Former UTEP Commit Isaac Hamilton's Appeal Denied

ESPN's Andy Katz is reporting that the National Letter of Intent Steering Committee has denied Isaac Hamilton's appeal for release from his commitment to UTEP. Thus, Hamilton will not be eligible to receive a scholarship for the current school year, nor will he be able to play Division I college basketball.

Hamilton first stated in mid July via his Twitter account that he had not yet made it to El Paso because he was dealing with the illness of his grandmother. Only days later, news broke that Hamilton was requesting a release from his National Letter of Intent, due to his grandmother's condition.

UTEP coach Tim Floyd subsequently denied that request, and the Hamilton's were forced to take the matter up with the NLI Steering Committee. Now, with the news that the appeal has been denied, the Hamiltons have few options as far as the current school year is concerned.

According to Katz' article, Hamilton's father Greg was quoted as saying:

"We will challenge (the NLI)...We will get (Isaac) in school and enroll him. We know he'll have several opportunities. We want it to be in the Pac-12 so his mother can watch him play, since she is the primary caretaker for his grandma."

Considering the timing, UCLA seems like the most likely landing spot for Hamilton. School there has yet to start, the campus is within miles of where the Hamilton's live, and considering the tampering allegations brought up when the story first broke, USC is all but out of the picture.

Hamilton's father did say that younger brother Daniel, interestingly enough, will honor his commitment to play for UCONN, and that Isaac and him would not be playing on the same team.

Stay tuned to MinerRush for more on this, and all things UTEP Sports. Follow us on Twitter @sbnminerrush.