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Rider waits on status of Nurideen Lindsey waiver

St. John's v Texas A&M

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 18: Nurideen Lindsey #10 of the St. John’s Red Storm battles for a rebound with Daniel Alexander #20 of the Texas A&M Aggies during the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches Vs Cancer at Madison Square Garden on November 18, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

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It’s been a tumultuous career for Nurideen Lindsey when it comes to finding a college to call home.

One of the most prolific scorers in Philadelphia high school history, Lindsey spent some time away from the game after losing two of his brothers before finding his way to Redlands (Okla.) Community College for a year. Lindsey then headed to St. John’s for the first semester of the 2011-12 season before deciding to transfer, first committing to Arkansas for a matter of days before selecting Rider to be closer to his mother. Lindsey also applied for a waiver to play immediately.

Now NYCBuckets.com is reporting that coach Kevin Baggett and the Broncs are still waiting to see if Lindsey gets that waiver.

“Dealing with all the young man has gone through, having lost two of his brothers; I hope the NCAA takes that very serious,” Baggett said. “But I can’t control that decision. So I just have to focus on when I hear whether we’re going to have him or not and just try and go from there with it.”

In his nine games with the Red Storm, Lindsey averaged 12.4 points per game. If he’s denied the waiver, Lindsey will be eligible at the end of the fall semester and have a year-and-a-half of eligibility remaining.

This looks like the kind of case where the waiver gets granted. Lindsey is transferring closer to home — Rider is less than 45 minutes from the Philadelphia city limits — to be closer to family. That being said, you never know what the NCAA is going to do. Earlier this year, Trey Zigler was granted a waiver to play immediately at Pitt after his father, Ernie, was fired as coach at Central Michigan. A few months later, UConn transfer Michael Bradley was denied a waiver to play immediately at Western Kentucky after moving closer to his home in Chattanooga, Tenn. to be near his ailing grandmother. He’s since transferred to Vincennes Junior College.

I would bet Lindsey gets the waiver, but no signs have ever been clear coming from the NCAA.

David Harten is the editor of The Backboard Chronicles. You can find him on Twitter at @David_Harten.