Great news for the Huskies. On Friday the NCAA granted freshman forward Kentan Facey a waiver allowing him to play in the 2013-2014 season and have four total years of eligibility.
Head coach Kevin Ollie was pleased with the news.
“I am so pleased and excited that everything has worked out for this outstanding young man,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said in a statement. “It’s great to see him go through this situation and persevere. He just kept working very hard and believed in our university.”
Facey, a Jamaican native who played at Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) the past three seasons, had his eligibility questioned after reports surfaced in August that he had passed a standardized test back in Jamaica that was the equivalent of graduating high school. As a result, this would have started Facey’s eligibility clock three years ago before he got to Long Island Lutheran leaving him with only one year of eligibility in the NCAA.
Now that Facey has been cleared to play this season the front-court for UCONN just became that much better. Although Facey is still offensively raw, the 6’8 forward has tremendous shot blocking ability and runs the floor well. He has the potential to be a strong asset for the Huskies.
UConn will open their season against Maryland on November 8. They are currently listed as No. 19 on the USA Today’s Top 25 List.