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The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va., Stefanie Loh column: WVU likely won't have Finau in '08
(The Dominion Post in Morgantown (WV)(KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 20--SORRY EVERYONE, BUT with two weeks left until fall camp it's looking more and more unlikely that Phoenix Community College standout Tevita Finau will be joining the Mountaineers this season.
Finau, a strongside defensive end, signed a letter of intent to play for the Mountaineers this past winter and was all set to arrive in Morgantown this summer until a couple of academic road blocks got in the way.
Finau enrolled at Phoenix Community College (Phoenix, Ariz.) last fall with the intention of playing one season and then transferring to a four-year school.
Phoenix Community College football recruiting coordinator Mark Mejia said they knew from the beginning that getting Finau out of junior college in one year instead of two would be tight, but just within the realm of possibility.
"He came in with almost 20 credits before his official first freshman semester, so we knew it'd be tough in the beginning because we were trying to get him out in a year," Mejia said.
Finau had very little room for error.
But errors happened, and for Finau, this came in the form of a couple of extra absences in an English class.
"Spring semester, he was in a fast-lane English class that takes you from remedial English to 101 in a single semester," Mejia explained. "And you're not allowed to miss more than two days. Tevita missed three or four."
So he had to re-take the class in summer session. Then came the problematic English test.
Finau was scheduled to take a language test through Brigham Young University this summer that would have helped boost his grades.
But they soon found out, to Finau's dismay, that the proctor testing center in Phoenix was closed for renovations, and could not administer the test until the third week of August.
Mejia next sent Finau to Arizona State to take the test through the Sun Devils' testing center.
Just as Finau was getting ready to take the test, he was told that he could not take the test at the center because he was not an Arizona State student.
Mejia's now trying to help Finau find another testing center, but the clock is ticking.
Finau has to take that test and finish off two classes at Phoenix Community College before he'll be eligible to play for WVU.
If he doesn't make the cut, Mejia says Finau will likely remain in Phoenix to finish up his associate's degree over the fall semester.
"Right now he's not on the team, we're just trying to help him with his academics," Mejia said. "Whether he plays or not is a decision that's up to him and his father."
If Finau elects to play for Phoenix next season, he would be left with two seasons of eligibility when he finally transfers to WVU.
Otherwise, he could potentially play three years for the Mountaineers.
On the upside, WVU's other juco defensive line pickup is ready and eager to begin the season.
Larry Ford, a rush end who transferred from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, demonstrated impressive speed in spring drills, and is raring to go.
"I'm fast," the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Ford said. "I used to run a 4.5 [40-yard dash], I'm now a 4.6 or a 4.7. But my game speed is a lot different than the 40. I feel like me coming off the edge is a lot faster than me running the 40. My mentality is that [offensive linemen] are 300 pounds, so my best bet is to try and get around them and just beat them as fast as I can."
STEFANIE LOH is a sports reporter for The Dominion Post. Write to her at sloh@dominionpost.com.
To see more of The Dominion Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dominionpost.com/.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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