Orlando Sanchez sat in the bleachers of the arena in which he never has played a second of college basketball and may never will.
Sanchez, a 6-foot-9 forward for St. John’s, is awaiting word from the NCAA, which will decide probably by Friday whether or not to waive its bylaw regarding eligibility for players 21 years of age or older and grant him a year of eligibility which he would use next season.
Those that have seen Sanchez, 24, play say he is a game-changer, one of those rare players who can play all five positions. Even if that’s a stretch, there are not many skilled 6-foot-9 players in the college game, let alone those that have the 3-point shooting range and ball handling skills Sanchez’s teammates say he possesses.
They have compared him with forward JaKarr Sampson, who likely will win Big East Rookie of the Year honors. A front line of Sanchez, the 6-8 Sampson and 6-9 Chris Obekpa could make St. John’s an upper-tier, if not Final Four, team in 2013-14.
“I think we can do something great,’’ Sanchez said. “Something great for the team, something great for St. John’s.’’
Don’t be misled by the bravado of that statement. Sanchez, a native of the Dominican Republic, is a humble, soft-spoken young man. When asked what he liked about his game, what he could do for this NCAA Tournament bubble team, Sanchez, who is still mastering his second language, displayed a remarkable pivot.
“The question is what I don’t like to do,’’ he said. “If I have to go to the floor, throw myself to the floor for one ball, I going. If I have to assist one person, block shots, something like that, it’s no matter. I do everything what I can to make my team win.’’
This question also remains, Will he ever get a chance to help St. John’s win?
Sanchez has had his appeal denied three times — twice by the NCAA staff and once by an NCAA subcommittee — but his case seems straight forward.
Sanchez said it was financial hardship which forced his family to send him to live with his father in Spain at the age of 17. After four years of toiling as a carpenter and sending money to his grandmother, he finally saved enough to return home and immediately got his high-school diploma.
He played eight games for a local club team and two seasons at Monroe College. He should have one last year of eligibility. But in 2010, before enrolling at Monroe, he played three minutes and 38 seconds for the Dominican Republic national team.
Those 218 seconds, says the NCAA, wiped out the last year of eligibility.
“It’s three minutes and 38 seconds, it’s nothing,’’ Sanchez said. “How is this going to cost my one year? Only three minutes, 38 seconds to represent my country. It’s an honor to do something for your country. I don’t know. It’s not making sense for me.’’
Sanchez sits in Carnesecca Arena with his hands clasped together, his knees bent making him looking much smaller than 6-9, his black marble eyes revealing little.
Wearing a black, St. John’s hoodie, red sweat pants and a pair of white sneakers that have seen some wear, Sanchez has two small scars above the outside of his right eye, reminders of rebounding battles.
He said he has gotten many messages on Facebook and Twitter from friends and family here and the Dominican Republic wondering why they haven’t seen him play. He recently spoke to Felipe Lopez, the greatest Dominican player ever to wear a St. John’s jersey. Lopez told him to stay strong.
But hope is running out. If the NCAA rejects this latest appeal, filed by former North Carolina judge Robert Orr, Sanchez has one last appeal before an NCAA subcommittee. The NCAA didn’t return calls for a second straight day.
When asked what Sanchez would say to the NCAA, if he could speak to the governing body, he paused.
“I only want to say, ‘Please let me play.’ ’’