Melanie Croser can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Her once up-in-the-air status to play for the Penn State women's basketball team was finally resolved last week, and she is now able to participate.

The issue with Croser's status stemmed from the fact that she had played 21 games in an unsanctioned Australian Basketball Association summer league before enrolling at Penn State. According to the NCAA, because the league charged admissions to all of its games, they failed to receive certification. According to Penn State director of athletic compliance John Bove, the standard penalty for a student athlete who participates in unsanctioned competition is that he or she is suspended one game for every game he or she played in the league. Thus, Croser's initial punishment handed down by the NCAA was for her to sit out 21 of the Lady Lions' games this year.

"It was discovered subsequent to her enrollment when we went through the compliance papers," Bove said. "Once she was [identified] as a prospect, the possibility of the violation was discovered sometime in July. We reviewed the circumstances and petitioned for a waiver of regulation." Bove praised the appeals board for being fair and swift in the handling of Croser's case.

"The NCAA committee that listened to the appeal was exceptionally responsive to the student athlete's welfare," Bove said. Croser transferred to Penn State this summer from the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college, after previously attending Hawaii. Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland opted to sit her for the first half of the season, which would have counted towards the initial 21-game suspension had the appeal not been upheld. Ultimately, her suspension was cut by six games once the NCAA appeals board removed the injunction.

The Lions will also receive the services of newly added walk-on freshman Bercu Turan. A native of Turkey, Turan enrolled at Penn State last semester as a part time student in an accelerated English program. She played for Turkey's national team for four years before coming to the United States.

"When I was in Turkey, I sent my [game tape] cassette with my admission papers, so the coaches didn't get it," Turan said. "I went to the coach by myself, and I told them I wanted to play basketball. They wanted to see my cassette, and I gave it to them then."

She said she chose Penn State because of the university's reputation as being one of the premier scholar-athlete schools in the United States.

"In Turkey, it is tough to be an athlete and be successful with academics. I choose to do both at the same time," Turan said.

Turan had her first official practice with the team yesterday, but will most likely miss a few games due to NCAA regulations. She went back to Turkey for the holiday break, where she trained to get in playing condition.