[media-credit name=’YANA PASKOVA/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]For the second time this week, the Wisconsin men's basketball team has lost a player due to academic ineligibility.

Sophomore forward Greg Stiemsma was declared ineligible for the Spring semester, meaning he can participate in practice but cannot play in games or travel to road contests, the team announced in a press release Tuesday afternoon.

"I've been dealing with depression which caused me to take a leave of absence from the team and also affected my academic performance," Stiemsma said in the release. "That has resulted in me being academically ineligible this semester."

His announcement ended a week's worth of speculation by the media and fans, who became optimistic when Stiemsma returned to practice after a short leave earlier this week. Unfortunately, Tuesday's announcement was not the one they were looking for.

"Obviously it's something that he wanted to do, to get it off his chest, and now you move on," UW head coach Bo Ryan said. "Things don't always go the way we want them to. But we'll deal with them, and we'll get him help … that's what we're here for."

Though he cannot participate in games, Stiemsma said he would remain dedicated in helping his teammates prepare for upcoming contests.

"I have taken steps to treat my depression and intend to work hard to resolve my academic issues. I look forward to competing in practice and helping my teammates in any way I can," Stiemsma said. "I ask for understanding regarding my condition and appreciate the patience of everyone as I deal with it. I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and the fans for their support."

Stiemsma played in 16 games this year for Wisconsin and was quickly becoming a high-energy defensive presence before originally taking a leave of absence from the team. He was averaging 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 block shots per game while playing more than 11 minutes per contest.

"Stiemsma, he seemed to be really active and he played well in the games I saw [on tape}," Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis said. "It cuts down their rotation and what they can do."

Earlier in the week, freshman Marcus Landry announced that he was academically ineligible for the rest of the season.

Redshirt freshman DeAaron Williams also left the team over the Winter Break.

The loss of the Stiemsma and Landry leave the Badgers with just seven players who contributed substantial minutes every game over the first half of the year.

Ryan, who has been known for sticking up for his players who get caught in sticky situations, wasted little time in sticking up for Stiemsma after Wednesday's victory.

"If a student athlete is going through a process, then it is absolutely in their best interest that they exhaust all options," Ryan said. "Understand this, when these young men have issues, they are just like an employee in the state system. They have all the rights in the world to exhaust every option.

"Go ahead, get on your high horses again and say I'm wrong. You can say I'm wrong, but I'll tell you what, in this country and our society I am right. People have privacy issues and privacy rights, as a student-athlete."