Staiger can receive is one season of ineligibility, Iowa State’s associate athletic director Josh Snyder. The NCAA has yet to determine how long Staiger will have to sit out. Staiger never received money or signed a professional contract, according Ralph Junge, the coach of Staiger’s club team. Snyder, who filed the school’s response on Monday, said the process could be finished by this weekend. But subsequent rulings and appeals could extend it for as long as three to four weeks. Iowa State opens the season Friday against Winston-Salem State. “It’s in their hands,” Iowa State basketball coach Greg McDermott said Tuesday. “We’ll wait and see. My mind tells me one thing. My heart hopes my mind is wrong.” ——— Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com