Is Franklin set to play soon for Memphis?
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Damaria Franklin was the only Memphis basketball player on the floor Tuesday inside Chaifetz Arena when he put his hands together and turned his eyes toward the heavens.
The former Illinois-chicago star, an all-horizon League selection last season, was expressing hope. Hope that his time in transfer eligibility purgatory will soon come to an end. Franklin — a striking 6-foot-3, 200-pound physical specimen — attempted a couple of 3-pointers before the rest of the Tigers trotted out of the locker room. He made his way over to the visitors’ bench and spent the rest of the night watching from the end of it as Memphis (1-1) nearly pulled off a stunning comeback.
The Billikens, clinging to a 3-point lead with under 30 seconds left, maintained it as Jayden Hardaway’s attempt to tie the game with 24 seconds missed the mark. Saint Louis remained up three when Kendric Davis’ layup rattled off the rim with 12 seconds left and went on to win 90-84.
All the while, Franklin was languishing helplessly on the sideline. He’s been stuck in that position for the first two games of the Tigers’ season, but there is optimism within the program that Franklin won’t have to miss many more games.
The Tigers are awaiting a ruling from the NCAA on a waiver request that would allow Franklin to play right away. The athletic department expects a decision to be rendered sometime within the next 7-10 days, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Commercial Appeal on Tuesday. The source said Memphis asked for Franklin’s waiver request to be expedited when it was filed two weeks ago.
NCAA rules no longer mandate that first-time transfers sit out a full season before participating in games. Any subsequent transfers, however, the player must sit the next season out. Franklin is a two-time transfer.
But, in situations like Franklin’s, schools can submit waiver requests to the NCAA seeking immediate eligibility. Memphis did just that two weeks ago, citing the Chicago native’s departure from his hometown school was for
the betterment of his mental health. The death of Franklin’s great-aunt, Mariann, took a significant toll on him, his father, Johnnie, told The Commercial Appeal. Johnnie Franklin said his son sought the help of a therapist and got a dog to help him with social anxiety.
“My auntie passing, he was real close to my auntie,” Johnnie Franklin told The Commercial Appeal. “She got real, real sick and passed away too soon. Him and her was like – she was like another mother. It hit him real hard.”
Franklin is keeping a close eye on the national landscape as it pertains to how the NCAA is handling two-time transfer waiver requests. Earlier this month, New Mexico State’s Xavier Pinson was ruled eligible.
So, too, was Stetson’s Alex Oglesby, Hampton’s Jordan Nesbitt (a former Tiger), Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia and Georgetown’s Qudus Wahab.
On Tuesday, Franklin brought up the most recent example of a two-time transfer receiving immediate eligibility in Georgetown’s Jay Heath.
“So, hopefully, that’s a good sign,” he said.
Before the regular season got underway, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway was asked who the best player on his team was behind Davis and Deandre
Williams. The fifth-year coach began by admitting it can vary on a nightly basis without Franklin available.
“But looking at practice,” he said, “that next scorer would be Damaria Franklin. He’s pretty special. Defensively, as good as (Alex Lomax, perhaps the best defender on the team), and knocks down shots at a high clip. He’s special. With this group, adding him to that group, it makes us a totally different team.”
Hardaway recently called Franklin’s presence in practice “influential” and called it “a big teaser.” Hardaway, tempted as he may have been, wouldn’t allow himself to look back at Franklin during any of the tough stretches or frantic moments Tuesday and wonder, ‘What if?’
“We already know what it is with Damaria. We understand who he is,” Hardaway said. “We’ve been saying it from Day 1. His toughness is contagious. He’s tough. He’s fierce. (But) he’s not eligible. So, I mean, I never look down there during a game and say, ‘Wow, I wish I had him.’ I’m going with the guys I have and trusting them.”
The Tigers welcome VCU to Fedexforum (4 p.m. Sunday) for the first home game of the season. After that, they travel to Orlando for the three-game ESPN Events Invitational. Memphis opens the multi-team event against Seton Hall (6:30 p.m., Nov. 24).
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.