Dec. 21, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced it has granted the waiver request for Jordan Dickerson(Brooklyn, N.Y.) to be eligible to play immediately, beginning with the Nittany Lions' non-conference finale against Mount St. Mary's at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State submitted a Legislative Relief Waiver to the NCAA requesting it waive the year in residence requirement that generally applies to transfers in basketball. Dickerson, a sophomore center, is eligible for the balance of the 2013-14 campaign with two additional full seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16) of eligibility remaining.
"We are excited the NCAA has approved the waiver for Jordan," Patrick Chambers, Penn State head coach, said. "He has worked hard to develop during his six months with the program and we look forward to working him into our lineup and taking advantage of his presence in the post."
Dickerson transferred to Penn State from SMU in June 2013 and has been practicing with the team since his arrival.
He totaled 13 points, 23 rebounds and nine blocks in 92 (3.5) minutes as a freshman with the Mustangs, who finished 2012-13 with a 15-17 overall record and 5-11 mark in Conference USA. Dickerson will be the first 7-footer to suit up for Penn State since Jan Jagla (2002-04).
The Lions are 8-4 on the season and looking for their ninth non-conference win of the season, which would be the best start since the 2008-09 team went 11-2 through pre-Big Ten play. Led by the Top 2 scorers in the Big Ten, D.J. Newbill and Tim Frazier, Penn State has four players averaging in double figures after 12 games with the team putting up 80.3 points per game, nearly 15 points more than the average in non-conference games last season (65.5).