By Morey Hershgordon
After a year-long suspension, Giovanni McLean will have to wait before he can suit up for his first Division I college basketball game.
McLean will serve a one-game suspension for playing in a non-sanctioned summer league basketball game this past summer in New York, confirmed Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore via text message Thursday night.
McLean transferred to Quinnipiac before the 2014-2015 season and was expected to play a major role, but was ruled ineligible due to a transcript fraud. The combo-guard was one of four players from Westchester Community College who was sidelined after assistant coach Richard Fields forged transcripts and signatures to help his players compete at the Division I level. Fields was later fired.
Quinnipiac will presumably turn to sophomore point guard Dimitri Floras to take McLean’s spot. Floras played inconsistent minutes last year en route to averaging 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. James Ford, Jr., Ayron Hutton, Sam Dingba, and Chaise Daniels should likely round out the starting five.
Tonight, Quinnipiac opens its season against Sacred Heart in the Connecticut 6 Classic at 5:30 p.m. It’s the first matchup between the schools in the tournament. At 3 p.m. Fairfield plays Yale and at 8 p.m. Hartford faces host Central Connecticut State in the night cap.
McLean is expected to make his Quinnipiac debut on Wednesday, Nov. 18 when his team travels to Vermont.
