Recruit Diaz could join Huskers in December
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraska men’s basketball recruit Jorge Diaz has not yet been admitted to classes for the fall semester.
That’s the bad news for coach Doc Sadler.
The good news is that Diaz, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound forward from Puerto Rico, could be admitted for the second semester, meaning he’d be able to join the team on Dec. 19.
That’s three weeks before Big 12 Conference play begins.
Sadler, speaking at Tuesday’s weekly football news conference, couldn’t shed much light on the situation, other than to confirm he’s “actively recruiting” Diaz, who orally committed to the Huskers two weeks ago.
“We’re not in a position yet to have him on our team,” Sadler said.
Diaz has been cleared academically by the NCAA. Nebraska’s issue appears to be the fact Diaz hasn’t completed an English proficiency test — a requirement for foreign students to be considered for admission to NU.
That’s despite the fact Diaz was born in the United States and is fluent in English. The red flag: He went to a Spanish-speaking school, and indicated Spanish as his primary language on his application form.
Diaz, if not cleared for fall classes, could complete and pass his required test, presumably his only obstacle for admittance to NU. If accepted, he could join the team after the fall semester is complete. Diaz could not practice with the team until then, though.
“The people that make decisions, you just hope they make the decisions with all the information,” Sadler said. “It’s our responsibility to get them the information, and then we’re out of it.”
Sadler is hoping Diaz’s situation has a happier ending that that of recent sagas involving Roburt Sallie and Christopher Niemann.
Sallie was denied a waiver of a Big 12 Conference non-qualifier rule and ended up at Memphis. Niemann was declared ineligible for his freshman season by the NCAA for his participation on a German club team in which teammates were paid, but Niemann was not. The NCAA on Friday denied a waiver.
Sadler said he doesn’t agree with the decision on Niemann, who loses a year of eligibility. He’s expected to arrive on campus later this week and can practice this season. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2009-10.
Have Sadler’s spirits been shattered with the recent roster headaches?
“Spirits haven’t,” he said. “Sleep has.”
Briefly* Sadler said Florida A&M and Missouri-Kansas City are two candidates to fill the final remaining spot on the coming season’s schedule. “Right now,” Sadler said, “it’s to the point of whoever you can get.” Nebraska is expected to release its full schedule later this week.
* No players have missed any time through three days of small-group workouts, Sadler said. Brandon Richardson and Ryan Anderson are wearing protective sleeves on their knees; both players had what Sadler labeled minor injuries during the summer.
* About the coming season, Sadler said: “It’s going to be a totally different basketball team. As crazy as this may sound, I think, at times, you’ll see five perimeter players on the floor at one time. If our best players are guards, then five guards are going to play.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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