It’s never been in Nate Calmese’s nature not to take a shot.
The former Washington Huskies guard turned Washington State and Wake Forest starter is suing the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility, with college athletics’ governing body changing the rules this summer when it comes to an athlete’s eligibility clock.
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Calmese, the 2023 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year at Lamar University, made 16 appearances but did not start for then-Huskies’ coach Mike Hopkins in 2023-24. The Gilbert, Arizona native averaged 4.1 points and 10.9 minutes per game during his lone season at UW before going on to start 56 combined contests at WSU and Wake Forest.
In his one season with the Cougars, the 6-foot-2 guard averaged a career-high 15.2 points and 3 rebounds per game while sharing the team lead of 4 assists per contest with forward LeJuan Watts, who is coincidentally now at UW and set to play for third-year coach Danny Sprinkle.
According to a report from On3’s Joe Tipton on Monday, the former Huskies reserve—through Calmese’s agent Nate Conley—is suing the NCAA through a temporary injunction, which, if granted, would give the Arizona native another year to play college basketball this upcoming season.
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Though it’s not feasible—barring a departure between now and the start of the 2026-27 basketball season—that Calmese could find his way out of the transfer portal for a fourth time at UW, the talented guard has proven at his last two stops to be an effective addition for another Power Four or high major program if he’s deemed eligible to play a fifth season.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Ex-Washington Basketball Guard Suing For Extra Year of Eligibility
