University of Denver

March 21, 2008— DU officials have formally asked college basketball authorities to extend the eligibility of Pioneers forward David Kummer, whose season ended Jan. 13 when he broke a bone in his right ankle during a victory over Arkansas-Little Rock.

The application was submitted to the NCAA in late February. It argued that Kummer should get an extra year to make up for all the time he’s lost due to injuries over his career.

“We’re waiting to hear back,” Kummer said March 20. “I think we have a pretty good case.”

In addition to the January ankle injury, injuries over the years to both knees have cost Kummer so much playing time that in the 2004–05 season he was limited to 95 minutes and in 2006–07 he missed the season altogether.

“I played less than two full seasons — 60 out of 121 games in four years,” he said.

University officials believe this constitutes a medical hardship and that the star forward should be able to compete in the 2008–09 season during his last year of study at DU.
 
Kummer graduated in spring 2007 but has remained on campus working toward a two-year master’s degree in higher education. He says he’s grateful to DU for advancing his appeal, confident that University officials have “done all that we can. We’re just going to wait and see.”

At the time of his injury, the 6-foot 6-inch Kummer was leading the Pioneers in scoring at 11.4 points per game, rebounding at 4.6 per game and free-throw percentage at 85.4 percent. He says he thinks head coach Joe Scott will have a place on the team for him next year, but says that Scott has made “no promises.”

For now, Kummer is enjoying walking without a protective boot. He faces surgery April 10 to remove two screws holding his ankle together, then a long road of rehabilitation.

Kummer doesn’t know when he will hear from the NCAA but is optimistic, noting that eligibility extensions such as the one he is seeking are “not rare or unheard of.”