Glenville State F Phil Bledsoe's Eligibility Uncertain After Exit from NBA Draft
May 29, 2019
FILE - In this Saturday, March 10, 2018, file photo, then-Marshall guard Phil Bledsoe (32) and the Marshall bench react to a 3-point shot against Western Kentucky during the second half of the NCAA Conference USA basketball championship game in Frisco, Texas. Confusion over the new rule allowing college basketball players to sign with agents has led to uncertainty for Bledsoe, now at Division II Glenville State in West Virginia. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)
Forward Phil Bledsoe, who plays at Division II Glenville State in West Virginia, may not be eligible to continue playing college basketball despite pulling out of the 2019 NBA draft pool prior to Wednesday's deadline.
According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), the rule that allows players to hire an agent and get feedback on their potential draft status before returning to college only applies to D-I players.
Bledsoe was not aware of the language in the rule and did not find out that his college eligibility could be impacted until Tuesday.
GlenvilleState Compliance Coordinator Bill Lilly took issue with the NCAA's handling of the situation: "This didn't need to happen. I could've avoided it, but we could've had help in avoiding this thing too, because we weren't trying to sneak anything by anyone. We were just trying to give the kid the option we thought he had, and now he doesn't have it."
Bledsoe, who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Division I Marshall before transferring toGlenvilleState, hired agent JerryDianisto test the draft waters, with an eye toward returning to school.
Dianisnoted that nobody involved thought any issues would arise with regard toBledsoe's eligibility, and eventhough the rule technically excludes D-II and D-III players, he said:
"I've had the conversation with the NCAA, and I don't anticipate there will be any issues at all in reference to his continued playing. Rational minds realize it's just an oversight on the NCAA's part, is the way I look at it. You just have to be more clear. How hard is it to add a sentence or to add 'Division I' just to include that in the information that was sent out?"
Bledsoe, a 6'6" junior, averaged 19.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game last season while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three. Even so, it was highly unlikely he would have been selected in the 2019 draft, especially after averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest in his two seasons at Marshall.
Perhaps another big season atGlenvilleState might helpBledsoeget on the NBA radar, but he will now need a ruling in his favor to get that chance.
