Tweet: UA signee Kapita headed to Spire Institute

 Arkansas basketball signee Ted Kapita
Arkansas basketball signee Ted Kapita

Arkansas basketball signee Ted Kapita, a power forward who played last season at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, is reportedly headed to the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, for postgraduate work after the NCAA Eligibility Center failed to clear him academically.

The information about Kapita came from the Spire Institute's Twitter account, @SPIREmbbAcademy, Wednesday afternoon.

Kapita, 6-9, 235 pounds, signed with the Razorbacks in November over offers from schools like West Virginia, Memphis, Oregon and Missouri. Efforts to reach Kapita and Huntington Prep Coach Arkell Bruce were unsuccessful Wednesday.

ESPN ranked Kapita, who is from Kinshasa, Congo, as the nation's No. 16 power forward and No. 71 prospect overall for the 2015 class.

Kapita moved to the United States in 2011 and played at Florida Air Academy in Melbourne as a junior before enrolling at Huntington Prep.

News of Kapita not gaining eligibility arrived on the same day three Razorbacks were arrested on suspicion of passing counterfeit money. All three -- Anton Beard, Jacorey Williams and Dustin Thomas -- were suspended indefinitely by the Arkansas athletic department.

One possible replacement for Kapita is center Willy Kouassi, 6-10 1/2, 233 pounds, who signed with Arkansas in June. He will have one year of immediate eligibility remaining and after receiving a release from Kennesaw State in Georgia.

Kouassi averaged 4.6 points, 5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks this past season while starting 25 of 27 games. Kouassi signed with Auburn in 2011 over Florida, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Georgia, Ole Miss and others.

Kouassi left the Auburn program and transferred to Kennesaw State. He sat out the 2012-2013 season. He's expected to graduate in July with a degree in integrated studies from Kennesaw State and report to Arkansas in August.

Guard Jimmy Whitt, 6-3, 170 pounds of Columbia, Mo., Hickman, inked with the Hogs in November and is now on campus. He was rated by ESPN as the nation's No. 11 point guard, No. 77 overall prospect and the No. 1 recruit in Missouri.

Sports on 07/23/2015

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