After months of being held in limbo, the NCAA has officially made a ruling on sophomore forward Frankie Policelli’s waiver, denying the request and forcing the Dayton transfer to sit out the 2019-20 men’s basketball season.
NCAA transfer regulations require a player to sit out one year when transferring from one four-year college to another. Waivers can be filed by the school on the player’s behalf that, if approved by the NCAA, would allow the transfer to be eligible immediately due to extenuating circumstances. Policelli’s move to Stony Brook would allow him to be closer to his family in the midst of a medical issue.
“To say that we are disappointed that Frankie’s waiver request was denied would be an understatement,” Stony Brook Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron said in an issued statement. “I’m frustrated because our contention was that the totality of circumstances regarding his transfer to Stony Brook should have allowed him to compete right away. Frankie is a tremendous young man who is an important part of our Stony Brook family. Although I strongly disagree with the decision, we will move forward and support him in every way possible.”
Policelli, a native of New Hartford, New York, was a three-star recruit coming out of Long Island Lutheran (LuHi) and committed to the Dayton Flyers in April 2018. Although Dayton head coach Anthony Grant initially announced his intent to have the 6-foot-7 forward redshirt his freshman season, he made his collegiate debut after junior guard Jhery Matos suffered a season-ending left foot injury. Missing the first six games of the season, Policelli did not receive much playing time in his freshman year, averaging 4.8 minutes per game as a bench piece.
On April 10, 2019, Policelli announced that he would be transferring from Dayton after one season. Less than a month later, Policelli committed to Stony Brook, a team that had heavily recruited him coming out of high school and showed renewed interest as he searched for his new destination.
“Stony Brook had always wanted him,” his father, Frank Policelli, said. “They had talked to him since he was a junior in high school. He visited the school and liked the school and that’s where he decided to go.”
Unsure of his status for the upcoming season, Policelli traveled with the team to Europe over the summer and was allowed to play, scoring 12 points in Stony Brook’s 78-49 defeat of Cergy-Pontoise.
The Seawolves have less than two weeks to adjust their game plan as they open the season at Island Federal Arena on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. versus the Yale Bulldogs.
