Evan Battey was keeping a little secret the last time he traveled through Italy.
It was August 2017, and Battey had only been on campus a few weeks while going through his initial workouts with the Colorado men’s basketball team. On the eve of an exhibition tour through Italy, Battey sprained an ankle, keeping him on the sideline for his first action with the Buffs.
Or so it seemed.
At that point, Battey already had learned the NCAA was declaring him academically ineligible for the 2017-18 season, a ruling that stemmed from Battey repeating the ninth grade early in his high school career.