Men's Basketball Sports

Star men’s basketball transfer granted waiver to play in upcoming season

Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes will be eligible to play in games during the 2019-20 season. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes will be eligible to play in games during the 2019-20 season. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

After months of waiting, the NCAA ruled Quentin Grimes eligible for the 2019-20 men’s basketball season, according to his father, solidifying UH’s selection as the preseason favorite to win the AAC.

“They pushed me every day as if I were playing this season,” Grimes said. “When we got the information that I was going to play this season, I was in a position to be ready to go in there and just try to be an impact right away.”

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports broke the news.

Grimes spent the 2018-19 season at the University of Kansas where he averaged 8.4 points and 2.0 assists per game. He shot 38.4 percent from the field in his sole season as a Jayhawk.

The NCAA granted Grimes, the No. 10 recruit in 247 Sport’s 2018 recruiting rankings, immediate eligibility citing the University of Kansas did not have a scholarship spot available for The Woodlands native after he withdrew from the 2019 NBA draft.

Grimes transferred to UH in July and had a spectacular showing during the Cougars’ four-game tour in Italy where he averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 assists and 6 rebounds per game.

“We prepared to play with him, and we prepared to play without him,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said on Tuesday. “We don’t look at it any other way.”

The addition of Grimes, one of the most coveted transfers during this offseason, could skyrocket the Cougars into the top-25 after receiving 11 votes in Monday’s preseason poll, slotting them at No. 36.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do and a long way to go,” Sampson said. “We’re looking forward to getting after it.”

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