Pack's Burleson declared ineligible

Pack's Burlseon declared ineligible

By DARRELL MOODY

Appeal Sports Writer

RENO - Lyndale Burleson, who was expected to challenge for the starting point guard position, has been declared academically ineligible for the first semester by the University of Nevada.

"We are disappointed," Nevada basketball coach Mark Fox said in a press release. "This is a unit issue and not grade-point average. We will work together to get Lyndale back in December."

That means that Burleson will likely be out until at least Christmas, meaning he could miss eight or nine games, but will still be around for the Western Athletic Conference season and the postseason should Nevada advance.

The loss of Burleson and Ramon Sessions' defection to the NBA leaves the Pack a bit thin at point guard.

The logical candidates to fight for the starting job would be 6-foot-3 sophomore Brandon Fields and 6-foot-3 true freshman Armon Johnson, who has terrorized opponents in Nevada for the past three years. Another newcomer is Roy Kraemer, but it's not know whether he can play point guard.

Fields had some nice moments offensively last season, but played mostly at shooting guard. He scored seven points three different times last season, twice against Idaho and once against Louisiana Tech.

Burleson played 15 minutes a game last year, averaging 1.7 points and 2.2 assists an outing. The 6-foot-3 guard is considered one of Nevada's best defenders.

• Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281