SEC Rules Missouri Guard CJ Gunn Ineligible Before Opener

Missouri will open its season without transfer guard CJ Gunn after the Southeastern Conference ruled him ineligible on November 2. The decision came less than two days before the Tigers’ November 3 game against Cleveland State at Mizzou Arena, as the team faced a deadline to submit its roster to the league. No appeal is available.

Gunn received $524 for playing three games with the Canadian Elite Basketball League in May and signed a professional contract. Missouri coach Dennis Gates said Gunn had to repay the money. SEC rules bar players from returning to league competition after signing a professional contract following college enrollment.

The ruling also leaves Gunn unable to enter the G League draft, which took place in October. He had spent four college seasons, including the past two at DePaul, and was expected to provide Missouri with backcourt depth. The Tigers have eight other guards on the roster, including freshman Jason Crowe Jr. and transfers Jamier Jones and Kennard Davis Jr.

Missouri also announced that projected starting center Jaylen Carey is indefinitely suspended. Gates said the suspension would not affect Carey’s standing with the team and was not expected to last long. His availability for the November 7 game against Saint Louis remained uncertain.

Crowe, meanwhile, was named to the 50-player Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List on November 2. One of five freshmen on the list, he averaged 23 points and 5.5 assists in Missouri’s two exhibition games.