In, out and gone: Drew Peterson goes from Gophers to USC
The the past month has been a rollercoaster for Drew Peterson, taking him from Rice University to the University of Minnesota and now to the University of Southern California.
The 6-foot-8 guard announced in April that he was transferring to play basketball for the Gophers after playing two years at Rice. But on May 1, with his transfer status hanging in the balance, he reopened his recruitment without ruling out an eventual commitment to Minnesota.
"After discussing with my family, I am reopening my recruitment. Minnesota is still very much a possibility for me. I hope everyone understands the importance of making such a big life choice during these unprecedented times. Please respect my decision," Peterson said.
But on Monday Peterson made his next move official by transferring to USC.
After much consideration, I’m proud to announce I’ll be committing to the University of Southern California pic.twitter.com/VU9IzgK1H7
— Drew Peterson (@Drewpeterson23) May 12, 2020
It's become increasingly unlikely that the NCAA grants a one-time waiver to players transferring during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning Peterson will likely have to sit out a season at USC just as he would've had to at Minnesota.
The Transfer Waiver Working Group was created by the NCAA last fall to study the waiver process, and that group recommended that student-athletes from men's and women's basketball, baseball, men's hockey and football receive a one-time transfer waiver. The waiver would allow transfers to play right away rather than sit out a year.
But according to the NCAA, the Division I Board of Directors and Division I Presidential Forum recently concluded that the recommended waiver idea is "not appropriate at this time."
A formal vote is expected to happen later this month. That vote could prove significant for Minnesota considering 7-footer Liam Robbins, a transfer from Drake, is hoping to gain immediate eligibility.
The NCAA has said it will be sensitive to each waiver request, which might give Robbins a slightly better chance of being granted a waiver since he's moved to a school to be closer to family. Robbins' uncle is Minnesota associate head coach, Ed Conroy, and his cousin, Hunt Conroy, also plays for the Gophers.
Robbins averaged 14.1 points, 71. rebounds and 2.9 blocks last season.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.