NCAA makes final decision on immediate eligibility of Boise State’s Akot
Emmanuel Akot won’t suit up for the Boise State men’s basketball team this season.
The NCAA Committee for Legislative Relief denied the 6-foot-8 Arizona transfer’s appeal for immediate eligibility. He will have to sit out the 2019-20 season as a redshirt and will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Broncos.
“The NCAA did not find the circumstances surrounding Emmanuel’s transfer unique, and the committee upheld that decision on appeal. Coach (Leon) Rice and I are disappointed with the decision and outcome of the appeal process,” Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey said in a press release.
“While we do not agree with the findings, we respect the rules by which we are governed and the fact that this decision is final. We will continue to support Emmanuel in every way to ensure he thrives as a student-athlete during his time here at Boise State and look forward to his future contributions to our men’s basketball program.”
Akot spent a year and a half at Arizona, making 11 starts in 17 games during the 2018-19 season while averaging 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He announced his intention to transfer in January. He averaged 10.4 minutes per game and played in all 31 of the Wildcats’ contests as a freshman. Arizona coach Sean Miller and his program are currently part of an NCAA investigation alleging pay-for-play.
“We have a thing with our guys: Live in truth. I think we fired off an honest waiver, and we said what we had to say. It just didn’t get approved,” Rice said. “... The hardest thing about these waivers is there’s just no transparency. We really don’t know all the answers. You see all these waivers getting approved and then some getting denied and people are wondering why does that guy get approved and why does he get denied? There’s just no transparency to it. I think that makes it hard on fans and hard on coaches.”
Akot, a Canada native, was a five-star recruit in the 2017 class, ranking as the No. 24 overall player and the No. 7 small forward, according to 247Sports.com. ESPN.com gave Akot a scout grade of 88, making him the highest-rated player to join Boise State. He also was a member of ESPN’s Top 100 for 2017.
“I’m a (glass) half full guy, and the one thing I do know is ... two years from now we’ll be pretty happy that we have Emmanuel still,” Rice said. “We have an opportunity to develop him, and I felt that all along, really. Sure he could help this team, but he’s gonna be a way better player in the next two years than he is right now.”
Boise State (1-1) hosts 2019 NCAA Tournament qualifier UC Irvine (2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday in ExtraMile Arena. The Broncos are teaming with the Idaho Foodbank to beat hunger. Fans who bring a non-perishable food item to donate will receive a group-rate discount on tickets ($7). The game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and broadcast on the radio at 670 AM.
Women’s basketball: BSU plays first road game
The Boise State women’s basketball team wraps up play in the Preseason WNIT with a consolation game against UAB (1-1) at 3 p.m. MT Friday in Birmingham, Alabama. The game will be on the radio on 1350 AM.
It is the Broncos’ first road game of the 2019-20 season and a gut check following a heartbreaking, 72-69 loss to Missouri State in the quarterfinals on Sunday. The Broncos (2-1) had hoped to make a deep run in the tournament and increase their chances of cracking the Top 25 rankings. They were tied at 62-62 with the Lady Bears with 5:08 left in the game, and senior guard Riley Lupfer’s game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.
“I’m just excited to get back out on the court with these girls again,” Boise State senior Braydey Hodgins said. “... After a loss like that, you just want to play again. You want to kind of go out and get up off the mat.”
Friday’s game will be the first meeting between the two programs, and could prove to be a milestone moment for Lupfer. She is just four 3-pointers away from becoming the program’s all-time career leader. Lupfer has 257 triples, and the record is 260.
“It’s not surprising that she’s here at this moment,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “She’s done a lot of wonderful things for us, and hopefully she gets it early. I guess I hope she does get it on the road.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 11:59 AM.
