Mississippi State true freshman John Riek had his eligibility reinstated by the NCAA, university officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
Although he can participate in offseason workouts and conditioning programs and begin practice with the rest of his teammates on Oct. 16, the 7-foot-1, 250-pound Khartoum, Sudan, native must sit out an NCAA-mandated nine games, which equates to 30 percent of the 2009-10 schedule.
"I'm glad we can put all of this behind us," 12th year MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. "Now we know exactly what his situation is, and we can move forward."
Once listed as a five-star recruit by Scout.com, Riek (pronounced, reek), comes to MSU after spending last year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., rehabbing a knee he had surgery on in July of 2008.
