MADISON, Wis. — The Jarrod Uthoff saga at the University of Wisconsin turned a corner Thursday when the 6-foot-8 freshman forward won an appeal.
Uthoff had asked for his transfer release last week, but had been restricted by Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan from contacting 26 schools — all of the Big Ten and Atlantic
Coast Conference, plus Florida, Marquette and Iowa State. Ryan didn't want Uthoff to attend a
program that could potentially play Wisconsin.
The story quickly
made national news.
But on Thursday, Uthoff had his "permission to contact" restrictions lifted on any schools outside the Big Ten after meeting with associate athletic director Justin Doherty and athletic director Barry Alvarez as part of an appeal process. Doherty, Alvarez and Ryan then met and decided to lift all restrictions outside the Big Ten.
Ryan spoke with local media Thursday evening for the first time since Uthoff requested his transfer, and the coach continued to defend his stance. He said he restricted schools outside the Big Ten in an effort to get Uthoff to reveal his reasons for selecting particular programs.
"If somebody wants to transfer, my thought process has always been, 'Can you tell us?' That's all I would ask," Ryan said. "Everybody else seems to think it's a pretty realistic goal."
Uthoff reportedly called Ryan on April 12, while the coach was on vacation with his wife, to inform him of a desire to transfer. Ryan offered to cut the vacation short to discuss the matter in person with Uthoff, but the two never met face to face.
Uthoff had until 5 p.m. last Friday to file an appeal and reportedly had a friend drop off his request with the athletic department. But the letter remained in Doherty's mailbox, and he did not receive it until after the two-day appeal deadline, prompting Thursday's meeting among Uthoff and athletic officials.
According to a school release, Uthoff requested permission to contact 16 schools, four of which were denied. He then appealed three of the four schools that were denied. If Uthoff wishes to further appeal the "permission to contact" denial for any Big Ten university, he may request a hearing to the chair of the athletic board within eight business days.
Efforts to reach Uthoff on Thursday evening were unsuccessful.
Ryan, who has spent the past few days actively recruiting to fill Uthoff's scholarship, said he didn't anticipate any fallout from the Uthoff saga on the recruiting trail.
"Not at all," he said. "Because the people that have talked to us go, 'Oh my goodness, that's common sense.'"
Earlier in the day, Ryan appeared on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" and vehemently defended his position, saying he wasn't the first coach to place restrictions on a player seeking to transfer. But the interview did little to quell national debate on the issue, which has picked up steam throughout the week.
On Thursday night, Ryan took a not-so-subtle shot at ESPN, blaming the network for making Wisconsin "the fall guy" over an issue that permeated throughout college basketball. He said teams in the Big East followed a similar rule that doesn't allow players to transfer to another program within the conference.
Ryan said he sought council from at least 10 other college coaches
before determining that restricting schools was his best course of
action, and he didn't regret his choice.
"I don't have anything to hide," Ryan said. "What do I have to hide?
If you know you're right in something, stand for your rights."
Uthoff was named Mr. Basketball in Iowa in 2011 and the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state. He was a first-team all-state selection during his senior season
after averaging 26.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game at
Cedar Rapids Jefferson.
Uthoff took a redshirt season at Wisconsin.
When reached by phone Wednesday, he said he had a visit to Creighton scheduled for Monday, but no other immediate plans.
"There's no real timeline," he said. "I just want to explore my options and then make a decision based on that. . . . Staying close to home is pretty important. At this point, I'm looking for a good fit."
