Non-UConn News, 2023 part I

[shiverz45]

From what I understand, if a player transfers more than once, the coach has to sign a waiver. I know there have been other players who have transferred more than once and did not have to sit out a season. Alexis Morris at LSU is one and she did not sit out a year. I assume the coach at A&M signed her waiver. It is good that Kim gave Alexis another chance and the previous coach signed the waiver. She seems to be doing well at LSU.

Yes this is the rule but what is Kentucky gaining by preventing Dree from playing this year?

From what I hear Dree has worked very hard at Baylor to bring grades up, be a good teammate, do community service, etc. We do not understand why Kentucky is forcing her to sit and not giving her a chance to continue improving. It seems that most coaches sign these waivers. Very disappointing…. This could possibly hurt Kentucky with future recruits.

You want Kentucky to lie? If what is said is true, all parties involved knew what the requirement of the waiver was before she left. If it was just a simple release, I would agree with you.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Why should Kentucky risk their integrity to help out Baylor? I would be more sympathetic if Baylor and Edwards were not aware of the situation before the transfer. The beef should be with the NCAA.

They shouldn't...not that it's all that much of a risk. Programs do worse in terms of "stretching the truth", especially in the recruiting process. And I don't disagree with the NCAA being the issue here because it's just a dumb part of this process. Why involve the originating school? The player has made it clear they don't want to be there. So...accept that and THEN decide to grant or not grant permission to play at the new school. Granted...Elzy washed her hands of the player either way, but most people looking from the outside in...will think she is the bad guy.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Some would answer honestly and others not. Kyra Elzy chose to answer honestly. You wouldn’t have or, as you described, followed a line a reasoning to allow you to answer No she wouldn’t have played.

You did hit the nail on the head questioning why whether she would play or not is essential. I agree with the question. But that question should get directed towards the NCAA.

The certification or verification is so ambiguous and up for interpretation that I personally....would have taken the easy way out. Get rid of the player, wish her well, and skip the public tweet battle. It's not worth it.

 

[Big12wbbFan]

You want Kentucky to lie? If what is said is true, all parties involved knew what the requirement of the waiver was before she left. If it was just a simple release, I would agree with you.

All I knew is that some coaches sign waivers for players who transfer more than once. LSU is Alexis Morris’s 4th school , Chrislyn Carr when she transferred to Syracuse (3rd school), etc. I assume they signed same form. I do not know.

Hannah Gusters just transferred to Oklahoma State. I assume Mulkey would have to sign form for her to play since it will be her second transfer. Will be interesting to see if she signs or not.

Regardless, Dree will sit this year and play for Baylor in 2023-2024 season. She has said she will return to Baylor next year.

 

[shiverz45]

All I knew is that some coaches sign waivers for players who transfer more than once. LSU is Alexis Morris’s 4th school , Chrislyn Carr when she transferred to Syracuse (3rd school), etc. I assume they signed same form. I do not know.

Hannah Gusters just transferred to Oklahoma State. I assume Mulkey would have to sign form for her to play since it will be her second transfer. Will be interesting to see if she signs or not.

Regardless, Dree will sit this year and play for Baylor in 2023-2024 season. She has said she will return to Baylor next year.

Is Blackwell playing? I will admit I haven't seen a Baylor game this year.

 

[PoppaBear]

Is Blackwell playing? I will admit I haven't seen a Baylor game this year.

Yes. She's been dealing with injuries and hasn't played in a while

 

[cancontent]

You think that the issue of being...mildly or indirectly dishonest has ever stopped a coach? If you think about it...why would the matter of "if she would play" is even essential here? You could pick the walk-on..on ANY TEAM and eventually...technically...they WILL PLAY. Now that I think about it...if I were in Elzy's position I would be annoyed because she looks like the bad guy because of some silly process. I would have signed off and if anyone asked why here's my explanation. She WOULD NOT have played for KY because she made it clear that she wouldn't play.

Why should Coach Elzy do something she doesn't agree with just because Edwards doesn't want to play for the program anymore? Just because other coaches don't have an issue with ethics, it doesn't mean she has to follow the trend.

Why should Kentucky risk their integrity to help out Baylor? I would be more sympathetic if Baylor and Edwards were not aware of the situation before the transfer. The beef should be with the NCAA.

