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College basketball teams all over America, get ready for your chance at a pretty talented transfer player -- who just might be eligible to play immediately.
With Connecticut facing a potential 2013 postseason ban, junior forward/center Alex Oriakhi has decided he'd rather play for a team with a chance to play in the NCAA tournament.
The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Oriakhi will seek a transfer for his senior season, his father, Alex. Sr., told Kevin Duffy of Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Oriakhi informed the coaching staff and athletic director of his decision Wednesday afternoon, Alex Oriakhi Sr. said.
"Alex will transfer because of the NCAA tournament next year," Alex Oriakhi Sr. told Duffy.
Now, the tournament ban is a bit complicated, so we'll let Duffy explain:
If UConn remains banned from the 2013 NCAA tournament because of its subpar academic progress rating, Oriakhi will not be forced to sit out a year. The NCAA grants waivers for student-athletes with remaining eligibility concurrent to the postseason ineligibility of their previous institution.
In Oriakhi's case, UConn is facing a one-year ban, and he has one year of eligibility left.
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There are two ways in which UConn could become eligible for the 2013 postseason: The school is still awaiting word on an appeal for a waiver that was previously turned down in February. UConn's best bet, though, is for the NCAA to change its timetable for APR data collection.
Right now, 2013 eligibility is based off a four-year rolling average and a two-year average from 2009-10 and 2010-11. The NCAA committee on academic performance met in February and discussed shifting the data to 2010-11 and 2011-12. The committee could make a decision on the issue when it meets from April 23-25.
In Oriakhi's case, UConn is facing a one-year ban, and he has one year of eligibility left.
...
There are two ways in which UConn could become eligible for the 2013 postseason: The school is still awaiting word on an appeal for a waiver that was previously turned down in February. UConn's best bet, though, is for the NCAA to change its timetable for APR data collection.
Right now, 2013 eligibility is based off a four-year rolling average and a two-year average from 2009-10 and 2010-11. The NCAA committee on academic performance met in February and discussed shifting the data to 2010-11 and 2011-12. The committee could make a decision on the issue when it meets from April 23-25.
Oriakhi, who will not enter the NBA Draft according to his father, does not have a list of schools he's considering yet, according to Duffy's story.
Oriakhi's junior season was interesting -- to say the least. It began with high hopes, featured two stretches in which he was benched for three consecutive games and ended with a career-low 21.5 minutes per game of playing time.
He averaged 6.7 points and a career-low 4.8 rebounds per game this season for the Huskies.
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