Missouri women's basketball player De'Myla Brown is eligible, yet she still might not play
Missouri women’s basketball could deepen its point guard rotation ahead of its next game against Illinois.
MU has the federal court system to thank for that, as a West Virginia judge ruled Wednesday to strike down the NCAA's remaining restriction on transfers for 14 days.
This means Missouri transfer guard De’Myla Brown could see the floor after her medical waiver was denied by the NCAA in the fall. Yet, it's unlikely Brown will play for a few reasons.
Just because MU and head coach Robin Pingeton can activate Brown might not mean the program will. Especially now that the situation keeps changing day by day.
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"I don't have an answer yet," Pingeton said Thursday. "There's still some question marks out there if that includes eligibility."
On Wednesday the NCAA indicated that athletes would not burn a year of eligibility if they play in the 14-day window. Now, the NCAA is walking back that decision.
Originally, the 14-day window meant athletes could play without the fear of losing eligibility and programs do not need to worry about having to vacate wins even if the ruling is reversed shortly. Then the NCAA announced Thursday that if the ruling is reversed, any games played would count against the player's eligibility.
In this case, if Brown plays and the ruling is reversed, her career would be over.
This is a case of whiplash for Missouri women's basketball.
Brown’s presence would allow for more time for starting point guard Mama Dembele to rest, and give Pingeton an offensive option to turn to if the Tigers’ offense goes stagnant. Pingeton said that if everything checked out and Brown was able to play without losing her eligibility, the team would look to add her to the rotation quickly.
"When there's opportunities, and it makes sense, absolutely," Pingeton said.
However, she only has one year of eligibility remaining. Now, according to the NCAA, if she plays in the 14-day window and the ruling is overturned, it would mean her career is over.
Considering MU would play only two games in the announced 14-day window, it's too big of a risk to take gambling Brown's final year of eligibility.
Pingeton said Thursday that Missouri was working with its own compliance office and the SEC to see if Brown would be able to play.
"I'm not hesitant at all, I just don't know the answers," Pingeton said. "This came out of the blue."
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Why Missouri women's basketball is holding off on playing De’Myla Brown