Agreed. The rules and stipulations are bloody confusing. However, in Edwards case she's a senior who didn't qualify as a graduate student. I think she should have to sit out considering that she would have been able to continue playing at Kentucky had she stayed there.

They shouldn't...not that it's all that much of a risk. Programs do worse in terms of "stretching the truth", especially in the recruiting process. And I don't disagree with the NCAA being the issue here because it's just a dumb part of this process. Why involve the originating school? The player has made it clear they don't want to be there. So...accept that and THEN decide to grant or not grant permission to play at the new school. Granted...Elzy washed her hands of the player either way, but most people looking from the outside in...will think she is the bad guy.

I for one don't. If others do, that's disappointing. We complain that kids are allowed to give up and move on too easily. Now in a situation where there are repercussions and Edwards isn't able to play, people are going to see Elzy as the bad guy because she opted to remain true to her ethics? Says a lot for how the concept of student-athletes is a bunch of bunk.

 

[cancontent]

All I knew is that some coaches sign waivers for players who transfer more than once. LSU is Alexis Morris’s 4th school , Chrislyn Carr when she transferred to Syracuse (3rd school), etc. I assume they signed same form. I do not know.

Hannah Gusters just transferred to Oklahoma State. I assume Mulkey would have to sign form for her to play since it will be her second transfer. Will be interesting to see if she signs or not.

Regardless, Dree will sit this year and play for Baylor in 2023-2024 season. She has said she will return to Baylor next year.

Carr graduated from Syracuse and is listed as a grad transfer at Louisville. The waiver requirement doesn't apply in her situation.

 

[Bone Dog]

I for one don't. If others do, that's disappointing. We complain that kids are allowed to give up and move on too easily. Now in a situation where there are repercussions and Edwards isn't able to play, people are going to see Elzy as the bad guy because she opted to remain true to her ethics? Says a lot for how the concept of student-athletes is a bunch of bunk.

Sorry to pick on your post, since you probably don’t really mean this the way it came out.

I don’t complain about transfers at all. I think the transfer system should be even freer than it already is for kids. What good does anyone think is really served by making kids stay at a school longer? As Miles Garett recently said about Jadeveon Clowney, “We want volunteers not captives.”

Sure, more transfers may be bad for team culture and maybe program building, too. But that’s a coach’s problem or an AD’s problem. No point making kids fix it for them. I say this as a college professor: I don’t care if the kid has a scholarship. If they’re unhappy at a school it’s not right to punish them for looking elsewhere.

Also, there’s lots that’s absurd about collegiate sports and the so-called student-athlete, but free transfers isn’t part of that problem. It may even ameliorate it.

I may be an odd figure in this discussion since, as a teacher, I consider myself obligated to advocate for students not institutions, and especially when the structure of the institution is at odds with kids truly being students.

Sure, scholarship athletes have lots of disincentives to being students. But that’s not a situation of their own making, and many of them are actually hindered by the athletic department from seriously studying. I saw this up close when I was at one of the UC campuses. There the sport was baseball and the coaching staff would actively intervene to prevent any challenging or even interesting assignments being given to their players. It wasn’t just about pressuring faculty to give phony grades. And the players were cowed by the coaches and afraid to express an academic interest. This is what the worst case looks like, and it’s not all that uncommon.

I love watching WCBB, and I choose that one mainly because I can’t stomach some of the other college sports, like football or baseball or MCBB. WCBB is worlds better than them.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Why should Coach Elzy do something she doesn't agree with just because Edwards doesn't want to play for the program anymore? Just because other coaches don't have an issue with ethics, it doesn't mean she has to follow the trend.

Agreed. The rules and stipulations are bloody confusing. However, in Edwards case she's a senior who didn't qualify as a graduate student. I think she should have to sit out considering that she would have been able to continue playing at Kentucky had she stayed there.

I for one don't. If others do, that's disappointing. We complain that kids are allowed to give up and move on too easily. Now in a situation where there are repercussions and Edwards isn't able to play, people are going to see Elzy as the bad guy because she opted to remain true to her ethics? Says a lot for how the concept of student-athletes is a bunch of bunk.

You are more knowledgeable and invested in getting the full truth as opposed to the average spectator. And I don't think Edwards is the average student-athlete. I think she just hasn't figured out...what she is looking for...so she's continuing that search. I don't judge her for continuing to look, but she certainly should reserve from dragging others into her..mess. Same with the NCAA.

