Adria Gasol, the younger brother of NBA All-Stars Marc and Pau Gasol, will not be joining UCLA on its trip to China when the Bruins leave Wednesday, Aug. 22.
Gasol joined the team as a walk-on this summer, but not in time to enroll in summer classes.
“You have to have been here and passed at least one class in summer school to be eligible to go on a trip like this as a freshman,” coach Ben Howland told the Los Angeles Times. “He wasn’t here for the first quarter of summer school.”
Gasol is 6-10 forward who comes to the Bruins without much basketball experience, having played in high school but failing to make the U18 National Team in Spain.
UCLA will also be without star freshman guard Shabazz Muhammad, who will remain in California as the NCAA continues to investigate whether he took impermissible benefits during his recruitment.
If Muhammad is ruled eligible, UCLA is undoubtedly a contender in the Pac-12, having brought in a recruiting class that includes Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams, and Tony Parker.
UCLA will be in China for a week, playing a total of three exhibition games.
“The practice has helped us get a little head start on the season that’s upon us real soon,” Howland said in a release about the trip. “So that’s been a real positive. The big goal on this trip is to have fun. We want our kids to have a great experience - to really enjoy the opportunity to see the culture of China.”
Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_