Formerly academically ineligible Brook Lopez cleared to play

Stanford announced Monday afternoon that sophomore center Brook Lopez is eligible to play again for the Cardinal and will play for them Wednesday against Santa Clara.

The 7-foot Lopez was ruled academically ineligible for the fall quarter on Oct. 5. He missed the first nine games of the season in which the No. 25 Cardinal went 8-1.

Lopez, whose twin brother, Robin, is also on the team and is second in scoring at 11.4 points a game, has been able to practice throughout his academic suspension from the team.

A year ago, Lopez averaged 25.2 minutes, 12.6 points, six rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game. He played in 26 games, starting 18 and was an All-Pac-10 freshman team member and honorable mention All-Pac-10. Lopez was widely considered one of the top centers in the country and a likely lottery pick if he were to declare for the NBA draft.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

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