Illinois State basketball star Tarise Bryson has made a career of overcoming adversity. It appears that the recent Illinois State graduate will have to go to the well one more time as the chairperson for the Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee dismissed the notion of a conference call with the Illinois State athletics department in Brysons case for an unprecedented sixth-year.
The chairperson opted that Brysons case be evaluated by the appeals committee via written correspondence instead of the conference call. The case will be mailed overnight to all the committee members on Tuesday, May 28 and should be received by each member on Wednesday, May 29. The NCAA has not indicated when a decision will be rendered.
Director of athletics Perk Weisenburger, although dismayed, still remains positive.
We were hoping for the conference call and Im disappointed that we, especially Tarise, wont be able to speak directly to the committee, Weisenburger said. However, we have submitted a strong case through the written materials. We just have to hope that the committee will review the evidence thoroughly and make a decision that is in the best interest of the student-athlete. Tarises circumstances are unique, and as we have maintained all along, these circumstances have put him in a situation of extreme hardship. We are hoping for the best.
Bryson, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury in the first game of the 2001-02 season against Weber State, entered the campaign as the nations leading returning scorer and currently ranks as the No. 6 scorer in Illinois State history with 1,736 points, some 504 behind all-time leader Doug Collins. He is also the all-time Redbird career leader in made 3-point field goals with 214 and made free throws with 468.
