NY Times: Conference snub hurts UCONN

[upstater]

I don't pretend it was perfect, or admirable. Graduation rates suck, and that's a separate problem. But APR? APR is garbage stat to begin with. It means nothing. And it did take a raising of the requirement at the exact time that we had a very troubled situation with several players, lowering our APR. It's not as if anything akin to the UNC scandal ever happened at UConn. In fact, it's much the opposite. Because we don't pass kids though without doing the academic work, we are tarnished. It paints an inaccurate picture, and I thought that the references in this piece painted an inaccurate picture. Because UConn upheld high standards, even for athletes, many of them failed those standards.

I hope that Kevin will be selective in recruiting and try to find kids who can succeed here academically as well as athletically. If there is a failing on Calhoun it may be that he lost sight of that.

What makes you think GSR is any different than APR?

Look at it, it's not the federal rate.

 

[CL82]

Very good and fair article. We've always been told that Rutgers got the B1G invite because they have been playing D1 football for 100 years (albeit as the conference doormat). Maybe AAU had something to do with it. Maybe being a contiguous state to PA. But if the B1G wants New York City, it's obvious to anyone that UCONN is the team. Not Rutgers.

Very good and fair? Hardly.

"Not that long ago, Connecticut thought it was headed for the Atlantic Coast Conference but was said to have paid a price for the former coach Jim Calhoun’s scandal-ridden men’s program and its putrid graduation rates."

Scandal ridden program, really? Putrid graduation rates? Oh and RU is in Piscataway and New Brunswick not Madison.

 

[HuskyHawk]

What makes you think GSR is any different than APR?

Look at it, it's not the federal rate.

I don't. It's flawed as well. I also think the expectation is unreasonable. The majority of kids entering college do not graduate in four years. So why would we expect a student-athlete, with significant additional time demands outside of class, to do it in four years? Sure, they can go back and get their degree....but with what money? For those who don't go pro, which is almost all of them, many may be poor. If you want to help these kids, make sure that scholarship they get includes an extra year to complete their degree.

 

[upstater]

I don't. It's flawed as well. I also think the expectation is unreasonable. The majority of kids entering college do not graduate in four years. So why would we expect a student-athlete, with significant additional time demands outside of class, to do it in four years? Sure, they can go back and get their degree....but with what money? For those who don't go pro, which is almost all of them, many may be poor. If you want to help these kids, make sure that scholarship they get includes an extra year to complete their degree.

Definitely, a lot more should be done to help kids. I just can't see all the screaming and crying about a totally phony statistic that has one school graduating kids at a 88% rate and another school graduating them at a 8% rate, when in reality the federal rates are exactly the same: 0%.

 

[gars44]

Why isn't the stench of the UNC/ncaa travesty mentioned in the article. It leads one to believe that UCONN is the only top university to run afoul of the ncaa and its rules. Emmerit was getting back at the Huskies for being run out of town for his own indiscretions while he was here. How does UNC escape the under the microscope view of the ncaa?

bigger question. How does KY survive the graduation rate thing? Someone splain me that?

 

[NHUConnfan]

bigger question. How does KY survive the graduation rate thing? Someone splain me that?

Doesn't count people who go pro and were in good academic standing. If you are in bad academic standing, it counts against your score.

 

[Yawkey Way]

If I was UConn I would give the AAC a chance. With the conference needing another football school and UMass needing a new home since they are leaving the MAC in two years then maybe they can be a fit for the AAC. This would give UConn a natural rivalry against UMass. .

I agree. Rivalries are good for college football. Umass and Uconn are 2 similar state schools in New England with similar in state student enrollments, albeit with Uconn better academically, and certainly better even in football at the present time. But in time, Uconn and Umass could revitalize college football in New England, something thats needed, imo. I live in Greater Boston and would love to see an annual home and away league football game between Uconn and Umass, and believe other college football fans around Foxboro, and southern Mass. would as well.

 

[SubbaBub]

bigger question. How does KY survive the graduation rate thing? Someone splain me that?

Simplistically, if you leave 3 weeks before graduation without having your transcript signed off, you don't leave in good standing.

UK, like UNC and now UConn have special academic tracks for athletes. Summer school, winter term classes, condensed courses, webcasts that allow them to acquire the necessary credits to stay on or ahead of pace for graduation. That way when they leave campus in April to train for pro basketball, they either have no class requirements left to graduate or are at least in good standing.

Kemba himself had a summer intership with the Bobcats as his final credits.

Now independent study is available to all students. I had one myself back in the day. So, there is nothing shady about it unless you are UNC and the class is a sham or the student athlete doesn't complete the work.

So when someone says APR, I hear it as a paperwork problem and not necessarily an academic one. Because, after us no program is shooting itself in the foot by allowing a draft hopeful to leave campus in poor standing. It just won't happen, and I don't have a problem with that so long as the guy is/was an actual student.

I'm satisfied that our guys were students, some poor, but to me that's on them. I have a bigger problem with what goes on at places like UK and UNC. Do you think any on those UK players will attend another class? Have they attended any this term? Doubtful.

 

[Sea Goat]

I agree. Rivalries are good for college football. Umass and Uconn are 2 similar state schools in New England with similar in state student enrollments, albeit with UCONN better academically, and certainly better even in football at the present time. But in time, Uconn and Umass could revitalize college football in New England, something thats needed, imo. I live in Greater Boston and would love to see an annual home and away league football game between Uconn and Umass, and believe other college football fans around Foxboro, and southern Mass. would as well.

BC should join the group also. BC could be part of this and it might help to revitalize BC football. Makes more sense because you'll probably never consistently compete against FSU, Clemson and Louisville, right? UConn and BC have similar sized stadiums and could develop good regional rivalry. Get the service academies involved and boy you would be on to something football-wise. In addition, your struggling BB teams might find it more to their liking to play some great regional talent and develop rivalries in that regard also. It might take BC beyond a hockey-centric existence. As far a UConn is concerned, we would have to figure out how to compete on national level in, at least, BB because we have proven ourselves in that regard time and time again.

 

[Adios]

The SEC would take Duke and UNC before UVA and VA Tech.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I agree. Rivalries are good for college football. Umass and Uconn are 2 similar state schools in New England with similar in state student enrollments, albeit with Uconn better academically, and certainly better even in football at the present time. But in time, Uconn and Umass could revitalize college football in New England, something thats needed, imo. I live in Greater Boston and would love to see an annual home and away league football game between Uconn and Umass, and believe other college football fans around Foxboro, and southern Mass. would as well.

Nothing against UMass; but, with their disastrous drip into BCS football with the MAC, the academic side of the school wanting to kill football in general (BU and Northereastern ending their football programs only added to the fire), and limited support from Beacon Hill (the state government), I don’t see UMass being at the same level of UConn, BC, and others anytime in the foreseeable future if the program survives at all.

Thus, college football in New England squarely rests on the shoulders of UConn and BC for better or worse. Regardless of conference affiliation, I would like to see UConn and BC to play every year. It is a game would generate buzz in the region.

 

[SubbaBub]

Nothing against UMass; but, with their disastrous drip into BCS football with the MAC, the academic side of the school wanting to kill football in general (BU and Northereastern ending their football programs only added to the fire), and limited support from Beacon Hill (the state government), I don’t see UMass being at the same level of UConn, BC, and others anytime in the foreseeable future if the program survives at all.

Thus, college football in New England squarely rests on the shoulders of UConn and BC for better or worse. Regardless of conference affiliation, I would like to see UConn and BC to play every year. It is a game would generate buzz in the region.

UMass has all of our problems and none of our advantages.