By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

University of Cincinnati basketball recruit Robert Whaley was cleared to play for Barton County (Kan.) Community College after being involved in a fight.

Barton County Sheriff Buck Causey told the Great Bend Tribune that a deputy was checking the campus at about 12:25 a.m. Feb.9. When the deputy drove past a dormitory parking lot, he witnessed an altercation. He called for backup and attempted to break up the fight.

Great Bend's Emergency Medical Service was called out to treat injuries suffered by several students during the altercation.

Causey said the deputy witnessed one individual throwing what appeared to be a chair onto the roof of one of the dormitory units.

"We later recovered the chair and we think it was the weapon used," Causey told the paper. "This incident is still under investigation," he said.

Whaley, a 6-foot-10 center who signed a letter of intent with UC last fall, was suspended indefinitely after the incident. According to the paper, the sheriff's office will announce today if any charges will be filed.

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com