Coach K wants no exceptions on NCAA transfers

Most college basketball players who transfer schools will sit out a year before they are eligible to play with their new schools. But like a lot of broad rules, there are always exceptions. Two of the most common reasons for players to be able to play immediately are because they either graduated or because they applied for, and got, a hardship waiver from the NCAA.

Coach K told ESPN that he would rather see the entire waiver process eliminated, but if something has to exist it needs to be a consistent line with no exceptions -- either everyone sits or everyone plays.

“Giving certain kids the right to play and others not the right to play, it should be done the same,” he said. “If they want to let everybody play right away, then let everybody play right away. Everybody should be treated the same. I don’t understand why there are exceptions to this rule.”

Hardship waivers are designed to grant students the chance to play immediately when they decide to transfer to a school closer to home, often for medical and family reasons. Unfortunately, the NCAA hasn’t been too consistent in when and why it grants such waivers, and the recent situation of Kerwin Okoro put plenty of egg on the NCAA’s face.

Okoro transferred from Iowa State to Rutgers after he lost both his brother and his father within the span of two months. He applied for a hardship waiver, which the NCAA initially denied. Okoro appealed the decision, and after a second look, the NCAA agreed with him and granted his hardship waiver request last week. Suffice to say, the negative publicity around the matter had already spread like wildfire on the Internet.

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