Oxnard College will forfeit its entire 2007-08 men's basketball season and be placed on probation for the 2008-09 campaign after it discovered evidence that one of its starting players was ineligible to compete because of an invalid transcript, according to college president Richard Duran.

Jonathan Malloy, who played in 30 of the Condors' 31 games last season, was set to attend Sacramento State on a basketball scholarship this fall when a year-old transcript from Compton College alerted administrators at the NCAA Division I school.

Informed by Oxnard College administrators, Western State Conference commissioner Aviva Kamin ruled on the subject earlier this week.

"We are compelled by the (California Community College Athletic Association) to self-report," said Duran. "We recommended that we forfeit last season, which has been accepted by the commissioner and she put us on probation for the upcoming year.

"We have to remain clean and follow all the rules."

Malloy, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 14.1 points and 6.9 rebounds last season.

Duran said that Oxnard officials, prompted by the questions of Sacramento State administrators, discovered the issue "probably by accident."

"We checked with (Compton) and found out that (the transcript) wasn't theirs," said Duran.

"We met with Jonathan. He doesn't know how it got there."

The origin of the transcript remains a question mark. Ventura County Community College District chancellor James Meznek said Wednesday that private investigator Walter Johnson, who has been investigating the Oxnard and Ventura men's basketball programs since November, will be asked to look into the issue.

"We don't know if the student has engaged in anything inappropriate," said Meznek. "There is no blame anywhere. We have not had time to investigate it."

The transcript dates from a period when Compton College, which has suffered through recent accreditation and financial problems, was being run by El Camino College.

"At the time in question, Compton had lost their accreditation so they should have been El Camino transcripts," said Duran.

Sacramento State coach Brian Katz did not return a phone message, but Malloy does not appear on the roster listed on the team's official Web site, http://www.hornetsports.com.

Duran said the issue has prompted the school's administration and records department to "fully review" the transcripts of all athletes.

"It's very difficult to pick up a violation like this," said Oxnard athletic director Tim Harrison. "If you can imagine trying to verify every transcript from every athlete, we have 150 student-athletes and verification of official documents is a process that we are revisiting.

"If it looks authentic, then we deem it authentic (and this transcript) appeared to be authentic."

Harrison said the probation signified "just a closer look, just a closer evaluation from Aviva and the conference."

The Condors finished 17-14 last season, including 10-2 in the Western State Conference's North Division, good for second place behind 11-1 Ventura College.

The forfeits spoil a heroic chapter in the history of Oxnard College basketball. The Condors pushed rival Ventura in the conference race last winter despite playing the majority of their conference games with six or seven healthy and eligible players.

"I consider what those kids accomplished last year to be a miracle," said Oxnard coach Jason Cunningham, who was an assistant under Jeff Theiler last season. "For anything to get in the way of that would be a tragedy."

Theiler, who remains on non-disciplinary paid leave as a result of the ongoing investigation of the Oxnard and Ventura programs, was surprised, yet unmoved.

"You can't change what happened," said Theiler. "The kids had great performances on and off the court. They did what they were supposed to do. None of that goes away.

"I don't know the details of this thing, but when this happens, you don't erase what happened. I'm obviously still proud of the kids from last year."

The Star reported in May that Ventura College breached CCCAA housing rules when former head coach Greg Winslow sublet a Ventura house to his players.

Therefore, third-place Moorpark, at 7-5, could be in line to be awarded last year's WSC North men's basketball title.

Moorpark athletic director Howard Davis didn't seem interested in hanging a banner earned via forfeit.

"Every community college athletic program would be susceptible to this type of (issue)," said Davis.