Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere not yet cleared to play by NCAA

Kentucky freshman center Skal Labissiere has not yet been cleared to play by the NCAA.

Kentucky freshman center Skal Labissiere has not yet been cleared to play by the NCAA, according to ESPN.

The report cites Labissiere’s legal guardian, Gerald Hamilton, who says that he is confident Labissiere will be cleared.

“They haven’t cleared him, but we’re sticking with our faith,” he told ESPN. “There’s no real concern about anything from the Kentucky compliance people.”

Hamilton did not give specific reasons for the hold up on the clearance process.

Labissiere, rated the No. 1 player in the 2015 class by Rivals.com, has been practicing with the team. The 6'11" center is in the early conversation for the No. 1 pick in next year's NBA Draft.

Labissiere came to the United States and was taken in by Hamilton after leaving Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. After playing at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis, Tenn. for his first three years of high school, Labissiere moved to Lausanne Collegiate. However, he was ruled ineligible at Lausanne and instead played his senior year at Reach Your Dream Prep, a school formed by Hamilton.

Kentucky’s regular season begins on Nov. 13 against Albany.

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