UCLA PLANS TO APPEAL COTTON'S INELIGIBILITY.

Byline: Daily News

UCLA is exploring ways to appeal an NCAA ruling that has benched basketball recruit Schea Cotton because of academic ineligibility.

The NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse informed the university Friday that it would not validate Cotton's SAT score from June because it was an untimed test. Cotton had obtained permission from the education testing service for the allowance but not from the NCAA.

Although classes do not begin until Thursday, UCLA has asked Cotton to come to campus today to sign an appeal letter.

The 6-foot-5 Cotton, a Division I Player of the Year at Mater Dei who missed almost all of his junior and senior seasons at St. John Bosco in Bellflower because of injuries, committed to UCLA in late April. He was released from a letter of intent he signed with Long Beach State, where his older brother James played before deciding to leave early to play in the NBA.