Former NBA player Sam Cassell isn’t very happy with the NCAA.

After his son’s appeal to play college basketball fell through on Thursday, he lashed out by labeling the NCAA as “the neighborhood bullies.”

In a CBS Sports report, Cassell said it wouldn’t be worth it to pursue any legal action after his son, Sam Cassell Jr. and another high school senior Myles Davis were both ruled ineligible by the NCAA for taking classes invalidated by the NCAA at Notre Dame Prep, a high school in Massachusetts.

Cassell said his son didn’t have six courses validated from the prep school that were taken two years ago. These identical courses were also attended by eight other basketball players — each of which were cleared to play Division 1 college basketball last season.

“The NCAA just wants kids to fail,” Cassell said in the report. “It’s not these kids’ fault. The NCAA can’t penalize Notre Dame Prep, so they are squashing the kids dreams.”

Cassell’s son was planning to play for Maryland.

“He had his heart set on it,” Cassell said. “He’s really hurt.”

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