NCAA looking to raise APR to 900 for post-season effective immediately

[huskyniner]

They're gonna do all they can to keep us out, especially with this whole AD debacle lately, and Bradley "giving" up his schollie. IMO

I can't believe it took someone this long to suggest this. I think it's pretty clear that the NCAA is not happy about the Bradley/Drummond situation and the fact that we won a national championship under a year in which we were under "punishment" with the docked schollies. The NCAA wants to get back at UConn in a way that would be legal and not cast them as the "bad guys".

 

[kobebeanbryant]

For all you Office watchers out there:

If they so much as harm a hair on our team's head, then we will burn the NCAA to the ground.

 

[huskyharry]

Clearly bureaucrats pushing their self-agrandizing agenda but...could be nefarious actors from the pro-UNC or pro-UK camps behind this?...say with the initials WWW?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Why not call up Edwards, Mandeldove, Sticks and whoever else can still boost the numbers, and have them right a one page paper about what they had for breakfast or their favorite color, and give them 15 credits for doing it. What's the NCAA going to do? Challenge us on this?

 

[RS9999X]

The rulebook says Jamal Coombs-McDaniel would be a 1-2 his spring semester unless he meets some additional considerations (2.6 average being one)

Adjustments for student-athletes who transfer:

a. The student-athlete transfers immediately to another four-year institution, which must be supported by documentation of the student-athlete's full-time enrollment at the subsequent institution.

b. The student-athlete attended the original institution for a minimum of one academic year;.

c. The student-athlete earned the eligibility point in the last term of enrollment prior to transfer;

d. The student-athlete presented a cumulative grade-point average of 2.6 or higher at the time of departure.

 

[Kitaman]

Reminds me of how the Feds operate. If they can't get one charge they will find/create another. Drummond signing retaliation?

 

[johnhuskies95]

I don't proclaim to know a ton about the APR system, but my guess is this has a lot to do with transfers.

UConn brought in 18 players from the 06-09 classes, and 10 of those guys left before their senior year(I'm counting Mandeldove in this although I don't know if he stayed his senior year or not). I'm sorry, but that is just a ridiculous number and something that I have to blame JC for. You just can't have that much constant turnover in your program and expect to have success with the APR.

 

[Deadrody]

At the meeting this morning Emmert was quoted as saying there would be few if any waivers granted.

And it takes a bit of common sense to recognize the difference between making public comments to appear stringent, and the reality where the NCAA has already shown they will grant waivers. Even if they DID want to change, they have already set precedent for granting waivers and they don't have a leg to stand on as far as not granting waivers equitably.

 

[Deadrody]

It's an association which can do just about anything they want.....but generally in law you can't make a law retroactive. .......and when you include a new rule and go back 4 years that's exactly what it is.

Bingo. And you generally cannot treat different entities different ways. If the NCAA has granted waivers based on presidential involvement and improvement plans in the past they legally cannot tell UConn, well, that was good for UAB, for instance, but not for you.

The NCAA is just asking for legal action if they try and implement punitive actions that are based on retroactive conditions AND by changing the rules upon which waivers are granted.

And for the record, I don't think this is e embarrassing at all. When I went to college it was nobodies responsibility for me to do well and graduate but MINE. The fact that these kids are given a free education and access to academic tutors and other benefits gives them a tremendous advantage over the majority of students at the school. They honestly have nobody to blame but themselves. And furthermore, IF I were to blame anyone, it would be the athletic department overall, not a specific program. The academic support function of the athletic department should absolutely not be specific to the sport you play. See ? UConn has already taken action in this area as well, as the ineffective Jeff Hathaway was forced into early retirement.

 

[Deadrody]

I can't believe it took someone this long to suggest this. I think it's pretty clear that the NCAA is not happy about the Bradley/Drummond situation and the fact that we won a national championship under a year in which we were under "punishment" with the docked schollies. The NCAA wants to get back at UConn in a way that would be legal and not cast them as the "bad guys".

Too bad this very attempt is unlikely to be viewed as "legal".

 

[HuskyHawk]

APR is a flawed formula. Some schools may game the system. Yes, kids are responsible for themselves (although some are brought in with UConn knowing they can't handle the work).

My one criticism of JC is the "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" recruiting approach he's used in a few huge classes. Kids come in and we all know when they sign that they won't likely see much PT. When we need a scholarship later, they are encouraged to transfer. Wiggins for example, should have been allowed to go to St. Johns as he originally committed. We need to focus on recruiting kids who we know can play for us and make the grades. If we have an open scholarship, fine. We've shown last year you can win without the full compliment.

In the future, we're going to have to keep kids who aren't taking enough credits to graduate off the court to encourage them to stay on track.

