After months of waiting, Mississippi State University junior point guard Dee Bost got the answer he was looking for — the NCAA is allowing him to play basketball for the Bulldogs, though he must serve a nine game suspension.
After the 2009-10 season, Bost declared for the NBA draft but did not sign with an agent, meaning he could withdraw his name from the draft by May 8, 2010 and continue to play, if he so chose.
However,  Bost did not take his name out of draft consideration by the deadline. According to NCAA rules, this meant Bost could no longer play college basketball.
There was no word from Bost or MSU confirming anything, and then Bost said he was withdrawing his name from the draft, and he intended to continue playing basketball at MSU. But he was late.
Bost and the Bulldog athletic department then began the process of appealing to the NCAA for his reinstatement as an amateur student-athlete. For months, and the entire summer, there was no news or decision from the NCAA.
On Wednesday, nearly five months later, the NCAA informed Bost he would be allowed to return, but he must serve a nine game suspension.
The suspension will not begin with the first game of the season, however. Bost is academically ineligible for the fall semester, so his suspension will start after the last day of the term, assuming he brings his grades up. This scenario likely sees Bost’s return in MSU’s first or second SEC game of the season, though the full schedule has not been finalized.
Bost said in a statement from the university his reason for declaring for the draft in the first place was simply to learn about his professional potential.
“I want to thank the NCAA for hearing my case and allowing me to return to school and play basketball,” Bost said. “I only wanted to test the waters and then return to Mississippi State. I realize I made a huge mistake in how I handled the situation, and I am thankful for a second chance.”
According to NCAA rules, if Bost declares for the draft a second time, which he could do after this season, he will permenantly lose his eligibility,