 

[Cornell Lt]

I don't understand what Kentucky is gaining either.

If she had graduated she would have been a "grad transfer" and I do not think a waiver would have been required. She notes in both her statement and it is noted in Kentucky's that she did not graduate. For the 2nd transfer, apparently you need "cause" and her claim was that she did not have an opportunity to play at Kentucky (but her real reason was she didn't want to). I'm not criticizing her, just stating the facts of how things got there.

As to other transfers, for example, for all the criticism of Adia Barnes turning over her roster from last year, she very clearly stated in the paper that she would do whatever she needed to insure a landing spot for the folks she didn't really want. If this came up with any of them (2 were making a 2nd transfer, not sure on grad status) I'm sure she signed.

UK doesn't gain anything other than to show that it has integrity, which is hard to come by in big time college sports.

 

[cancontent]

Sorry to pick on your post, since you probably don’t really mean this the way it came out.

I don’t complain about transfers at all. I think the transfer system should be even freer than it already is for kids. What good does anyone think is really served by making kids stay at a school longer? As Miles Garett recently said about Jadeveon Clowney, “We want volunteers not captives.”

Sure, more transfers may be bad for team culture and maybe program building, too. But that’s a coach’s problem or an AD’s problem. No point making kids fix it for them. I say this as a college professor: I don’t care if the kid has a scholarship. If they’re unhappy at a school it’s not right to punish them for looking elsewhere.

Also, there’s lots that’s absurd about collegiate sports and the so-called student-athlete, but free transfers isn’t part of that problem. It may even ameliorate it.

I may be an odd figure in this discussion since, as a teacher, I consider myself obligated to advocate for students not institutions, and especially when the structure of the institution is at odds with kids truly being students.

Sure, scholarship athletes have lots of disincentives to being students. But that’s not a situation of their own making, and many of them are actually hindered by the athletic department from seriously studying. I saw this up close when I was at one of the UC campuses. There the sport was baseball and the coaching staff would actively intervene to prevent any challenging or even interesting assignments being given to their players. It wasn’t just about pressuring faculty to give phony grades. And the players were cowed by the coaches and afraid to express an academic interest. This is what the worst case looks like, and it’s not all that uncommon.

I love watching WCBB, and I choose that one mainly because I can’t stomach some of the other college sports, like football or baseball or MCBB. WCBB is worlds better than them.

I see where you're coming from, however I stand by my points. I'm seeing things from the perspective of a parent who had a child play competitive basketball and has friends with their kids currently on scholarship in D1.

What you've described above in baseball happens in all sports, including basketball. Coaches will do what they can to keep their players eligible to help them win games which helps the team's overall bottom line in ticket sales, sponsorship deals, etc. It also helps them to build their brand, either resulting in a better opportunity, speaking engagements, or their own endorsement deals. Not to mention players have commitments for media, recruiting visits, basketball camps, that help build the brand of the program and the coaches. It can be seen as a trade-off for the scholarship, however it could also be seen as the duties of an employee because it's not optional.
I don't have an issue with transferring itself. There are things within the process, however, that could be improved as many have noted in other discussions. My comment about kids giving up too easily is more about accountability. Edwards wasn't in my opinion by omitting certain facts when going public. She had every right to transfer. Based on how I see it, she could have easily said she didn't qualify for a waiver after a thorough investigation of her options. No one would have been the bad guy in that scenario. Why place the blame on Kentucky when it wasn't the case?

I love WCBB however it's also a business. That's why NCAA claims that these kids are "amateurs" because they're "student athletes" sound like bunk to me.

 

[cancontent]

You are more knowledgeable and invested in getting the full truth as opposed to the average spectator. And I don't think Edwards is the average student-athlete. I think she just hasn't figured out...what she is looking for...so she's continuing that search. I don't judge her for continuing to look, but she certainly should reserve from dragging others into her..mess. Same with the NCAA.

We're in agreement there. Edwards has every right to move on from Kentucky. She joined the program when the previous head coach was there. She gave the program a couple seasons and it didn't work out. I don't have an issue with the decision to move.

When I posted her tweet to this thread, I was on her side thinking it wasn't an academic issue. Once Kentucky's side came out, I was disappointed in how she tried to spin things to place it at the feet of Coach Elzy.