 

[NHUConnfan]

UConn should have had better performance under the APR, but the fact is, minus that one year...we'd be fine and maintaining a 900 average would be OK. Anyone with half a brain could realize that having this as a four year average is incredibly stupid. It's just like when applying to college or graduate school - and let's say you got a D in a class or two. Will that raise red flags? Yes. But then there's the essay/personal statement that let you discuss that. Maybe your parents died in a car crash. Maybe you got sexually abused. Something traumatic...they'll most likely overlook it.

It's hard to equate those things to our situation, but some of them were simply just out of our hands. We could play the blame game and blame Jeff Hathaway, Jim Calhoun, admissions, the professors, the lunch lady at South Dining Hall - but the fact is, at some point, it becomes the responsibility of the student. There really was the perfect storm of kids who just "didn't get it" in Wiggins and Mandeldove. And then when you get other factors situated - it really does become the perfect storm.

I really don't think this has a chance of passing. Yes, maybe only a few schools would be under the APR line, but there will also be schools that are hovering around 900 that aren't so comfortable with the bar being raised that much higher. In addition, for those schools that are allegedly fudging their numbers, it just becomes that much harder. Maybe they know the spots to make up a few points here and there - but raising the number to 900 does make it that much harder for them too.

And whatever people say about being UConn haters and wanting this to happen - come tournament time, if UConn is ranked in the top 5 - it really won't matter. People want to see the best teams play. They want the best teams to play them so they feel like when they win, that it's legitimate. And remember, this comes out the same day that the NCAA wants to pay its students. You really have to question what is going on there - because they are really starting to lose their integrity.

As far as people concerned about UConn's fate in the next couple of years, the NCAA is working down a path to being nonexistent in a few years given their general incompetency. And while people may hate UConn, there are thousands of more people who hate the NCAA.

 

[upstater]

I don't proclaim to know a ton about the APR system, but my guess is this has a lot to do with transfers.

UConn brought in 18 players from the 06-09 classes, and 10 of those guys left before their senior year(I'm counting Mandeldove in this although I don't know if he stayed his senior year or not). I'm sorry, but that is just a ridiculous number and something that I have to blame JC for. You just can't have that much constant turnover in your program and expect to have success with the APR.

Nope. The problem with UConn has been UConn lifers who didn't finish out strong. Mandeldove was not a UConn transfer.

 

[upstater]

APR is a flawed formula. Some schools may game the system. Yes, kids are responsible for themselves (although some are brought in with UConn knowing they can't handle the work).

My one criticism of JC is the "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" recruiting approach he's used in a few huge classes. Kids come in and we all know when they sign that they won't likely see much PT. When we need a scholarship later, they are encouraged to transfer. Wiggins for example, should have been allowed to go to St. Johns as he originally committed. We need to focus on recruiting kids who we know can play for us and make the grades. If we have an open scholarship, fine. We've shown last year you can win without the full compliment.

In the future, we're going to have to keep kids who aren't taking enough credits to graduate off the court to encourage them to stay on track.

Every school does this. When some kids perceive they will not get playing time, they go elsewhere. Others choose to be at the end of the bench. It's the nature of the beast. Wiggins, though, would have seen playing time at UConn. He saw playing time as a freshman. Lack of ability was not the reason Wiggins was shown the door, and I think his later career proved that as the same problems appeared over and over at lesser schools.

 

[TheDogPound]

LOSING

 

[freescooter]

The NCAA could have passed tougher admissions standards, but that would mean actual reform rather than just the appearance of reform (which is what the APR is really all about).

Remember, Herbst criticized the APR as bogus when she became president.

I agree with you that tougher admission standards would be the real way to go, but I seriously doubt if most coaches/athletic departments/CBS/ESPN really want that. I am hopeful that raising the APR will at least get coahces to focus on keeping their athletes taking classes seriously even when the basketball season ends. That has not been the case at UCONN in several years.

 

[HuskyCarlJ]

Nope. The problem with UConn has been UConn lifers who didn't finish out strong. Mandeldove was not a UConn transfer.

It's both. And, of course, the gift that keeps on giving: Nate Miles. Players receive 2 pts 1 for remaining eligible and "in good academic standing" and 1 for remaining at the school. Transfers can still receive the 2nd point provided they meet 4 stipulations:

1. The student-athlete transferred immediately to another four-year institution (i.e., the next available regular academic term), which must be supported by documentation of the student-athlete’s full-time enrollment and matriculation at the second institution in the
next regular academic term; [Some transfers are ok, ie Coombs-McDaniel transferring to Hofstra, but Darius Smith transferred to College of Southern Idaho (a 2-year school), and Jamaal Trice transferred to Midland College (a Juco)]

2. The student-athlete attended the original institution for a minimum of one academic year prior to the transfer;[Guess who doesn't fulfill this one? Our buddy Nate Miles!]

