North Carolina State Basketball: Omer Yurtseven suspended for nine games

North Carolina State basketball freshman center Omer Yurtseven has been suspended for nine games by the NCAA.

Omer Yurtseven’s status has long been in limbo, and on Monday, the NCAA put the wait to rest.

The North Carolina State freshman from Turkey will miss the first nine regular season games. Additionally, he will have to repay $1,000 to a charity of his choice.

The seven-footer was compensated overseas by a Turkish pro club named Fenerbahce, but never signed a contract, thus he did not endanger his amateur status.

Head coach Mark Gottfried said he was disappointed in the length of the suspension. But in reality, the head coach is most likely breathing a sigh of relief. The NCAA has the tendency to be extremely harsh or indecisive with freshman suspensions.

Yurtseven will miss the Wolfpack’s game against Illinois and their trip to the Paradise Jam, but all the other games are winnable without their freshman big man.

He will be allowed to practice and play in exhibition games, a key factor, as the experience is crucial for an incoming freshman. And of course, he will return on December 15 against Appalachian State and will have multiple weeks to adjust to the speed and tempo of the college game before ACC play.

In one of Yurtseven’s overseas U-19 games, he dropped 91 points and corralled 28 rebounds. I don’t care what league he was playing in, that’s extremely difficult to accomplish in an organized game.

The Wolfpack will need to be picked up by two returning contributors while Yurtseven sits on the bench. Forward Abdul-Malik Abu and center BeeJay Anya combined for 14.1 rebounds per game, and will have to do the heavy lifting through the first nine games.

Given their status as upperclassmen and the experience that comes with that, this shouldn’t be a problem for the Wolfpack.

When Yurtseven returns, it will be interesting to see how well he can mesh with freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. It’s not every day that a seven-foot foreign freshman steps onto campus. For some, it’s a more difficult transition than others.

One thing is for sure: The raw tools are there. It’s up to Gottfried and NC State to draw them out.