Recent WKU transfer Michael Bradley’s request to play in the 2012-2013 season has been denied by the NCAA, the school confirmed on Sunday.

Bradley, a 6-foot-10 power forward, transferred from Connecticut to WKU several weeks ago in order to be closer to his sick grandmother in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The rising redshirt sophomore was hoping to qualify for a hardship wavier from the NCAA, but the request was denied.

A WKU official said the decision by the NCAA is disappointing but not surprising.

The school will appeal the initial decision, and there is no timetable for when the next ruling could be made.

The loss of Bradley is another blow to the Toppers in the months since their run to the NCAA tournament in March. Since then, the Toppers have dealt with the transfers of leading scorer and rebounder Derrick Gordon as well as forward Vinny Zollo.

Bradley redshirted his first year at UConn and didn’t play any game minutes last season. The most recent setback will keep the Chattanooga native off the court until the 2013-2014 season.