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Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes, No. 30 recruit, ruled ineligible

Xavier Rathan-Mayes

Florida State got some disastrous news on Monday when Leonard Hamilton announced that the star of his 2013 recruiting class, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, would be ineligible to play during the 2013-2014 season.

Rathan-Mayes failed to make it through the NCAA’s Eligibility Center as they refused to accept a year of credits that he took at a high school in North Carolina, according to a report. He spent a season at Christian Faith Center Academy, which was run by Ro Russell. You can watch the 45 minute report from Fifth Estate, a show similar to 60 Minutes in Canada, on Russell and Christian Faith Center Academy here. Kevin Thomas (Texas) and Braeden Anderson (Kansas) were also ruled ineligible as a result of their time at Russell’s school.

Rathan-Mayes was the No. 30 recruit in the country, per Rivals, but he was probably best known as Andrew Wiggins’ friend and high school teammate at Huntington Prep. One of the reasons that Wiggins had Florida State in his final four teams was that Rathan-Mayes decided to go to school there. Wiggins spent a few months at Christian Faith Center Academy, but it was as an eighth-grader. He’s already been cleared.

Losing Rathan-Mayes is a massive blow to the Seminoles, who are looking to rebuild after losing Michael Snaer and missing out on the NCAA tournament last season. Ian Miller and Devon Bookert are both back, as is Okaro White and Montay Brandon, but that just means that this is basically the same Florida State team as last season minus an all-league player.

It could end up being a long year in Tallahassee.

Follow @robdauster