Freshman forward Moses Ayegba has been declared ineligible for the first nine games of the men’s basketball season. The announcement came in a press release by Georgetown Sports Information, due to NCAA pre-enrollment rules.

Men’s basketball Head Coach John Thompson III was quoted in the release. “Before we began recruiting Moses, before he enrolled in high school here, it turns out his ticket to come to this country was paid for by someone who was not a member of his immediate family,” Thompson said in the release. “Because of this the NCAA has ruled that he is ineligible for the first 9 contests. We’re disappointed that the NCAA rejected our appeal of this ruling.”

The Hoyas open their season tonight against the Old Dominion Monarchs, in Norfolk, Va. Ayegba is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound post player who came to the United States from Kano, Nigeria last November. He enrolled at Progressive Christian High School in Maryland.

Based on the Hoyas’ schedule, Ayegba will become eligible for Georgetown’s contest against Appalachian State, at home at Verizon Center, on Dec. 12.