Wichita State forward Carl Hall needs a waiver from the NCAA to receive a sixth year of eligibility and play next season for the Shockers.
WSU submitted the paperwork earlier this week and associate athletic director Korey Torgerson said there is no timetable for a response from the NCAA.
“You’re dealing with the NCAA,” WSU basketball coach Gregg Marshall said. “We’ll remain optimistic and do what we’re supposed to do.”
Hall’s problem is known as a “clock issue.” NCAA rules give Division I athletes five years to complete four seasons of eligibility from the time they enroll in college. Hall started his clock in 2007-08 when he attended Middle Georgia College. A heart condition ended his basketball season after three games. He attended Middle Georgia in 2008-09, but did not play basketball. He played there in 2009-10 and transferred to Northwest Florida State Community College for the 2010-11 season.
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He came to WSU for the 2011-12 season, where he started 19 games and averaged 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds. He earned Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year honors.
“It’s legit,” Marshall said. “He had the heart issue, and still has it to a degree, but he’s been cleared to play. We feel like he’s got a legit issue.”
Torgerson said Hall received a medical hardship for the 2007-08 season, allowing him to play two seasons at a junior college. At issue is the 2008-09 season, which WSU maintains Hall also lost because of the heart condition and is therefore deserving of a second medical hardship season. Hall played three seasons in five years, so he needs the waiver to continue his college playing career.
Receiving a sixth year of eligibility due to injuries is considered rare, although it does happen. In the Missouri Valley Conference, Bradley’s Sam Singh received a sixth year after injuries limited him to 12 games in 2004-05 and 2005-06. The NCAA also granted a sixth year to Bradley center Will Egolf, who missed most of 2008-09 with a knee injury and all of last season with another knee injury. He will play for the Braves next season.
Hall is WSU’s most experienced post player. If he is not eligible next season, senior Ehimen Orukpe, who averaged 1.3 points, is WSU’s lone returning post player.
WSU coaches are ready for that possibility. Forward Calvin Godfrey, 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, started a visit on Friday morning. Godfrey, a sophomore at Howard (Texas) College, averaged 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds. He started his career at Iowa State, where he averaged 5.7 points and 5.4 rebounds as a freshman before he was dismissed from the team after he violated team rules and was arrested for marijuana possession.
“I believe that helping young men develop as people is part of my responsibility as coach,” Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said in a news release in May 2011. “That’s why I gave Calvin a chance to return to the team after his mid-year suspension for team rules violation. But, his arrest over the weekend ended his association with our team.”
Godfrey played his senior season at Cooper High in Robbinsdale, Minn., where he averaged 18.6 points and 10.7 rebounds. He is originally from Milwaukee.
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