Good news on the 'full scholarship' scene

[Blakeon18]

In the morning paper UConn announced that starting in 2015-2016 they
will be offering 'full' scholarships....matching the power 5 conferences policy.
It amounts to 3 or 4 thousand extra per student [I think]. The non-power 5 conference teams
are not bound to do it but can if they so choose....the power 5 teams have to do it.
This should somewhat even the playing field in recruiting...though I am still
eagerly awaiting the news that announces our move to the Big 10...the ACC...the
Big 12...wherever. We bring very solid academic rankings...dynamite basketball programs
[nobody even close]....access to NYC metro area. Football? uhhh...a work in progress.

 

[HuskyNan]

Link to an article on this is in today's news links, or here if you prefer.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Avery Brundage would not approve.

But good to see UConn is in step with the times and moving in sync with the P5 conference teams. Maybe now the Huskies' basketball teams will be able to compete with Wake Forest's even though it is in the (horrible, pitiful, abominable, fill in the adjective with favorite carp) AAC.

 

[meyers7]

Awesome. Napier will be able to eat now.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Awesome. Napier will be able to eat now.

With the $1.2 million from the Heat, I would hope so. I know I could buy a lot of my nutritious and tasty Krispy Kremes with that kind of money.

 

[EricLA]

With the $1.2 million from the Heat, I would hope so. I know I could buy a lot of my nutritious and tasty Krispy Kremes with that kind of money.

I believe he was referring to Napier's comments regarding his college experience and not having money to eat. Here's his quote...

We do have hungry nights that we don't have enough money to get food in. Sometimes money is needed. I don't think you should stretch it out to hundreds of thousands of dollars for playing, because a lot of times guys don't know how to handle themselves with money. I feel like a student athlete. Sometimes, there's hungry nights where I'm not able to eat, but I still gotta play up to my capabilities.

But then he also had that comment about the hungry huskies - and the post season ban... probably my favorite quote all time from any UCONN player...“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re looking at the hungry Huskies, this is what happens when you ban us, last year, two years, we worked so hard for it, two years and hungry. Hungry Huskies!”

Of course all of those pale in comparison to Calhoun's famous rant on "get some facts, and then come back and see me..."

 

[j66kicker]

This is great news! I thought I had read that it was up to each non-P5 conference, implying that the conference had to approve for their members. ??

 

[DobbsRover2]

I believe he was referring to Napier's comments regarding his college experience and not having money to eat.

Yes I know, but Meyers clearly also has these wishful dreams that Bazz is still leading the guys' attack. Though it would be nice, we had to say good-bye. But at least Bazz can afford to eat now.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Wondering if this will reduce the number of scholarships schools offer if they are four year guarantees. Probably won't impact WBB, but I can see i definitely impacting football and mens basketball. In football its common especially in the SEC to take away scholarships after one year to give it to a more highly ranked recruits. Some schools might not offer scholarships to marginal/have potential players just to fill a roster spot for a year or two while they over recruit at the position these players play. There are probably loopholes that will enable the schools to take away the scholarship for some misdeeds or other reasons.

 

[uconnell]

What happens if a coach tells a player that he is not getting much or any playing time? Does the young man hang around or transfer and if he wants to transfer who will take him? A lower division perhaps? Just wondering.

 

[Alydar]

The financial cost to the schools that pay these stipends is a very small amount compared to their total athletic budgets. Let's say this involves 200 athletes. $5,000.00 per athlete amounts to 1 million dollars in an athletic budget of $63 million.

http://www.wbbstate.com/teams/CONN

 

[ChicagoGG]

Actually, the NCAA changed the meals rules last year after Bazz' comments so there are more meal and food options for athletes. Good on Bazz!

 

[HGN]

Glad to see UConn making this move....It now keeps pace with other P5 teams that are making the Full-Scholarship move primarily for football. UConn's football program may not be where it wants to be but the basketball programs are ahead of the pack. And this move assures that they will keep pace or stay ahead.

GO HUSKIES !

 

[HoopsFan21]

Are the other schools in the conference doing this? If not it seems rather unfair.

 

[bramos]

In the morning paper UConn announced that starting in 2015-2016 they
will be offering 'full' scholarships....matching the power 5 conferences policy.
It amounts to 3 or 4 thousand extra per student [I think]. The non-power 5 conference teams
are not bound to do it but can if they so choose....the power 5 teams have to do it.
This should somewhat even the playing field in recruiting...though I am still
eagerly awaiting the news that announces our move to the Big 10...the ACC...the
Big 12...wherever. We bring very solid academic rankings...dynamite basketball programs
[nobody even close]....access to NYC metro area. Football? uhhh...a work in progress.

Does our football score size MOV count ?

 

[meyers7]

Are the other schools in the conference doing this? If not it seems rather unfair.

It's up to them. How is that unfair?

 

[WildEagle]

Well it is about time, I mean come on the head coach makes millions of dollars per year, the least they can do is give the kids a full ride.
Uconn in Big 10, etc LOL other than basketball you would be laughed out of these other conferences. Uconn football in the BIG TEN, somebody better order body bags.

 

[HuskyNan]

Well it is about time, I mean come on the head coach makes millions of dollars per year, the least they can do is give the kids a full ride.
Uconn in Big 10, etc LOL other than basketball you would be laughed out of these other conferences. Uconn football in the BIG TEN, somebody better order body bags.

Purdue football, yes Purdue, went 3-9 last year, 1-7 in the Big 10. Not much different that UConn's final numbers. Indiana was also 1-7 in the Big 10 and there were a slew that were 2-4 including Penn State and Michigan.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Purdue is such a great story for B10 football. The B-makers are 1-15 in B10 play over the last two years and haven't won a home game since 2012. I'm sure the fans will be flooding in to Ross-Ade Stadium next year to see if the team can extend B10 home loss streak to 9.

 

[Geno-ista]

Without getting into the fairness to the student athletes- these new rules, and all the other changes that will inevitably follow, will create a monumental shift in college sports forever. Probably affecting the magic of the NCAA men's B Ball Tmt the most is my guess. The best players would be stupid to go to the non P5 schools, or schools not offering the extra benefits. Less smaller programs & Cinderella stories as a result. I believe these may be the first steps that eventually end, for me anyway, the magic of college sports. I think it will end up like The Olympics, and especially our Hockey team. Once everything becomes more "professional - like", it's just different. I'll bet there will be a lot of athletes transferring in the next few years, and/or backing out of commitments depending on the decisions of the non P5 schools. Just one persons opinion. Maybe I'm naive- but I like the illusion of amateur status, when I am already helping pay for their 50-60K annual tuitions.