Source: Memphis' Landers Nolley has received a waiver from the NCAA and is eligible for the 20-21 season.Transfer from Virginia Tech.— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 27, 2020
After all the BS we have to put up with with regards to the NCAA and after what we had to put up with regarding Nolley in particular, it's a little frustrating to see this.
Good for Nolley, but man... WTF are we doing wrong to so consistently get denied where everyone else gets it right.
For the record, Wilkins was granted immediate eligibility at Wake as well
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Of course he is.
I don't understand how this is possible. How can they make decisions like this without a blanket rule? It is blatant favoritism no?
It makes no sense to me.
EDIT: I'm all for kids getting to go play. Way to many rules tying them down anyway, but one getting to play and other not based on no tangible difference is a mind fuck.
Money talks...Memphis bag man spending some of Penny's cash
Any insight on why the NCAA granted Nolley eligibility? What rule? He's certainly not a graduate transfer.
It wasn't a coaching change either.
He left VT, Duh!
I let out a vocal Ha! when I read that. Sometimes you just gotta laugh
Starting to feel like there's something wrong at the athletic department...or is the NCAA still punishing us for Seth Greenberg's antics
Whit clearly banged the mom of someone high up at the NCAA. No other explanation.
True Story. I know someone who was in the corner watching.
i'll be VT's spokesman to the NCAA. Blackshear is playing. EAT A FUCKING DICK. if they don't like it, I will deliver said message to Indy myself, stopping at every noteworthy brewery on the way.
Honestly, what fucking power do they have? UNC proved that.
I'll drive.
Agreed. Since the season basically doesn't count anyway. The players get another year of eligibility. No word on whether there will be bowl games or a playoff. Several conferences aren't playing at all. It's the Wild West at this point.
Psh watch that work against us too for Blackshear.
"Season doesn't count, so sitting out this year also doesn't count and he actually needs to sit out next year too."
- The NCAA, probably
Ahh yes then with our luck the NCAA would say time to make an example of wee old VT and give us the BAN HAMMER OF SMU
Fuck em. They have no power that isn't given to them.
This is why
What was his reasoning for leaving? I don't remember. Was it Buzz leaving?
From what I recall he was being forced to play out of position for CMY because of our lack of size last season.
Same reason Penny Hardaway is out-recruiting Coach K
^^Yup.
Shock
We must be doing something wrong. Memphis and Blacksburg are about the same distance from Atlanta, Nolley's hometown. This isn't him getting closer to home. He didn't transfer as soon as Buzz left actually playing a season under Mike Young before deciding to leave. I'm not sure coaching change is a valid reason here. Other schools simply just have the ability to get guys eligible while we don't. Had Burmeister transferred anywhere else in P5, he probably would have been eligible immediately. Not at VT, though. We need to analyze what is going on in our compliance apartment and address it if we want to be more competitive in this age of the transfer portal.
Reporters and donors need to press Whit. It is time for an explanation of some sort; it needs to be addressed.
To what end? The NCAA doesn't tell players or schools the process, the panel votes or very often the reason.
It's not coincidence at this point. It's just not
Well if the NCAA won't tell players or schools the process, Whit can at least talk to other ADs who have had success to see how they do things.
So what do we do when he comes back and says "Its because we're not cheating"?
We would post tons of MLG gifs from 2016 because that would be a tremendous callout.
I am gonna go out on a limb and say there may be an academic checkbox not accounted for, and for that we will not and should not get an explanation.
Isaiah Wilkins transfer in conference to Wake Forest was also approved for immediate eligibility. Wilkins indicated his transfer was directly a suggestion of Coach Young. Not really unusual to see this number of transfers at this point. I also imagine Coach Young and Whit were supportive of the transfers and immediate eligibility at this point.
Memphis had had two others seek immediate eligibility in 2018 and 2019 that were denied.
NCAA almost never uses the same people year to year ruling on transfers so that plays a major role in the variations year to year on transfers.
I am pretty certain he cited closer to his kid as his main reason
Reality Memphis was a better fit for his skill set by playing as a small forward and with their roster will give him greater visibility in the right position for NBA scouts, let alone having the benefit of the coaching perspective of Penny Hardaway in terms of what he needs at the NBA level.
Mike Young due to roster makeup would have continued to use him as a power forward/center, which isnt his skill set. Hardaway will have him out near the perimeter almost exclusively.
Rob, these are all great points for why for Nolley this makes sense. And I love that VT staff is supportive of these results for the kids, VT staff is showing its support for the kids in the midst of a F-ed up variable NCAA process.
BUT
A couple things need explanation:
1. Why are the standards not seamlessly applicable as staff shifts across NCAA tasks? There should be documented standards that should be easily transferable.
2. Why does VT never, I mean never get a benefit from this process? Each case is different, but the end result for VT is predictable.
I dont disagree that someone should be tasked with reviewing the waiver "process" in the Athletic Department. A quality assurance or engineer professor, someone that is not connected to the department, that has carte blanche from Whit to dig across the entire department.
As for the NCAA, turnover of personnel and use of Athletic Directors or other school level staff also affects the outcomes year to year.
It would probably be beneficial if Whit selected a couple staff people to loan out to the NCAA Compliance Office to become well versed in the processes and tipping point and then bring them back to Tech after a couple years and keep rotating personnel up there bi-annually so he builds a bench.
Bingo, great idea. Get VT more a part of the process at the NCAA level.
Uh, what waiver is he even eligible for?
Immediate.
Transferring AWAY from VT rather than TO.
former Hokie instant eligbility waiver
The NCAA's waiver review process: