Report: BYU can now return this starter next season
BYU forward Noah Waterman hits a 3-pointer during the Big 12 conference tournament win against UCF in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. BYU won 87-73.
It looks like Noah Waterman will be back for a third season in Provo.
The BYU forward has had his waiver request for a medical redshirt approved, Robby McCombs of Vanquish the Foe reported Monday. This waiver grants Waterman an additional season of eligibility, which could be crucial for a Cougars team bringing back much of its current core.
Waterman has enjoyed a breakout campaign for BYU this season in averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, shooting 37% from behind the arc, and serving as one of the team’s most effective defensive players.
The 6-foot-11 sniper has improved greatly upon his first year with the Cougars, when he averaged just 4.6 points and shot 36.6% from the field.
A senior this year, Waterman and BYU’s staff had long been confident in him obtaining the redshirt, so much so that he declined to be honored during the program’s Senior Night festivities against Oklahoma State on March 9.
Waterman began his college career at Niagara in 2019 before an ankle injury quickly shut him down. He then transferred to Detroit Mercy for two seasons before landing with Mark Pope’s program in 2022. His new medical redshirt will be placed retroactively upon his year at Niagara.
With Waterman’s newly-found eligibility, the Cougars are now projected to bring back four of their five current starters along with Fouss Traore and Richie Saunders off the bench and Dawson Baker from injury, while also finally gaining superstar recruit Collin Chandler upon completing his church mission in May.
