Josh Eilert not alone within the Large 12 in ready on a NCAA waiver for a participant’s eligibility

MORGANTOWN — WVU interim males’s basketball coach Josh Eilert will not be alone in ready to listen to information from the NCAA on a switch waiver.

Talking at Large 12 media day Wednesday contained in the T-Cellular Heart in Kansas Metropolis, Mo., Eilert mentioned the varsity nonetheless hasn’t heard a choice on guard RaeQuan Battle and whether or not he will probably be dominated eligible this season.

“I actually suppose the NCAA goes to do proper by him and he’s going to get that (waiver),” Eilert mentioned. “I cross my fingers and I feel that’s going to occur.”

Battle is a two-time switch, starting his profession at Washington earlier than transferring to Montana State. As a two-time switch, he wants a waiver from the NCAA for rapid eligibility.

Because it seems, different Large 12 coaches are in the identical boat.

Cincinnati coach Wes Miller confirmed Wednesday that waivers for Aziz Bandaogo and Jamille Reynolds have been just lately denied. The college is within the technique of interesting these choices, very similar to WVU tried with Jose Perez final season.

“I feel I’ve realized extra about this course of than I believed I ever would or cared to,” Miller mentioned. “It’ll go to … we submitted an enchantment, and it goes to the enchantment committee within the NCAA.

“The problem at hand right here is that now we have two gamers, and there’s others on the market in America, that got steerage once they have been making life choices final spring to switch, and so they got steerage and pointers by the NCAA as a path to play. They felt that they met these pointers. They made life choices based mostly on that.”

Life on the Marriott Heart

With the addition of BYU this season, there’s a new king within the Large 12, not less than in area measurement.

The Cougars’ Marriott Heart lists an official capability of 19,000, making it the biggest area within the convention.

Up till this season, Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) held that distinction.

BYU’s common residence crowd packs a punch, too. The Cougars averaged 13,855 followers in the course of the 2021-22 season, which was sixteenth within the nation.

Anticipate that quantity to go up in BYU’s first season within the Large 12.

“We count on that to bump as much as 18,000 or 19,000 a recreation this 12 months,” BYU head coach Mark Pope mentioned. “Simply for instance, season tickets offered out earlier than they have been ever accessible to the general public. We’ve got an unbelievable pupil part in The Rock that’s legendary. The Marriott Heart is an unbelievable venue to look at a recreation, and now we have passionate followers.”

Baylor head coach Scott Drew performed at BYU in 2011.

“I do not forget that was an impressive recreation, got here all the way down to the final seconds and one of many louder locations we’ve performed in and have performed in, interval,” Drew mentioned. “Nice respect for his or her fan base and simply their recreation administration, how do they issues.”

Goodbye Ferrell Heart

Talking of arenas, Baylor will finally name Foster Pavilion its new residence.

The Ferrell Heart has hosted the Bears because it opened in 1988. Drew mentioned Baylor may open the brand new area by the flip of the New Yr.

“Probably the greatest issues that I feel the state of Texas typically has achieved is made newer, smaller arenas to verify the followers have been extra on prime of you rather than so unfold out with the larger arenas that we used to have,” Drew mentioned. “We should always have the identical factor, followers on prime of you, ensuring they’re supporting the house crew and welcoming the visiting crew. We stay up for exhibiting you and everyone else January 2.”

Foster Pavilion was a $185 million challenge and the sector sits alongside the Brazos River.

The brand new area will sit 7,000. The Ferrell Heart’s capability is listed at 10,347.

Going younger

Whereas many colleges dip into the switch portal to construct a roster, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton Jr. went barely in one other path.

His roster this season will embody 5 true freshmen and one redshirt-freshman, practically half of the roster.

“I feel we’ve at all times been fairly intentional about being who we’re and believing within the basis of our program, being about growth,” Boynton Jr. mentioned. “I don’t wish to say we have been particularly extra intentional this 12 months than in another earlier years. We’ve at all times been actually aggressive within the recruiting area, by way of the highschool realm.

“We’ll proceed that, as a result of I really imagine that we’re nonetheless about making folks higher. I feel our observe document of growth has been fairly good. It’ll proceed to be that.”

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