 

[Bone Dog]

I see where you're coming from, however I stand by my points. I'm seeing things from the perspective of a parent who had a child play competitive basketball and has friends with their kids currently on scholarship in D1.

What you've described above in baseball happens in all sports, including basketball. Coaches will do what they can to keep their players eligible to help them win games which helps the team's overall bottom line in ticket sales, sponsorship deals, etc. It also helps them to build their brand, either resulting in a better opportunity, speaking engagements, or their own endorsement deals. Not to mention players have commitments for media, recruiting visits, basketball camps, that help build the brand of the program and the coaches. It can be seen as a trade-off for the scholarship, however it could also be seen as the duties of an employee because it's not optional.
I don't have an issue with transferring itself. There are things within the process, however, that could be improved as many have noted in other discussions. My comment about kids giving up too easily is more about accountability. Edwards wasn't in my opinion by omitting certain facts when going public. She had every right to transfer. Based on how I see it, she could have easily said she didn't qualify for a waiver after a thorough investigation of her options. No one would have been the bad guy in that scenario. Why place the blame on Kentucky when it wasn't the case?

I love WCBB however it's also a business. That's why NCAA claims that these kids are "amateurs" because they're "student athletes" sound like bunk to me.

I’m with you, by and large. I don’t mean to blame Kentucky. If I were to seriously assess the situation, the NCAA as a whole (not just its executives) and the entire scheme of college athletics would not survive the scrutiny. But the one group I won’t blame is the students. Educational institutions only exist because of students, and as soon as they develop policies that don’t serve the interest of students, they’ve lost their way. In my view, the NCAA has failed to serve the interest of students for several decades. They’ve wielded to rhetoric of amateurism to oppress end exploit teenagers for far too long. In this morass, the beauties of virtue and character among the students are still most clearly visible in WCBB and that’s why I still enjoy it.

 

[cancontent]

I’m with you, by and large. I don’t mean to blame Kentucky. If I were to seriously assess the situation, the NCAA as a whole (not just its executives) and the entire scheme of college athletics would not survive the scrutiny. But the one group I won’t blame is the students. Educational institutions only exist because of students, and as soon as they develop policies that don’t serve the interest of students, they’ve lost their way. In my view, the NCAA has failed to serve the interest of students for several decades. They’ve wielded to rhetoric of amateurism to oppress end exploit teenagers for far too long. In this morass, the beauties of virtue and character among the students are still most clearly visible in WCBB and that’s why I still enjoy it.

Definitely not the students fault. Completely out of their control.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

We're in agreement there. Edwards has every right to move on from Kentucky. She joined the program when the previous head coach was there. She gave the program a couple seasons and it didn't work out. I don't have an issue with the decision to move.

When I posted her tweet to this thread, I was on her side thinking it wasn't an academic issue. Once Kentucky's side came out, I was disappointed in how she tried to spin things to place it at the feet of Coach Elzy.

I just re-read her tweet, as there has been so much discussion I lost track of what she said.

I don't see as much spin there as you do, except that going public with her story is its own sort of spin. The only thing she omits is specifically saying is that Kentucky announced from the beginning that they wouldn't sign a waiver. Them saying she had to be a grad transfer is essentially saying they won't sign a waiver, as a grad transfer does not require one.

• She states she knew she had to do certain things to be eligible, and that she would not otherwise be, as she did not qualify as a grad transfer. (check).
• She states that she had to apply herself to academics and meet academic requirements and goes on to describe that she has essentially done so. (check).
• She then concludes that she could not play without a waiver from Kentucky and she hoped they would sign one as they had wished her well, but they didn't (check). She hopes they change their mind.

I don't think she was wrong to wish they would change their mind. You can make Kentucky as noble as you want, but lets be honest - by not being a grad transfer she almost certainly has a negative impact on their APR.

 

[cancontent]

I just re-read her tweet, as there has been so much discussion I lost track of what she said.

I don't see as much spin there as you do, except that going public with her story is its own sort of spin. The only thing she omits is specifically saying is that Kentucky announced from the beginning that they wouldn't sign a waiver. Them saying she had to be a grad transfer is essentially saying they won't sign a waiver, as a grad transfer does not require one.

