NC State freshman guard Braxton Beverly will have to sit out the 2017-18 season as a transfer. The NCAA turned down the school’s appeal of an earlier decision on Monday morning.
Beverly, a 6-foot, 180-pound freshman from Hazard, Ky., and Hargrove Military Academy, was a three-star point guard who signed with Ohio State.
When Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta resigned unexpectedly in early June, the freshmen were released from their letters of intent and free to sign elsewhere and play immediately.
Unfortunately for Beverly, he had already enrolled early and attended classes at Ohio State. That means that, instead of being considered a freshman recruit, he is viewed as a player on the Buckeyes’ roster, in the eyes of the NCAA.
When Beverly signed with NC State over the summer, the NCAA considered it a transfer, not a prospect committing to a school. That means that Beverly has to sit out a year, in compliance with the NCAA’s rule on student-athlete transfers.
The NCAA officially ruled Beverly ineligible on Oct. 13. NC State filed an appeal requesting that Beverly be ruled immediately eligible to play, on Oct. 23. It took the NCAA less than a week to deny it.
“Disappointed would be an understatement for how I feel for Braxton, he’s devastated.” said new NC State coach Kevin Keatts. “This is a situation where adults failed a young man and he’s the one paying the price.”
Beverly will be able to practice during the 2017-18, but he cannot travel with the team to road games. He will have four years of eligibility remaining.
