Post by Realm on Oct 24, 2011 9:41:32 GMT -5
San Diego Union Tribune article also mentions at bottom of article a potential Utep recruit -- Winston Shepard.
Aztecs, Polee not getting hopes up for waiver
This much is certain: If Dwayne Polee somehow is granted a waiver to play this season for San Diego State, he won’t sit on the bench.
The St. John’s transfer has been among the most impressive players during the first week of men’s basketball practice, which makes the likely outcome of his planned petition to the NCAA all the more frustrating.
“Right now,” Polee admitted, “it’s not looking too good.”
Transfers must sit out a season before being eligible, and the basis of Polee’s request for a hardship waiver is that he transferred from St. John’s in New York to be closer to Los Angeles and his mother, who is undergoing a second surgery for an undisclosed ailment.
The NCAA almost never grants such waivers, although it did Thursday to junior Lamont “Momo” Jones in his transfer from Arizona to New York's Iona under similar circumstances. Jones is from New York City and transferred, he said, because he wanted to be closer to his ailing grandmother (who raised him).
SDSU is already 0-for-1 on NCAA eligibility petitions this year. In August, 6-foot-11 center Brian Carlwell was denied a sixth year in what appeared a reasonable request following severe head injury in a near-fatal car accident during his freshman season at Illinois.
“Mrs. Polee is still getting some information, some statements from her doctors,” Fisher said. “We want to have everything in order before we file it. But I think the NCAA will rule on it pretty quickly.
“I told Dwayne we’re going ahead with it but not to get disappointed if it doesn’t work out. The way we’re looking at it is, it would be an early Christmas present if he gets to play this season.”
Said the 6-7 Polee, who has three years of eligibility remaining: “If it happens, great. If we don’t get it, I’ll just have to sit this year out and get better.”
Injury report
The Aztecs can suit up only nine scholarship players this season, and on Thursday they were down to seven during contact drills. Sophomore Chase Tapley has a sprained ankle, and 6-8 junior college transfer Deshawn Stephens “tweaked” the same knee last Saturday that required minor surgery in September.
Of the two, Stephens appears the more worrisome. Fisher said “if we had a game today, Tapley would play.” Stephens, though, is being eased back to live action and might not participate in a full practice until next week. He’s also wearing a brace on the knee.
“They chose to be cautious with it,” Fisher said. “He’s seen Dr. (Christopher) Behr and he doesn’t think there is anything wrong. So for a while, we’ll be babying him a little bit.”
Stabbing incident
The campus party that turned ugly earlier this month, resulting in Aztecs football player Jay Waddell being stabbed in the stomach, reportedly was attended by SDSU basketball players. Sophomore Jamaal Franklin, according to Waddell, took off his shirt to help stop the bleeding.
Fisher, though, has absolved his players of any wrongdoing.
“We’ve looked into all that,” Fisher said. “To me, that is a nonissue for us. We’ve done our due diligence internally and externally, and I can say our guys were not involved. What happened was not created by our guys.”
Recruiting update
Matt Wilms, a 7-footer from Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, cancelled a scheduled visit during the blackout weekend and has been noncommittal about whether he will reschedule it. Another Vegas-based player, Ben Carter of Bishop Gorman, also cancelled a visit and appears headed to Utah or Oregon.
But SDSU remains in the mix for yet another Findlay Prep product: Winston Shepard, rated the 10th best small forward in his class by Rivals.com. Shepard visited New Mexico last weekend but didn’t commit and is said to be scheduling a trip to SDSU. Oklahoma State, UTEP and UNLV are on his short list as well, although Shepard has indicated he might wait until the spring to sign a letter of intent.
Aztecs, Polee not getting hopes up for waiver
This much is certain: If Dwayne Polee somehow is granted a waiver to play this season for San Diego State, he won’t sit on the bench.
The St. John’s transfer has been among the most impressive players during the first week of men’s basketball practice, which makes the likely outcome of his planned petition to the NCAA all the more frustrating.
“Right now,” Polee admitted, “it’s not looking too good.”
Transfers must sit out a season before being eligible, and the basis of Polee’s request for a hardship waiver is that he transferred from St. John’s in New York to be closer to Los Angeles and his mother, who is undergoing a second surgery for an undisclosed ailment.
The NCAA almost never grants such waivers, although it did Thursday to junior Lamont “Momo” Jones in his transfer from Arizona to New York's Iona under similar circumstances. Jones is from New York City and transferred, he said, because he wanted to be closer to his ailing grandmother (who raised him).
SDSU is already 0-for-1 on NCAA eligibility petitions this year. In August, 6-foot-11 center Brian Carlwell was denied a sixth year in what appeared a reasonable request following severe head injury in a near-fatal car accident during his freshman season at Illinois.
“Mrs. Polee is still getting some information, some statements from her doctors,” Fisher said. “We want to have everything in order before we file it. But I think the NCAA will rule on it pretty quickly.
“I told Dwayne we’re going ahead with it but not to get disappointed if it doesn’t work out. The way we’re looking at it is, it would be an early Christmas present if he gets to play this season.”
Said the 6-7 Polee, who has three years of eligibility remaining: “If it happens, great. If we don’t get it, I’ll just have to sit this year out and get better.”
Injury report
The Aztecs can suit up only nine scholarship players this season, and on Thursday they were down to seven during contact drills. Sophomore Chase Tapley has a sprained ankle, and 6-8 junior college transfer Deshawn Stephens “tweaked” the same knee last Saturday that required minor surgery in September.
Of the two, Stephens appears the more worrisome. Fisher said “if we had a game today, Tapley would play.” Stephens, though, is being eased back to live action and might not participate in a full practice until next week. He’s also wearing a brace on the knee.
“They chose to be cautious with it,” Fisher said. “He’s seen Dr. (Christopher) Behr and he doesn’t think there is anything wrong. So for a while, we’ll be babying him a little bit.”
Stabbing incident
The campus party that turned ugly earlier this month, resulting in Aztecs football player Jay Waddell being stabbed in the stomach, reportedly was attended by SDSU basketball players. Sophomore Jamaal Franklin, according to Waddell, took off his shirt to help stop the bleeding.
Fisher, though, has absolved his players of any wrongdoing.
“We’ve looked into all that,” Fisher said. “To me, that is a nonissue for us. We’ve done our due diligence internally and externally, and I can say our guys were not involved. What happened was not created by our guys.”
Recruiting update
Matt Wilms, a 7-footer from Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, cancelled a scheduled visit during the blackout weekend and has been noncommittal about whether he will reschedule it. Another Vegas-based player, Ben Carter of Bishop Gorman, also cancelled a visit and appears headed to Utah or Oregon.
But SDSU remains in the mix for yet another Findlay Prep product: Winston Shepard, rated the 10th best small forward in his class by Rivals.com. Shepard visited New Mexico last weekend but didn’t commit and is said to be scheduling a trip to SDSU. Oklahoma State, UTEP and UNLV are on his short list as well, although Shepard has indicated he might wait until the spring to sign a letter of intent.
