Kansas State denied star freshman Leticia Romero's request to be released from her scholarship. AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Rod Aydelotte

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Leticia Romero sits in a Starbucks, about 4,600 miles away from her home in Spain's Canary Islands. It's a gray afternoon, an average April day in Kansas.

For the Kansas State breakout freshman star, this is her first spring in the Little Apple. It also appears to be her last.

A 5-foot-8 guard, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, Romero wears a purple Kansas State shirt. Which -- all things considered -- seems ironic. "This last month has been really frustrating," Romero said. "And right now, I'm in a position where I don't know what to do."

That position happens to be at the center of yet another NCAA-at-a-crossroads issue, as amateurism has become the story of the past college sports year. We've seen Oklahoma's Pastagate, Johnny Football's autograph scandal and Northwestern players' attempt at unionizing. But Romero's situation touches on another hot-button issue -- the NCAA's transfer rules.

Romero was a bright spot on a struggling K-State women's basketball team this past season, leading the Wildcats in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. But her coach, Deb Patterson, was fired after an 11-19 finish. Romero felt a strong connection with the old staff, which recruited her and helped her adjust after moving five time zones to Manhattan. She says she's tried to adjust to coach Jeff Mittie and the new staff. But ultimately, she decided a few weeks ago that she wanted to transfer. She went to the compliance office and asked for a release from her scholarship, expecting a noncontentious process.

Instead, she was denied a release -- an extremely unusual occurrence in women's college sports -- and has become a reluctant cause célèbre for those who insist NCAA transfer rules need reform. They see this in bigger-picture terms, citing it as part of an ongoing debate about college athletics: Do the NCAA and its member institutions have too much power, and student-athletes too little?

Few would disagree that the business-like pragmatism that has become the framework of Division I sports can create an environment where bylaws and procedures might trump compassion and communication, even when school officials have good intentions.

With a release, Leticia Romero could transfer to a D-I school and receive scholarship money while sitting out the required year. Without the release, she would have to pay all her own expenses that year. AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald/Rod Aydelotte

If student-athletes have a dispute with an institution, who is their advocate?

Kansas State president Kirk Schulz is on the steering committee that is attempting to make some wholesale changes to NCAA governance of college sports, and he now finds a compelling case in his own backyard. Romero -- teammates, coaches and fans call her "Leti" -- is 18 years old. She's an aspiring business major who has worked diligently on her English, going from "really bad" in her estimation when she arrived in the United States last August to fluent by immersing herself in the language.

She had been at Kansas State for less than a year when the coaching staff with whom she had bonded was replaced.

"I felt like my support was gone," Romero said. "Coming from so far away, one of the main reasons for me to be here was feeling happy. That was what changed. Then there were a lot of feelings going on inside me. I started to feel homesick -- and I hadn't been homesick the whole year."

Romero is dealing with uncertainty and distress. And K-State officials are facing criticism that is marring the launch of a new era for their women's basketball program under Mittie.

It didn't help when Romero, still mastering English, did interviews with the Manhattan Mercury and Topeka Capital-Journal and said the whole situation felt like "blackmail." That word alone rubbed Kansas State officials the wrong way and, Romero admits, probably wasn't the best choice. "I understand that people wouldn't use that word," Romero said. "But when I heard what compliance was telling me, it was like, 'They are trying to make a deal with me.' And I didn't understand why they would want to keep me if I wasn't happy there."

Kansas State athletic director John Currie, who hired Mittie, understandably was excited about giving the Wildcats a fresh start. Now, Kansas State is caught in a lingering controversy. Asked what Currie told her about why she was denied the release, Romero said they didn't meet during the process.

"But I'd be happy to talk to him anytime," she said.

The right to leave?

While transfers are generally discouraged by colleges, they're still relatively common. Diamond DeShields, the consensus national freshman of the year in women's hoops, is transferring from North Carolina. Her coach, Sylvia Hatchell, has said she doesn't really know why DeShields decided to transfer, but she still gave her an unconditional release.

Sometimes, though, a school granting a release will attach restrictions about where the student-athlete can transfer. Romero said she understands why a release might come with such stipulations, and would accept that without argument.

"Deny me the release for every school that they think is right to deny; I'm OK with that," she said. "But I don't know why they won't release me to ANY school in the United States.

In April, Kansas State athletic director John Currie tweeted that transfers are sometimes not granted due to "concerns about outside tampering." Bo Rader/Wichita Eagle/MCT/Getty Images

"When Coach P was fired, I didn't believe in the change, but I accepted it. It's [Currie's] decision, and he has the right to fire a coach and hire another. But I think I have the right to want to leave, not liking the change."

With a release, Romero could go to another Division I school and receive scholarship money while sitting out the required year to transfer. But without the release, she would have to pay all her own expenses for that year, which she says she's not in a financial position to do as a foreign student. So her only viable option is to attend a junior college, where she could get scholarship money for a year, and then go back to Division I.

So, yes, Romero can leave -- but her options have been limited by Kansas State. Which has prompted criticism in media outlets, on Twitter and on message boards. Joshua Kinder of the Manhattan Mercury newspaper wrote, "Perception is everything. And right now, K-State looks a lot like a bully."

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas has posted several tweets on the issue, including, "It's past time for K-State to release Leticia Romero. Denying a transfer release to an unpaid, amateur student is unconscionable."

Longtime youth coach and national girls' basketball evaluator Mike Flynn told espnW he felt Kansas State's decision on Romero was "infuriating" and that he intends to make sure recruits nationwide know about it.

But what is Kansas State's side of this? It's not as if the school hasn't released other athletes. What is the issue with Romero?

The school had been largely silent, citing student-privacy concerns. However, a series of tweets from Currie on April 22 sparked media speculation that Kansas State felt Romero's transfer was being orchestrated by a member or members of the former coaching staff, and that led to the school's decision to deny her release.