Vander Joaquim, a 6-foot-10 center who signed with Nebraska in November, has transferred to College of Eastern Utah, a junior college.NU coach Doc Sadler said Joaquim, who played a semester at Mountain State Academy, a prep school in West Virginia, will redshirt the remainder of this season and play the 2009-10 season in junior college.If Joaquim graduates on schedule, he’ll have three years to play three years when he arrives at Nebraska beginning in the 2010-11 season.Joaquim has not been cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse. He can become eligible by earning his associate’s degree.It’s a similar situation to that of Roburt Sallie, the recruit who signed with Nebraska but was not cleared by the NCAA. He attended a junior college to become eligible.The big difference: Joaquim has never enrolled in classes at NU — the problem that led to Sallie breaking a Big 12 Conference rule and eventually leaving for Memphis.Joaquim’s move means Sadler, who signed three other players in November, has one open scholarship for the 2009-10 season.“If we can sign somebody good, we will,” Sadler said.College of Eastern Utah is coached by Chris Craig, who played at UTEP when Sadler was an assistant there. One of Craig’s assistants, Anthony Owens, played under Sadler at Arkansas-Fort Smith.Joaquim came to the United States from his native Angola. He played last season at Christian High School near San Diego, then transferred to Mountain State Academy.He’s ranked the nation’s No. 12 center by Scout.com and No. 15 center by Rivals.com.
