Hawk, as I often tell my kids, lets not deceive ourselves. We had a large academic problem and our graduation rates were extemely low. The fact that heading early to the NBA counted against us is no solace. Other schools were similarly affected. This article is a pretty good look at the problem. The key is we are correcting it. There's no way that Pres Herbst would have let that problem fester had she been here. With WM and KO in command, academic performance should now be a shining star for us moving forward.
UConn Men's Basketball Scores An 8 Percent Graduation Rate
October 24, 2013|By DOM AMORE,
damore@courant.com, The Hartford Courant
The graduation numbers continue to be low for the UConn men's basketball program. In figures released by the NCAA on Thursday, UConn scored an 8 percent graduation success rate for players who entered school between 2003 and 2006 — far below the national average of 74 percent in the sport. This period involves 12 players, only one of whom graduated, and most of whom went on to play professional basketball.The GSR is determined by allowing athletes a six-year window from the time they enter school to graduate, and is measured for a four-year period. Players who entered the program in 2003 had until 2009, for instance.
UConn's averages have been dropping each year, from 25 percent two years ago, to 11 percent last year, to 8 percent, the result of sub-par academic performances in the middle of the past decade. The numbers figure to improve as students entering later are counted, as UConn has continuously scored better on its Academics Progress Rate, including a perfect 1,000 for the last academic year. Current players began in 2010 or later.
There is no penalty for low graduation success rate. UConn did have to sit out the 2012-13 postseason because of sub-standard APR scores. "The academic improvement that our men's basketball program has made over the past three years in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate has been well documented," athletic director Warde Manuel said in a prepared statement. "Our team has earned three outstanding scores in a row, including a perfect 1,000 for the 2012-13 academic year, which will be officially announced by the NCAA this summer.
"The student-athletes, coaching staff and support staff for our men's basketball team deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the work that has been achieved in the classroom over the past three years. The Graduation Success Rate scores released by the NCAA on Thursday are based on incoming students from six to 10 years ago. We expect our GSR rate to improve over time and reflect our recent APR success."
But for now, UConn's mid-2000s graduation rates count and they are among the lowest in the nation. Chicago State and Arkansas-Fayetteville scored 10 percent. Only Centenary College of Louisiana scored lower than UConn — a zero — in the most recent figures. Using the same formula, national champion Louisville's GSR in men's basketball was 70 percent. The national average in men's basketball of 74 percent was up from 68 percent a year ago.
"I'm pretty confident [the increase] is a reflection of athletic administrators and coaches making sure their athletes remain eligible and stick with academic programs," NCAA President Mark Emmert said. "We've implemented a system of rewards and penalties to keep APR scores going up. This is the kind of jump you hope you would have."
The national average for student-athletes in all sports was 82 percent.
UConn's performance in other sports was much better — 80 percent overall, including 92 in women's basketball, 65 in football, and 100 percent in six sports.
Coach Kevin Ollie, who joined the staff in 2010 and became head coach last September, played at UConn from 1991-95 and earned his degree in four years. Speaking in Hartford at a luncheon for the Governor's Prevention Partnership, a group of mentors to young people, Ollie stressed the importance of earning a degree. "I had a goal," he said. "I wanted to do something different, I wanted to earn a degree."
