Bobby Frasor had his petition for a fifth year of eligibility denied by the NCAA meaning this season will be the senior guard’s last at UNC:
Q: Have you heard anything on your latest NCAA appeal?
A: “Yes, that’s finally come to a close. That’s over with, which is nice. I finally know that I’m moving on, going to graduate and everything, and go out with these guys.”
Q: When did you find out?
A: “Earlier this week. We had a teleconference with the NCAA – some committee – to find out. We presented our case [and] the NCAA presented their case, and then talked to these five people on teleconference and they made a judgment and they said that they denied the appeal. So I’m finally glad it’s over with and I can move on.”
On the surface it seemed like the fair thing to do would be to grant the fifth year since Frasor missed 27 games in 2007-08 due to a knee injury and ten game the previous season due to a foot problem. The NCAA can be a stickler about these kinds of things and chose to honor the letter of the law. I would have been more surprised had they actually granted the fifth season for Frasor.
It also makes a potential scholarship quandry easier to handle. With Marcus Ginyard returning, UNC needs to drop at least one underclassman to make room for the five freshman. Since it is assumed Ty Lawson will probably go to the NBA after this season, that should not be an issue. If Frasor had returned then it would mean two underclasssmen would need to go. Wayne Ellington is also a possibility to leave for the NBA so it may have worked out anyway.
Frasor would have been a solid leader for a young team next season. In that respect it is a shame he could not come back for one more run with the Heels.
