Gilchrist headed to USF
Posted By Brett McMurphy at Jun 15, 2008 at 09:34 PM
Updated Jun 15, 2008 at 09:44 PM


Former Maryland center Gus Gilchrist, rated the nation’s No. 9 center as a senior in high school in 2007, will transfer to the University of South Florida, his trainer/adviser Terrelle Woody said Sunday.

The 6-foot-9 Gilchrist also considered Kentucky and West Virginia. Woody said Gilchrist chose USF because of three reasons: USF junior point guard Chris Howard, a former high school teammate of Gilchrist’s, a chance to play in the Big East and playing for USF coach Stan Heath.

“He really liked the school,” Woody said. “Gus is really good friends with Chris and he wanted to play in the Big East. He also really liked Coach Stan Heath.”

As a senior at Progressive Christian, Gilchrist averaged 22.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. He initially signed early with Virginia Tech in November 2006, but opted out of his letter of intent because of the tragic April 2007 shootings. He enrolled in Maryland in January 2008, but the Atlantic Coast Conference ruled Gilchrist would not be eligible until January 2009 and would lose a year of eligibility because he had previously signed with another ACC school. This decision prompted him to leave Maryland.

“No one ever told him about it [the transfer rule],” Woody said. “They sprung it on him. He could have gone to any school in the country after Virginia Tech.”

Maryland’s appeals to have Gilchrist eligible this fall were denied, so that’s why Gilchrist left Maryland, Woody said.

Woody said USF would begin the process Monday to appeal to the NCAA for a hardship waiver that would allow Gilchrist to play this season at USF. If the appeal is not successful, Gilchrist would not be able to play at USF until the 2009-10 season.

Nice pickup....Appears to me that Stan Heath is doing a pretty good job in Tampay

Jackson

Cubanbull Wrote:Woody said USF would begin the process Monday to appeal to the NCAA for a hardship waiver that would allow Gilchrist to play this season at USF. If the appeal is not successful, Gilchrist would not be able to play at USF until the 2009-10 season.

USF is currently 7-for-7 in Football Hardship cases getting approved so I'm sure that fact had a BIG impact on Gilchrist's decision (i.e. probably will get to play this fall).

Even though Gilchrist is from Maryland and most, if not all of USF's past hardship waiver approvals were from FLA athletes...the NCAA doesn't want to enter a possible lawsuit by a school/player if a player has a legit "family" reason to go back home and play.

But since Gilchrist is FROM Maryland...who knows what the NCAA will do in this case. (i.e. WVU is much closer to his home town than USF).

His hardship is NOT about being closer to home. His is about playing time thats why he chose USF. At maryland he had to sit out because of an ACC rule that said if you transfered from another ACC school you must sit out a year. He was NOT told about it when he moved from Vtech to Maryland (thats his take). He had NOT played at Vtech when he transfered to Maryland and had he transfered to USF or any non ACC school would had been eligibkl o play from the start.
Thats the hardship he is asking for, that Maryland did not inform him of the ACC rule until he went over and that they had told them the ACC woukd over rule it which they didnt.

Cubanbull Wrote:His hardship is NOT about being closer to home. His is about playing time thats why he chose USF. At maryland he had to sit out because of an ACC rule that said if you transfered from another ACC school you must sit out a year. He was NOT told about it when he moved from Vtech to Maryland (thats his take). He had NOT played at Vtech when he transfered to Maryland and had he transfered to USF or any non ACC school would had been eligibkl o play from the start.
Thats the hardship he is asking for, that Maryland did not inform him of the ACC rule until he went over and that they had told them the ACC woukd over rule it which they didnt.

It's interesting to me that the Acc has a rule that a player cannot just transfer to another acc school unless he sits out a year, but there is nothing about coaches being poached from one acc school to another, ala Tom Obrien leaving BC to go to NC State.

Cubanbull Wrote:His hardship is NOT about being closer to home. His is about playing time thats why he chose USF.

Well...at USF...if he wins a hardship, he can play come Nov 2008 (when the season obviously starts).

If he stayed at Maryland...he would have been eligible mid Dec 2008 after the end of the Fall 2008 semester...but would have lost a year of eligibility.