Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

7/21/2010 at 9:34am

Remember that Arkansas State was going to get a transfer who would be immediately eligible to play guard? Well, forget about that.

Jay-R Strowbridge, who transferred two weeks ago, has reneged on his pledge to play a fifth season of college basketball for ASU. Strowbridge told Matt Roberson of the Jonesboro Sun that he “found out that there was an NCAA investigation and that they could be put on probation, and it startled me.”

Here’s more from the Jonesboro Sun:

Arkansas State coach John Brady was disappointed with the latest development with his program.

Brady’s top assistant coach, Chad Dollar, left the staff in April to take a job at Wichita State. A couple of weeks later, Brady lost a key player when guard Brandon Reed, the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, decided to transfer to Georgia Tech.

On June 30, the NCAA sent ASU a letter of formal inquiry into its athletic program that includes an investigation for possible academic fraud in the men’s basketball program.
Now Strowbridge has backed out, leaving Brady frustrated. Brady said he tried to explain the situation to Strowbridge but the player had made up his mind.

“He doesn’t understand that what’s going on has nothing to do with this present team and what this team will be able to achieve,” Brady said. “It was with a previous coaching staff and administration before I arrived here. He’s basically overreacting to the situation. Anything that goes on, if there is a probation period, it’s not going to affect the ability of this team to achieve.”

It’s worth noting Strowbridge doesn’t have the most stable history. His college basketball career began at Nebraska and he transferred after two years to Jacksonville State. Strowbridge quit in the middle of the season at Jacksonville State, but because he graduated he was eligible to transfer and play a fifth season of college basketball without having to sit a year.