ESPN Men's Basketball

The first, and possibly only, Hurricane Katrina transfer was granted immediate eligibility at Cincinnati Friday, making Xavier University forward Ronald Allen a much-needed member of the depleted Cincinnati Bearcats.

Interim Bearcats' coach Andy Kennedy said Friday that the NAIA forward out of New Orleans won his appeal.

"We expected it to take longer but it was such an unusual case that he was granted immediate eligibility,'' Kennedy said.

The 6-feet-9 Allen will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

In the weeks after Hurricane Katrina, NCAA president Myles Brand, at the bequest of Division I schools New Orleans and Tulane, said players in the affected areas wouldn't be allowed to transfer without sitting out the year in residence. It wasn't a hard-and-fast rule, but the inference was that winning a waiver would be unlikely.

That's because Tulane and UNO are still planning on playing this season. Xavier isn't. The campus is closed this semester with the hope it could open in the second semester. But that's not a given. UNO and Tulane are continuing, albeit, in their adopted homes at the University of Texas-Tyler and Texas A&M, respectively.

Allen got wind of a possible opening at Cincinnati when signee Ivan Johnson asked for his release and transferred to Oregon. Johnson would have been a candidate for the vacant starting forward position left by Jason Maxiell. Meanwhile, Allen's girlfriend and her family were evacuated to Ohio. Allen decided to follow and pursue Cincinnati. He was admitted and put on scholarship immediately. School started last week.

Allen averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds a game last season but he could play more of a significant role with the Bearcats.

"After two weeks of individual workouts he's got to get in better condition and get stronger, but that's to be expected," Kennedy said. "He's acclimated well with his new teammates.

"This is such an unusual case, but from a devastating tragedy the NCAA was true to their word, and they were about what was in the best interest of the student athlete."

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.