One down, two to go.<\/p>\n
San Diego State learned Thursday that Italian guard David Torresani has been cleared by the NCAA, one of three European pros on the roster who have been practicing with no guarantee of suiting up in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an amazing sensation, an amazing feeling,\u201d said Torresani, who was granted three years of collegiate eligibility. \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting so long. I\u2019ve been far away from home for so long, so now I\u2019m finally (worry)-free. I\u2019m very happy about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know some guys from Italy who were in the same situation, playing (in the lucrative) EuroLeague, and they got cleared. I wasn\u2019t personally worried about being cleared, but you never say never.\u201d<\/p>\n
That leaves fellow Italian Luca Vincini and Croatian Luka Skoric awaiting clearance. Torresani has a different NCAA case officer than they do, so Thursday\u2019s news has little bearing on their status. Vincini and Skoric are also older, both turning 23 earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The NCAA has more narrowly enforced language about granting eligibility only to European pros who did not receive salaries above \u201cactual and necessary\u201d living expenses. That has required schools to submit stacks of paperwork \u2014 contracts, bank statements, receipts, rent checks.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just have to look at how many Europeans are trying to get cleared right now, and it\u2019s a process for every one of them,\u201d coach Brian Dutcher said. \u201cWashington had one rejected this week, but he was making a lot of money and they couldn\u2019t make those numbers match.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole time, we knew what the numbers were (for Torresani) and they matched up. It was just a matter of presenting it in a way that they\u2019d accept it. I\u2019ve felt all three of our guys should be cleared, and it\u2019s good to have David through the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
News began to circulate Tuesday that Torresani was close to being cleared, and the 6-foot-2 point guard, perhaps not coincidentally, had by far his best practice with the Aztecs. When the team closed with a short five-on-five scrimmage, he was arguably the best player on the floor \u2014 jetting downcourt with the ball, actively looking for his shot, making several 3s.<\/p>\n