The curious case of Mike Chandler just got a little more curious.
Lawrence (Ind.) North coach Jack Keefer told SNY.tv Tuesday that he has no idea where Chandler is or what prep school he will attend after failing to qualify at UCF.
“He came in here and withdrew from classes during the spring semester and did not graduate,” Keefer said by phone. “Then he disappeared and I have no idea where he is.”
Keefer said his players told him Chandler was “taking online classes” to graduate.
“Then the NCAA came out here and said, ‘We don’t accept those kinds of classes,'” Keefer added.
The 6-foot-10 Chandler committed to Louisville and Xavier before deciding on UCF. Because he is not currently enrolled at UCF, his letter of intent is no longer binding.
“If I don’t have the academics, I can’t get into a college, you know?” he told WVIllustrated.com last October. “I wish I would have thought about that the way I am now a long time ago. In college, you’re going to be playing a lot of games, so you’ve got to focus on the schoolwork because you’re going to be missing a lot of school.”
Chandler has also been linked to Kenneth Caldwell, a Chicago man with a criminal record who brought unwanted attention to UCF in April because of his relationship with Chandler and recruit Kevin Ware. Water later decommitted from UCF and is still awaiting eligibility at Louisville.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that UCF coach Donnie Jones told the paper last month that if Chandler failed to qualify, they would place him in a prep school and continue to recruit him.
As a senior at Lawrence North, Chandler averaged 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. He earned Indiana Basketball Coaches Association All-State First Team honors and a spot on the Indianapolis Star Super Team.
For his part, Keefer hopes Chandler can pull it together and make something of himself.
“It would be nice,” he said. “I just think he’s wasting away here. I hope he’s in prep school somewhere. That would be a long stretch for him.”
