The NCAA investigation into Nick Emery has concluded, and he’ll be able to return to BYU Basketball after sitting out the first nine games next season.
Nick Emery’s return to BYU Basketball will be delayed a little bit.
Last month, Emery announced that he’ll return to play for the Cougars in 2018-19. He left the program last summer amid an NCAA investigation and other personal struggles.
It looks like that investigation has completed.
According to Jeff Goodman, Emery can return to BYU, but only after sitting out some games:
NCAA informed BYU it has concluded its review of the reinstatement request for Nick Emery. As part of Emery’s reinstatement conditions, he will be required to sit out the first nine games of the 2018-19 season.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 14, 2018
Those nine games will likely be 60% of the non-conference slate. That’s inconvenient for the Cougars, since they’ll be playing their toughest non-conference schedule in years.
Most importantly, he’ll miss BYU’s matchup with Nevada. The Wolf Pack will enter the season as a Top 10 team, and it’ll be one of the biggest resume-building games the Cougars can play.
It’s one of those games that they could certainly use Emery for.
While the dates for most of the non-conference games haven’t been set, there’s a good chance he’ll miss at least a few other games against resume-building teams, such as:
- Houston
- San Diego State
- UNLV
- Mississippi State
- Utah
BYU will need Emery’s production to replace Elijah Bryant. With the loss of Bryant, the Cougars will be dangerously thin at the guard position, especially in those first nine games.
Fortunately for the Cougars, Emery will still be able to practice with the team and play in exhibition games. Hopefully that means he’ll be able to enter the rotation seamlessly once those nine games are up.
Even with those lost games, he’ll be key to the Cougars’ success for the rest of the season.