Kentucky transfer Ryan Harrow will be eligible immediately for Georgia State
Twice Ryan Harrow has arrived at schools amid high expectations only to leave without fulfilling them.
Thankfully for the former NC State and Kentucky point guard, he won't have to wait long for his third chance.
Harrow, who transferred to Georgia State in late March, learned Wednesday the NCAA has agreed to grant his request to play immediately for the Panthers rather than sitting out all of next season. The former top 30 recruit petitioned the NCAA for a waiver because part of his motivation to attend Georgia State was to be closer to his father, who suffered a stroke last year.
“I am really excited for Ryan and his family," Georgia State coach Ron Hunter said in a statement released by the school Wednesday. "There is no doubt this will be a huge boost for our team as Ryan is an extremely talented player. He has been working hard not knowing if he would be eligible or not and, I have no doubt, will work even harder now knowing that he will get to play this season."
Having Harrow available next season is a huge coup for a Georgia State team that returns its three leading scorers from a 15-16 season but would have otherwise been thin at point guard.
Harrow enjoyed a modestly successful freshman season at NC State but left the program when former coach Sidney Lowe was fired after the Wolfpack failed to make the NCAA tournament for a fifth straight season. He averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 assists per game in his lone season at Kentucky last year, but he failed to even approach the the level of John Calipari's previous point guards.
Since Harrow likely would have lost his starting job to one of the Harrison twins had he remained at Kentucky and the prospect of being closer to his ailing father was appealing to him, he opted to transfer to Georgia State. He'll have a chance to help the Panthers too in their inaugural season in the Sun Belt Conference since his quickness and ability to finish at the rim will be assets and he'll have another year to improve his perimeter defense and outside shot.
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