Hawaii calls it quits in Valdes eligibility drama

Plenty of schools are waiting on eligibility rulings for important players, with UCLA and Shabazz Muhammad at the top of the list. In general, the plan is just to hunker down and wait for the phone to ring, hoping the caller ID shows an Indianapolis area code, and that the voice on the other end of the line has good news.

In Hawaii, that call would likely come at 6 am local time, so Gib Arnold has made certain his sleep won’t be interrupted by Mark Emmert’s investigators this season. He’s been waiting for final word on the eligibility of water polo-stud-turned-basketball-recruit Aaron Valdes. Weary of waiting, Arnold and the school have taken matters into their own hands. They’ll redshirt Valdes this season in hopes that the former La Jolla Waves star athlete will have four full years of eligibility left for the future.

Brian McInnis of the Hawaii hoops-centric blog Court Sense gives the skinny:

Well, the harrowing eligibility tale of Aaron Valdes seems to have met some resolution. UH coachGib Arnold said after practice on Thursday that the freshman wing will redshirt this season, regardless of any possible last-second 180 by the NCAA on his eligibility for the 2012-13 season.

The hope for UH is, after staying in the academic system for a full year, he will be eligible next season without having expended a year of eligibility.

This all might sound disappointing for UH fans, but keep in mind Valdes was a strong redshirt candidate regardless of the NCAA’s call; this just means he still likely will be unable to practice with the team in the meantime.

The fact that he put on a pretty entertaining show in the Ohana Hoopfest dunk contest (a runner-up finish to Garrett Jefferson) probably makes it a little tougher to swallow.

In the comments section to the article, a reader asked a valid question: “Brian, Am I reading your post correctly? Valdez to red-shirt but can not practice with the team?? I’m confused as to why that is.” McInnis replied: “Yes, the plan is to redshirt him academically so his freshman year isn’t burned. At the same time, the NCAA hasn’t cleared him as a member of the team so he’ll have to continue to sit out practices as well as games.  It’s a confusing and strange situation, I’ll admit.”

An amazing natural athlete, Valdes could have been a big help to the Warriors this season, but he needs some time to get his house in order academically. If he can get cleared by the NCAA to start practicing with the team again, he’ll have a chance to get his land-legs under him on the court as well. That’s the best-case scenario, and it was wise of the UH administration to cut bait in the short run.

(photo: La Jolla Prep Athletics)