Gorjok Gak

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Just before 5 p.m.,was hugging his Florida basketball teammates goodbye and wishing them good luck as they headed to Jacksonville for the start of the 2016-17 season. Gak, the 6-foot-11, 230-pound center, had to stay in Gainesville because he was not eligible to play.Twenty minutes later, he was.The NCAA restored Gak's eligibility Thursday, leaving him free to join the Gators and play in the season opener Friday night against Florida Gulf Coast at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. UF coachwas on the team bus and headed out of town when he called Gak with the news."I was in my apartment getting ready to go to tutoring when Coach White called me," Gak said. "I couldn't believe it. I called my mom right away and she got very emotional. … So did I."Gak, who signed with Florida last spring, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA during the summer due to questions about the number of games he played at Bradenton (Fla.) Victory Rock Prep after arriving there from Australia. The NCAA ruled Gak could enroll at UF for his freshman year and practice with the team, but would not be eligible for competition until his sophomore year, when he would have three years of eligibility remaining.The UF compliance office filed a waiver to appeal the ruling.With the help of Victory Rock Prep, its basketball coach and Gak's family, the NCAA reviewed the appeal and approved the waiver, restoring Gak's eligibility in full, effectively immediately, meaning he'll have four years of athletic competition.About 40 minutes after the UF bus left the practice facility, Gak was being driven to Jacksonville by a team manager -- with a big smile on his face. At 7:55 p.m., he tweeted this."I'm extremely happy for Gorjok," White said. "Our administration spent a lot of time fighting for him and during that time, despite assuming he wouldn't be eligible to play this season, Gorjok was a steady contributor at our practices with his work ethic."Now, he'll have a chance to get his 7-foot-4 wingspan into live action as a backup in the post behind starting junior centerand sophomore"Potentially, he could be implemented into our rotation," White said. "We'll take it slow with him, but we really like his ceiling as a player. Great kid, too."Gak, who averaged 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds at Victory Rock, signed last fall with Oklahoma State, but was released from his letter-of-intent after the coach there, Travis Ford, was fired at the end of the '15-16 season. The release allowed Gak to reopen his recruitment, but he didn't need a lot of time to decide on the Gators.He got to campus for the start of fall semester and, aware of UF's appeal, was hopeful the NCAA might clear him sometime in the middle of the season.Instead, he'll pull his No. 12 jersey on for Game 1."I thought, maybe, I would get cleared later, but this? This is too good to be true. It never crossed my mind," Gak said. "Now, I just want to do whatever I can to help the team; help the team get that first win."