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NCAA grants Georgia State guard Ryan Harrow immediate eligibility

SEC Basketball Tournament - Quarterfinals - Vanderbilt v Kentucky

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 15: Ryan Harrow #12 of the Kentucky Wildcats drives to the basket against Dai-Jon Parker #24 of the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second half during the Quarterfinals of the SEC basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Ryan Harrow has now been a member of three different programs during his three-plus seasons as a college basketball player. There’s the freshman campaign at N.C. State, which came to an end thanks to the combination of a coaching change and the emergence of Lorenzo Brown as the team’s leader at the point.

Harrow made the decision to transfer to Kentucky, joining a program that would be limited on options at point guard when he became eligible for the 2012-13 season. In 29 games Harrow averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 assists per game for the Wildcats in a season that wasn’t as smooth as anyone would have hoped, as the reigning national champions finished their season in the Postseason NIT.

With his father in poor health Harrow (a native of Marietta, Ga.) made the decision to transfer for the second time, moving to Georgia State with the hope that his situation would lead to the NCAA allowing him to play without having to sit out the year in residency required of transfers.

Harrow received the answer he was hoping for on Wednesday, as Georgia State announced that the NCAA has granted him immediate eligibility.

“I am really excited for Ryan and his family. There is no doubt this will be a huge boost for our team as Ryan is an extremely talented player,” Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter said in the release. “He has been working hard not knowing if he would be eligible or not and I have no doubt will work even harder now knowing that he will get to play this season.

“I would like to thank the NCAA, University of Kentucky and all of the members of the Georgia State staff who helped make this possible. It was a total team effort and greatly appreciated by the coaching staff and Ryan’s family.”

The Panthers, who will play their first season in the Sun Belt after leaving (for football reasons) the CAA, return their top three scorers from last season in guards R.J. Hunter (17.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Devonta White (14.8 ppg, 3.9 apg) and small forward Manny Atkins (14.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg).

Adding Harrow to the equation makes Georgia State even deeper on the perimeter (senior Rashaad Richardson returns as well), and gives them a shot at competing with Western Kentucky (winner of the last two Sun Belt tournament titles) for Sun Belt supremacy.

Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.