I know it's offseason and all fellas, but this one is something we can't overlook.

Nevada's Burleson academically ineligible until January

RENO, Nev. -- Nevada's Lyndale Burleson, who was a top candidate to become the Wolf Pack's starting point guard in the upcoming season, has been declared academically ineligible for the fall semester, coach Mark Fox said Monday.

Burleson, a 6-foot-3 junior from Seattle, played in 33 games last season and started two. He averaged 2.2 assists and 1.7 points while averaging 15.2 minutes of playing time per game.

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

Burleson will be ineligible for the fall semester but could return before the Western Athletic Conference season begins in January for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. He had been expected to play the point position in place of Ramon Sessions, who decided to forgo his senior season and was drafted by the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks in the second round in June.

Burleson is the brother of Nate Burleson, a former wide receiver for Nevada now playing for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, and Kevin Burleson, who played basketball at the University of Minnesota and for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats.

Fox said candidates for point guard will be freshman Armon Johnson, who played at Reno's Hug High last season, sophomore Brandon Fields and senior Marcelus Kemp.

Kemp, who played on the wing last season and was a first-team all-WAC selection averaging 18.5 points per game, will be the only returning starter from last year's 29-5 team.

The 29 victories were the most in school history. The Wolf Pack also won their fourth consecutive WAC regular-season title and advanced to their fourth straight NCAA Tournament.