Help is on the way: Transfer Ronnie DeGray III slated to make season debut for Shockers
Enforcement is on the way for the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
Ronnie DeGray III, a 6-foot-6 junior forward, will make his season debut for the Shockers in Saturday’s 6 p.m. game against Southern Illinois at Koch Arena.
After sitting out the first 10 games of the season awaiting word from the NCAA on his waiver as a two-time transfer, DeGray is now allowed to compete for the Shockers for the rest of the season. WSU’s social media made DeGray’s status for Saturday’s game clear with a post on Saturday morning.
The decision comes after a whirlwind of news this week in the courts.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in West Virginia issued a 14-day temporary restraining order against the NCAA regarding its transfer waiver process, which allowed multi-time transfers to play during the two-week window.
On Thursday, the NCAA provided clarification to member schools that now-eligible transfers would lose a year of eligibility by playing during the 14-day TRO if the court order was reversed at the next hearing on Dec. 27.
On Friday, the NCAA agreed to terms that will convert the TRO to a preliminary injunction that will last until the end of the spring sports period. When approved by a judge, which is expected, it will allow multi-time transfer athletes to play immediately.
DeGray, who played one season at Massachusetts and two seasons at Missouri, will use one of his two remaining years of eligibility to help the Shockers for the rest of this season. He will have the option of returning for a final year at WSU in the 2024-25 season.
It’s likely DeGray, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds for Mizzou in 2021-22, will be able to help WSU out immediately.
The Shockers have stuck with a seven-player rotation early in the season and DeGray could either slide into the starting lineup down the road or strengthen WSU’s bench unit, which currently features forwards in Dalen Ridgnal and Isaac Abidde.
This story was originally published December 16, 2023 at 10:34 AM.
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