It appears Kentucky Basketball’s goal of a Year 5 Otega Oweh has suffered a severe setback.
On Monday, the NCAA convened to decide whether the 5-in-5 plan would proceed, which would give college athletes five seasons of participation in a five-year period if approved.
While it is projected to pass, it appears that it would not apply to graduating college seniors like Oweh.
NCAA President Charlie Baker told ESPN today that he is optimistic that the idea will proceed now that the Division I Board of Directors has convened. However, they will advise against applying this regulation retrospectively to graduates and athletes whose eligibility has expired.
“If you’ve used up your eligibility, you’ve used it up,” Baker told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
So, for now, it looks like Oweh will not be allowed to play one more season. However, while Oweh may not use this choice, you can expect a slew of graduating seniors to sue the NCAA for a fifth year. And you have to assume that they will have a solid case for it, given the number of eligibility cases that the NCAA has lost in recent years.
In fact, I would wager that at least a few players will sue the NCAA and receive a fifth season. It appears that Florida and former Wildcat Denzel Aberdeen will choose that path, and many more are expected to follow suit.
Will Oweh be willing to make such a Hail Mary move? It looks that this is his sole chance of getting another season, but at this point, he may be willing to quit and pursue his professional career.
Mark Pope and his colleagues will almost certainly operate as if an Oweh return is out of the question, shifting their efforts to players who can play next season with certainty.
