65 replies to this topic

[Chris B]

Dez is announcing his decision on twitter at 10 am. @DezWells_5

[Chris B]

Count out Memphis per Jeff Goodman.

I'd be shocked if he doesn't land in the Old Line State.

[Chris B]

Congratulations Terps fans, Dez Wells is going to Maryland.

You've got yourselves a future NBA player. It'll be really bittersweet (more bitter than sweet) seeing him in red and gold for the remainder of his college years.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Congratulations Terps fans, Dez Wells is going to Maryland.

You've got yourselves a future NBA player. It'll be really bittersweet (more bitter than sweet) seeing him in red and gold for the remainder of his college years.

Sorry for your loss, Chris, but this is phenomenal news for Turg and the program. Great stuff.

[Chris B]

Sorry for your loss, Chris, but this is phenomenal news for Turg and the program. Great stuff.

It absolutely is. Maybe this winter I'll get back to following MD hoops again like I used to.

I still don't think the NCAA will give Dez a waiver (personally I think they should) because it would set a precedent for future expelled students. But regardless, Maryland is gonna be set for awhile. If you can land the Harrison twins, that is a Final Four contender.

[DJ MC]

It absolutely is. Maybe this winter I'll get back to following MD hoops again like I used to.

I still don't think the NCAA will give Dez a waiver (personally I think they should) because it would set a precedent for future expelled students. But regardless, Maryland is gonna be set for awhile. If you can land the Harrison twins, that is a Final Four contender.

Yeah, but from everything that has come out so far it sounds like he was a WRONGLY expelled student. Aren't extraordinary events like this why the NCAA has the ability to waive eligibility rules in the first place?

[Chris B]

Yeah, but from everything that has come out so far it sounds like he was a WRONGLY expelled student. Aren't extraordinary events like this why the NCAA has the ability to waive eligibility rules in the first place?

He absolutely was wrongly expelled. I stand by that. They should waive it because it is an extraordinary event, but this is the NCAA we're talking about here.

[glenn__davis]

I don't know what Turgeon and the staff do at these visits, but my goodness do recruits just rant and rave about MD once they're here. How many times now just in the past year have we seen guys visit here and commit almost immediately? I know in this instance he had to due to the special circumstances, but still, the comments about the visit from his coach were very impressive.

I was pretty lukewarm about the Turgeon hire - not that I thought it was a bad hire, I just wasn't all that enthusiastic about it. But it's difficult to imagine anyone doing better than he has thus far.

[mweb08]

Great news! Hopefully the NCAA does the right thing, but I'm not counting on it.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Wow, I am so absolutely and completely fired up for MD basketball now.

C'mon Harrisons!

[ravens8589]

Inside maryland sports is reporting that you shouldnt count out that waiver just yet. seems like maryland is pushing hard for one as we speak.

[Chris B]

Inside maryland sports is reporting that you shouldnt count out that waiver just yet. seems like maryland is pushing hard for one as we speak.

I mean, you absolutely have to if you're Maryland. Without knowing much about the Terps roster this year, I would guess Dez would start at the 3. Like others have said though, I worry that the NCAA will mess this up, like they are known to do.

[BSLMikeLowe]

At the very least the NCAA should give him a waiver so that he doesn't have to lose a year of eligibility if he can't play this season. Although I guess he still has a RS available? Then again, if what I hear about him is true he might not stick around long enough for it to matter anyway.

Either way, outstanding job by Turgeon & Co.

[Greg Pappas]

Good addition, regardless of when he plays. I'm happy the young man has a new lease on his life here with Maryland. I hope the NCAA does the right thing and allows him to play this season.

[Chris B]

At the very least the NCAA should give him a waiver so that he doesn't have to lose a year of eligibility if he can't play this season. Although I guess he still has a RS available? Then again, if what I hear about him is true he might not stick around long enough for it to matter anyway.

Either way, outstanding job by Turgeon & Co.

I hadn't heard this....why would he lose a year of eligibility?

And yeah, there's a chance that Dez wouldn't stick around. The good news is that he is an outstanding student. I believe he had a 4.0 GPA in high school. He definitely does take his academics seriously and I could see him wanting to pursue a degree. But who knows...when that money and that NBA team is calling, you never know.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I hadn't heard this....why would he lose a year of eligibility?

And yeah, there's a chance that Dez wouldn't stick around. The good news is that he is an outstanding student. I believe he had a 4.0 GPA in high school. He definitely does take his academics seriously and I could see him wanting to pursue a degree. But who knows...when that money and that NBA team is calling, you never know.

I'm not sure about how it applies to expulsions, and whether or not you'd need a waiver, but when a player sits out a year with an ordinary transfer, that still counts as a year of eligibility. But if they have a redshirt available still, they can use that.

[BSLMikeLowe]

http://espn.go.com/m...lege-basketball

Maryland will apply for a waiver with the NCAA for him to play immediately, arguing that he is NCAA eligible but simply not allowed to play at Xavier.

However, it would be a surprise if the NCAA granted the waiver, since it would be creating precedent by allowing a player who was expelled from one university to play at another without sitting out a year in residence.

Rule 14.5.1.2 in the NCAA rulebook details disciplinary suspension:

A student who transfers to any NCAA institution from a collegiate institution while the student is disqualified or suspended from the previous institution for disciplinary reasons (as opposed to academic reasons) must complete one calendar year of residence at the certifying institution. (Revised: 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97)

But Turgeon didn't sign Xavier's top returning scorer to have him for this season. It would be a nice bonus, but it's not a necessity.

Turgeon said he has tried to balance the classes at his previous stops at Wichita State and Texas A&M, adding four-year transfers along the way.

[Chris B]

We're having the "eligibility" discussion on the Xavier message board I frequent. Most people say he probably won't be deemed eligible, even though he absolutely should.

Although it seems like an unrealistic scenario, here was one that someone brought up:

Yeah, I can see that. Even though we can (and have) debated if the expulsion was warranted, in the NCAA's eyes, he is still a student-athlete that was expelled. They don't exactly want to reward that sort of thing, now do they?

Might give other student-athletes that are disgruntled with their current situation a loophole to the "I'd love to get out of this hole, but I'd have to sit a year or two to do it" rule. i.e. "I'll just get myself expelled, and then Big Name U, here I come"

[BSLMikeLowe]

Not sure I see where the loophole/precedent for others is. Wells was certainly not trying to "get himself expelled" there. And if he had actually been charged with the sexual assault, much less convicted, we would not even be having this discussion. So how another student athlete could try to duplicate what happened to Wells, along with the extenuating circumstances, sounds far-fetched to me.

If we know anything about the NCAA, it is that it's probably the most fickle and arbitrary governing body there is. Nothing they rule here would surprise me. Given that, UM has to at least give it a shot.

[Chris B]

Not sure I see where the loophole/precedent for others is. Wells was certainly not trying to "get himself expelled" there. And if he had actually been charged with the sexual assault, much less convicted, we would not even be having this discussion. So how another student athlete could try to duplicate what happened to Wells, along with the extenuating circumstances, sounds far-fetched to me.

If we know anything about the NCAA, it is that it's probably the most fickle and arbitrary governing body there is. Nothing they rule here would surprise me. Given that, UM has to at least give it a shot.

Well, it certainly is far-fetched; I said pretty much the same prior to showing that quote. I just don't think the NCAA will want to set a precedent (one that lawyers/coaches/players will surely use in the future) for Dez's case.

But obviously, Turgeon and Co. have to try. There's absolutely no downside.