A Big Man for 2008?

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Husker_Power

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Big man visiting

 

From the "Is it too good to be true?" deparment of August sports news ...

Nebraska on Monday will have a visit from a 6-foot-11 player who, assuming he clears the NCAA's academic clearinghouse, will be eligible to play this season.

His name is Teeng Akol, and he was set to play this season at South Florida. He chose SF over West Virginia, Oklahoma, Xavier and Southern Illinois, and also had offers from Pitt, St. John's and Kentucky. He played as a senior at IMG Academy but was born in Sudan and grew up in Egypt. He played as a junior at Our Savior New American School in New York.

I'm still trying to sort out the details, but Akol, who was attending classes at South Florida this summer, was suddenly deemed not eligible by South Florida. Eerily, it reminds me of the sudden way Nebraska lost Roburt Sallie. (Different scenario, but the same shocking result).

Also in the mix for Akol is Oklahoma State, a team as much in need of big men as Nebraska.

More details to come.

 
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Huskers get visit from 6-foot-11 forward

The Nebraska men's basketball team on Monday will have a visit from Teeng Akol, a 6-foot-11, 225-pound forward who'd be eligible to play this coming season.

Akol, a native of Sudan, signed scholarship papers in June with South Florida and had begun taking summer classes. However, Akol was suddenly asked to leave the school because of academic reasons.

Akol has yet to clear the NCAA's academic clearinghouse.

"(Academics) was a part of the decision," Fatah Muraisi, Akol's adviser, told the Tampa Tribune. "I'm not a happy person. I'm not a happy camper because I told Teeng USF has the academic support you need. The athletic side was trying the best they could. It's frustrating. It's a shocker to me."

Akol grew up in Egypt and came to the United States at age 14. He played his junior season at Our Savior New American in Centereach, N.Y., and his senior season at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla.

Ranked the nation's No. 42 center by EPSN.com, Akol chose USF over West Virginia, Oklahoma, Xavier, Southern Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. He also had scholarship offers from Miami, St. John's, Pittsburgh and DePaul.

Former Arkansas coach Stan Heath, who's entering his first season as coach at South Florida, had this to say when Akol joined the Bulls in June:

"I've seen him in games where he's shot threes and then worked around the basket, blocking shots," Heath told the Tampa Tribune. "He has a great intensity level and whether he plays forward or center for us, it doesn't matter. We will have to get him in the weight room and gain some weight."

Nebraska's lone scholarship opening is being earmarked for senior walk-on Paul Velander. That plan could change with the sudden availability of Akol.

Husker coach Doc Sadler is searching for a big man to replace departed senior Aleks Maric. At 6-foot-9, sophomore Alex Chapman is currently the team's tallest player. Incoming freshman Christopher Niemann is 6-foot-10 but has not been cleared yet by the NCAA and may have to sit his freshman season.

Akol's visit to Lincoln joins a summer list of newsworthy events surrounding Nebraska basketball recruiting.

The week following Memorial Day, Nebraska announced highly touted recruit Roburt Sallie had been declared ineligible because he'd been inadvertently enrolled two years earlier, violating a Big 12 rule.

In June, prep school wing player Eshaunte Jones signed scholarship papers with Nebraska. He'd previously committed to Indiana, then signed with Oregon State.

 
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This would be huge for us. He would play right away and contribute. We need size and this would be awesome to have him suddenly choose the big red.

 
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