3. The student-athlete earned the eligibility point in the last term of enrollment prior to the transfer; and [I'm not 100% sure on this but I believe that Darius Smith was in poor academic standing when he transferred as well, making him a double whammy. I could be wrong here though. (Even if he was in poor standing that might be redundant since he was transferring to a 2-year school in the first place)]

4. The student-athlete presented a cumulative grade-point average of 2.6 or higher at the time of transfer from the original institution.[I've read that school officials made Jamal Coombs-McDaniel finish all his coursework to leave in good academic standing. I hope he was also able to hit this cumulative GPA mark which might've been tough considering he'd had some academic trouble in the past]

The two 0-2's (players who didn't get either point for being academically eligible or staying) are widely believed to be Smith and Mandledove, who did not transfer but left after 4 years without graduating.

I'm relying heavily on this: http://www.theuconnblog.com/2011/5/...-scholarships-the-ncaa-will-say-its-about-bad

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Can you imagine how bad things would have been if Jerome Dyson did not graduate in good standing.

Good point. Congrats to Jerome! I wish him the best!

Have a great day. Take it easy...

 

[freescooter]

I am upset with both UConn's performance and the way the APR is measured. And I think both are reasonable.

First, the APR, as currently formulated, is b.s. Add to that the fact that they are trying to institute a retroactive benchmark that we literally have no chance of meeting (as some have stated) is ridiculous. Hey, sorry Usain Bolt, the race actually started 10 seconds ago...go catch up.

At the same time, I think this is a deserved wake up call to take academics more seriously. Just because it happens at every school doesn't mean it has to happen here. I'm not saying every kid has to be Emeka, but they should be taking school seriously, and if they don't then we should hold them accountable. Maybe even at a higher standard than the NCAA.

By all accounts the group we have right now is doing great, both on the court and off. Unfortunately, the last group did not.

I think this is the best summary of my view. I would add that it isn't as if the NCAA ginned up the APR this morning. UCONN knew what the rules were. Knew they needed to keep players involved and either didn't know how to do it or ignored it. And I don't believe for a minute that if Calhoun had made a serious effort to keep players involved he couldn't have figured out a way to do it. We're talking about Jim Calhoun here. If it was a priority for him, it would be a priority form everyone from the AD to the guy who gives out towels in the locker room. I view this as no different from many rules that apply to a team...No different from an NCAA rule that you can only have 13 scholarship player.

 

[ctchamps]

I think this is the best summary of my view. I would add that it isn't as if the NCAA ginned up the APR this morning. UCONN knew what the rules were. Knew they needed to keep players involved and either didn't know how to do it or ignored it. And I don't believe for a minute that if Calhoun had made a serious effort to keep players involved he couldn't have figured out a way to do it. We're talking about Jim Calhoun here. If it was a priority for him, it would be a priority form everyone from the AD to the guy who gives out towels in the locker room. I view this as no different from many rules that apply to a team...No different from an NCAA rule that you can only have 13 scholarship player.

Without an investigation of every program and every university, how do you know those programs and universities are not doing things to make the APR look acceptable. If you can show me the NCAA goes to universities and is verifying the accuracy of the APR's the universities are reporting, I'll reconsider my thoughts about JC. If you can prove to me that North Carolina's situation is an isolated event, I will reconsider my thoughts about JC. I you can prove that every university has valid courses that their athletes are required to take and not some dumb down course to ensure the athletes passing, courses that wouldn't get another student qualified for any occupation, I'll reconsider my evaluation of JC. Heck, I'm an RE supporter, but can you be sure that someone who shielded his program from the outside world did everything by the book when it came to academics?

I have no problems with anyone suggesting the relevance of academics. But I get the impression many people should just consider switching to Div. II sports, because I'm sure most of those universities have the type of "student athletes" the people in this thread are demanding. And I bet any amount that even at that level there is cheating, just not at the level as takes place in Division I.

There seems to be justified condemnation for the state of UConn's mens bb APR. I am not in argument about this. I am in argument that people are treating a university and a program that has been honest in its reporting more severely than programs that have supposedly good APRs but got those APRs dishonestly.

The only way things change will be if everyone wants to lower the standard of play for UConn men's bb and football and all the other Division I programs. Count me in for that option. But anyone who insists on academics improving and also insists on the level of athlete stay the same, are only partially handling the problem.

 

[aceboon]

why is Doug Wiggins constantly mentioned in this thread? Our APR isn't garbage because of him.

 

[tykurez]

why is Doug Wiggins constantly mentioned in this thread? Our APR isn't garbage because of him.

Because Dyson can't be the goat this time.

Side question: what's with the massive .gifs in people's signatures? Brutal on the browser.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

what's with the massive .gifs in people's signatures? Brutal on the browser.

Best thing I ever did for my Boneyard browsing was turn off signatures. Most people should not be allowed to play with images on the internet.

 

[hooskies]

Smith and Trice...smh

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Jeff Jacobs tweet: "Hearing new APR rules definitely will not be implemeneted this March in BB"