RICHMOND, Va. -- A decision in a West Virginia federal courtroom has ripple effects all the way to the Siegel Center.
Judge John Preston Bailey ruled on Wednesday that the NCAA’s rule limiting players who transfer schools more than once violates anti-trust laws.
That has allowed players all across the country to become immediately eligible for their teams, including VCU guard Joe Bamisile.
Bamisile has transferred three times in his NCAA career. He started at Virginia Tech, then went to George Washington, and spent last year at Oklahoma.
He applied for a waiver from the NCAA when he came home to VCU for his senior season, but it was denied. Now, thanks to this temporary restraining order, Bamisile can take the court this Saturday against Temple.
“I’m incredibly excited and thankful to God to finally have the opportunity to play in a game at VCU. This has been a lengthy and emotional process for me and my family, and I’m very grateful to Coach Odom, Ed McLaughlin, our staff, and my teammates for constantly supporting and encouraging me over the last six months,” Bamisile said.
“We’re just excited for Joe, first and foremost,” said VCU head coach Ryan Odom. “Joe has worked really hard and made the most of a difficult situation.”
Bamisile has been able to practice each day with the team but has not appeared in a game. While he won’t start on Saturday he will be able to come off the bench and play as many minutes as the team might need, including the scoring prowess that first got Odom’s attention.
“He’s going to be able to get out there and actually help,” Odom explained. “Joe can score. He can shoot behind the arc. He’s an unselfish player. He’s a really good defender. He’s a veteran.”
A 6-foot-4 guard, Bamisile averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last year at Oklahoma. He was named a Third Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection in 2021-22 while at George Washington when he averaged 16.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .351 (60-of-171) from 3-point range.
Bamisile originally transferred to VCU to be closer to his family, including his father who has been through a series of health scares and challenges. He is on track to graduate this coming May.
“VCU Athletics appreciates the court seeing the merits of Joe’s case and granting the temporary restraining order. More than anything, I’m happy for Joe. He deserves to play the game he loves with his teammates. His positive attitude throughout this process has been beyond remarkable. We will continue to support him and look forward to having him taking the floor in the Siegel Center for the first time this weekend,” said VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin.
“He’s been preparing for this moment” Odom continued. “He’s going to be ready.”
The temporary restraining order is only good for 14 days, and another hearing in the matter is set for December 27th. The NCAA has said that any player who participates during this period will be charged with using a year of their eligibility regardless of how much time they see. Bamisile has one year of eligibility remaining after this season should he choose to use it.
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