• She states she knew she had to do certain things to be eligible, and that she would not otherwise be, as she did not qualify as a grad transfer. (check).
• She states that she had to apply herself to academics and meet academic requirements and goes on to describe that she has essentially done so. (check).
• She then concludes that she could not play without a waiver from Kentucky and she hoped they would sign one as they had wished her well, but they didn't (check). She hopes they change their mind.

I don't think she was wrong to wish they would change their mind. You can make Kentucky as noble as you want, but lets be honest - by not being a grad transfer she almost certainly has a negative impact on their APR.

The omission of what Kentucky said in March, which you noted, is the spin in my opinion. That 's a hard stop based on how I interpret it.

Her efforts to complete the hours and credits aside, Kentucky wasn't going to change their mind and sign a waiver that wasn't applicable to the situation.. It's not a matter of caring about how noble Kentucky was or wasn't. Facts get omitted to position narratives more and more nowadays which I find frustrating overall.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I just re-read her tweet, as there has been so much discussion I lost track of what she said.

I don't see as much spin there as you do, except that going public with her story is its own sort of spin. The only thing she omits is specifically saying is that Kentucky announced from the beginning that they wouldn't sign a waiver. Them saying she had to be a grad transfer is essentially saying they won't sign a waiver, as a grad transfer does not require one.

• She states she knew she had to do certain things to be eligible, and that she would not otherwise be, as she did not qualify as a grad transfer. (check).
• She states that she had to apply herself to academics and meet academic requirements and goes on to describe that she has essentially done so. (check).
• She then concludes that she could not play without a waiver from Kentucky and she hoped they would sign one as they had wished her well, but they didn't (check). She hopes they change their mind.

I don't think she was wrong to wish they would change their mind. You can make Kentucky as noble as you want, but lets be honest - by not being a grad transfer she almost certainly has a negative impact on their APR.

It still takes a lot of gall to walk out on a team and expect them to lie for you to circumvent the rules.

I support Kentucky's decision in this one.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

It still takes a lot of gall to walk out on a team and expect them to lie for you to circumvent the rules.

I support Kentucky's decision in this one.

So do I, because they said so from the beginning. My only suspicion is that their reason was slightly self-serving. As such so often are.

As others have said, however, I suspect many schools sign waivers and don't put a condition on the player for them to do so.

One of the issues is the generic "well wishes" usually offered from the schools from which players depart. As a fan, while I've never wished a departing player anything bad, it is a limited group I actually "cheer" for. Bendu Yeaney transferred from Arizona to Oregon State and got a nice round of applause when introduced. Not I - I don't wish her anything bad, but she is one of the ones I see no reason to applaud for leaving. As an example the other way, while it makes me disappointed in the impact it had, I do root for Diamond Johnson that transferred from Rutgers to NC State. Because I certainly could see sound reasons for departing.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

Coach Elzy's husband releases text messages showing Edwards dad threatening his wife for not signing. It is definitely looking like Edwards and her family tried to seek sympathy from the public to bully Elzy to sign.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Coach Elzy's husband releases text messages showing Edwards dad threatening his wife for not signing. It is definitely looking like Edwards and her family tried to seek sympathy from the public to bully Elzy to sign.

How...PATHETIC!

 

[SECbbfan24]

Coach Elzy's husband releases text messages showing Edwards dad threatening his wife for not signing. It is definitely looking like Edwards and her family tried to seek sympathy from the public to bully Elzy to sign.

Jeez that’s trashy.

I don’t even want to begin to think what else is being said behind the scenes

 

[Big12wbbFan]

I have to wonder what type of proof Elzy’s husband has that Mack Rhodes and Nicki Collen threatened the Kentucky coach over this transfer issue. I could see Baylor fans contacting Kentucky coach about this but not Baylor AD or Nicki Collen…

 

[Coler]

Coach Elzy's husband releases text messages showing Edwards dad threatening his wife for not signing. It is definitely looking like Edwards and her family tried to seek sympathy from the public to bully Elzy to sign.

 

[cancontent]

This Edwards situation is getting messier and messier. The fact Coach Elzy's husband felt he had to put this out publicly makes me dislike how Edwards has handled this situation even more.

If she ends up having a chip on her shoulder fine. People find ways to motivate themselves in the manner. Prove it on the court next season instead of more trash talk.