Sixth year of eligibility for 27-year-old Memphis basketball player denied

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The NCAA has denied a waiver for 27-year-old DeAndre Williams to play another season for Memphis basketball. 

Williams, the oldest player in Division I last season, was seeking a sixth year of eligibility. 

DeAndre Williams, #12 of the Memphis Tigers, reacts during the second half of a game against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 17, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by  (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

"We are extremely disappointed a waiver for an additional year of eligibility for DeAndre Williams was denied, which came following a request for reconsideration of the initial denial and then an appeal," Memphis athletics said in a statement Friday.

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Williams was seeking a sixth-year after sitting out his freshman season at Evansville in 2018-19 as a year-in-residence, according to the Associated Press. 

"We felt the evidence about academic misadvisement prior to his initial collegiate enrollment that was uncovered and provided to the NCAA was sufficient to grant this waiver, and we also strongly believed the depth of additional information shared with the NCAA on an ongoing basis would be on DeAndre’s side," the Memphis athletics statement continued. 

"Unfortunately, after multiple months of back-and-forth, the NCAA arrived at a different conclusion. We appreciate DeAndre's contributions to our men's basketball program over the past two-and-a-half years, and he will always be a Memphis Tiger. Nevertheless, we are very much looking forward to an exciting season on the court for