NIU freshman point guard Donald Whiteside has been declared academically ineligible for the upcoming spring semester, men’s basketball coach Jim Rosborough announced Monday.

“Donald is a great young man. This is a prime example of the difficult task that freshmen have playing Division I basketball,” Rosborough said. “He will continue to practice with the team this semester and we anticipate him being eligible next year.”

The 5-foot-9, 149-pound reserve averaged 3.0 points per game in 13 appearances during the first half of the 1987-88 season. Whiteside, currently second in team assists with 22, scored a career-high 12 points at Wisconsin-Green Bay Dec. 30.