Talbott Denny’s plan to play a final season for his hometown Arizona Wildcats might be pushed back a year.
The Tucson native and graduate transfer from Lipscomb suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury during a recent workout at UA’s Campus Recreation facility.
Denny has been expected to become a role player and key practice player for the Wildcats as a grad transfer this season. If he misses the season and wants to play in 2017-18, he would have to seek a waiver for a sixth year of eligibility. Denny’s five-year eligibility clock began in 2012-13.
Under NCAA rules, however, Denny would likely receive the waiver.
NCAA Bylaw 12.8.1.5.1 says waivers can be granted for athletes who miss more than one season because of factors that are out of their control. It defines “incapacitating physical or mental circumstances” as among those considered out of an athlete’s control but considers redshirt years lost after transferring to be within an athlete’s control.
Denny missed last season while recovering from a torn labrum suffered during fall practices, and might miss this season with the knee injury.
Moreover, one of the reasons Denny left Lipscomb was that he did not have a scholarship waiting for him in 2016-17 because the program was not expecting him to return, another factor that was not in his control.
A native of Tucson who grew up cheering for the Wildcats, Denny was a late-blooming standout who played for Salpointe Catholic High School and eventually attracted an offer to play at Lipscomb.
Denny was named to the Atlantic Sun all-tournament team in 2014-15, averaging 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds that season while going on to complete an engineering degree.
But just as Denny became hurt in practice before last season, the Bisons accepted a commitment that put them at the scholarship limit for 2016-17, according to Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander. So Denny became something of a free agent for 2016-17, and the Wildcats had scholarships available as their roster transition played out last spring.
“I’m happy for Talbott,” Alexander said in April. “Whether it was Arizona or somewhere else, he was going to get an opportunity to play his fifth season and get it paid for. It’s not the ideal situation for Lipscomb, though.”
Denny committed to Arizona in April and transferred this summer after graduating at Lipscomb. He said he was planning to pursue an Eller MBA at Arizona, making his move for both on- and off-court reasons.
“It’s been my team since I was born,” Denny has said.
