CORAL GABLES, Fla. _ Hurricanes forward Dewan Hernandez has spent the better part of the last three months hoping he would be able to play this season after his eligibility came into question in the wake of the college basketball corruption case that has made national headlines for months.
He learned Monday that won't be the case, the NCAA saying it had determined that Hernandez entered into an agreement with and accepted benefits from an agent and was thus, suspended for the remainder of the season as well as 40 percent of next season if he chooses to return to Miami and finish his college career in Coral Gables, Fla.
Hernandez, who has missed all 19 of Miami's games this season while his eligibility was evaluated, is now weighing his options moving forward, his attorney Jason Setchen said.
"According to the facts of the case, which were agreed upon by the university, Hernandez agreed to receive monthly payments from an agent and accepted other benefits from the individual," the NCAA said in a statement. "According to the guidelines adopted by NCAA membership, the starting point for these violations is permanent ineligibility, but the NCAA staff recognized mitigating circumstances based on the specific facts of the case when making its decision."
Hernandez could, Setchen said, appeal the decision made by the NCAA's student-athlete reinstatement committee. He could also accept the NCAA's punishment, return to Miami and serve out the remainder of his suspension or he could opt to begin his professional career, something Hernandez considered ahead of the 2018 NBA draft.
"Given the harshness of the penalty, Dewan will have to now consider his options," Setchen said. "I expect he will make a decision at some point in the near future."
Setchen said that Miami has agreed to appeal the NCAA's decision on Hernandez's behalf, if the junior decides to take that route. That's a decision Setchen said Hernandez has not yet made.
Hernandez's eligibility came into question late last year after his name was linked to Christian Dawkins, one of the defendants in the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball.
In November, ESPN reported Hernandez was one of 19 players listed in an email by Dawkins as potentially receiving payments throughout his sophomore year. The report indicated those payments would have converted to a loan if Hernandez opted to return to school for his junior year instead of entering his name into the draft.
Hernandez made the decision to return to Miami and though ESPN also reported there was no evidence payments were made or that Hernandez even knew of the alleged plan, enough questions arose about his status that Miami made the decision before the Hurricanes' season opener on Nov. 9 to keep Hernandez sidelined as both the school and NCAA determined whether he was eligible.
Hernandez and Setchen had been hopeful the NCAA would consider that Hernandez never signed a contract with Dawkins, Miller or anyone else as it considered the junior's case. But on Monday, after Hernandez went through several appeals and asked for reinstatement from the NCAA after it made its initial findings, the organization handed down its decision.
That decision is the latest blow for a Hurricanes basketball team that has endured its share of struggles this season.
With Hernandez out, the Hurricanes have been undermanned and have largely relied on a short seven-man rotation.
That's proven costly, particularly against Miami's Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The Hurricanes have lost three straight and six of their last seven, their most recent setback coming Sunday in a 78-66 loss to Florida State.
Hernandez, a season ago, averaged 11.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 25.8 minutes per game. He would have been Miami's leading returning scorer this season after teammates Bruce Brown and Lonnie Walker IV declared for the NBA draft.
He has continued practicing with the Hurricanes throughout the season, has been on the bench during Miami's home games and even traveled to Tallahassee for the Hurricanes' first game against Florida State earlier this month.
His coach, Jim Larranaga, has advocated for Hernandez to be reinstated, saying he believed the junior was duped by his AAU coach Jordan Fair, who was fired as an assistant coach at Louisville in the wake of the corruption scandal.
Fair is reportedly coaching at the AAU level again.
"Jordan Fair is the one who created this problem," Larranaga said on Jan. 18. "A competitor of ours was talking to one of our players. From what I understand that's inappropriate _ talking to players who played for another college."
The Hurricanes (9-10, 1-6 ACC) are set to host 12th-ranked Virginia Tech on Wednesday at the Watsco Center.
