LINCOLN — One down, one to go.

That was the summary of Nebraska's basketball scholarship situation Monday after often-injured senior Chris Balham was placed on medical hardship.

“He'll still a member of the team,'' NU coach Doc Sadler said. “But he's done playing.''

The new status for Balham, officially now a student assistant coach, who averaged 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds last season, brought the Huskers down to 14 scholarships, which is still one over the NCAA limit.

How did that happen?

“Coach Osborne said I can't count,'' Sadler said, trying to keep a straight face. “That's going to be the basis of our waiver — we've got a guy who can't count.''

Nebraska is serious about applying to the NCAA for a waiver of the 13-scholarship limit for the coming season.

How seriously the NCAA takes such an unusual request remains to be seen.

NU continued to recruit late into the summer and found itself over the limit when Christian Standhardinger, a November recruit, finally got the OK from the NCAA Clearinghouse on Friday — 279 days after he signed his letter of intent.

Sadler, without giving details, said the scholarship overage likely will be resolved “by the first of next week,'' even though he said he could go as late as the first official day of practice in October.

Standhardinger, who is from Germany, has begun the task of getting a visa and accumulating other international student paperwork necessary to enroll.

“He was at the embassy this morning, and it sounded like things are moving,'' Sadler said.

Previously, Standhardinger had said he wasn't interested in going to college if he had to sit out one season.

Like other recent German club players, the 6-foot-8 wing is subject to a one-year NCAA penalty for playing on a team that paid some members, even though he earned nothing more than allowed expenses.

Now, Sadler said, Standhardinger seems determined to come to Nebraska even if he has to sit a year.

Nebraska hopes that NCAA legislation set for a vote in August 2010 that would lift the penalty from such players — labeled “vicarious professionals'' — might be applied to those enrolling for the coming season. No timetable has been set for a possible ruling.

One scholarship Husker missed Monday's team organizational meeting, but through no fault of his own.

Incoming sophomore wing Myles Holley from Norfolk, Va., was still on a 40-hour bus ride to Lincoln, Sadler said, and wasn't scheduled to get in until late Monday night.

Another scholarship player, sophomore center Christopher Niemann, will miss the start of fall conditioning after reinjuring the knee that was operated on in March for a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Sadler said the 6-11, 265-pounder will undergo surgery Thursday in an attempt to determine the extent of the reinjury.

Two of the new faces in Monday's meeting are from a rare club — players who renounced scholarships at Division II schools to join the Huskers as walk-ons.

Drake Beranek, from Ravenna, Neb., had put in three years at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Mitch Albers, from Papillion-La Vista, two years at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Both decided this summer to walk on at NU, sit out this season and then become eligible in 2010-11 without any guarantee of a future scholarship.

Beranek was 11th nationally in scoring at UNK last season at 21.9 points a game and was first-team all-conference. Albers averaged 15.7 points and was honorable mention all-conference.

Other returning walk-ons are forward Ben Nelson from Atwater, Minn.; wing Mike Fox from Beatrice; and wing Matt Karn from Philpot, Ky.

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share