Winfield basketball player temporarily reinstated

WINFIELD - Winfield basketball player Lamar Clark was temporarily reinstated to the team Tuesday after being declared ineligible last week by the Secondary School Activities Commission.

Putnam Circuit Court Judge Ed Eagloski issued a temporary restraining order that allowed Clark to play Feb. 5 at Herbert Hoover. The ruling restores his eligibility until a Feb. 13 hearing, when Clark and the SSAC will present their cases.

Clark was ruled ineligible Jan. 31 after the SSAC ruled that he did not meet residency requirements after he transferred back to Winfield from Hedgesville High School. Clark completed his first two years of high school at Winfield and was a member of the varsity basketball team each year.

However, according to the lawsuit filed on his behalf by attorney Sean Cook, Clark's family life began to deteriorate during his junior year. His grade point average slipped below the 2.0 eligibility mark, he began arguing with his mother and displaying behavioral problems at school.

Clark and his mother decided it would be best if Clark moved in with his father in Martinsburg. He enrolled in Hedgesville High School on Jan. 5, 2007. While in Berkeley County, Clark raised his gpa to a 2.0. However, according to the suit, Clark missed his family and moved back to Winfield at the end of the spring semester of his junior year.

The SSAC ruled that Clark was not eligible to play his senior year at Winfield because he did not sit out the required 365 days.

The ruling forced Winfield to forfeit 12 victories in which Clark played this season, leaving them with a 2-13 record. The Generals recently had risen to No. 1 in the state Class AA boys basketball poll.