Should seniors get another year of eligibility?

[chrissaran]

Yes. Those players waited their whole lives for this experience. It was out of their control. At least when Carter boycotted the Olympics, they had a chance to go again in 4 years. It's not like it was over forever for those athletes. Yes, age has a way of changing things, but they at least could have tried again. Many of them will not want to come back. They're ready to start their lives. However, they should have the option, and Geno was talking about basketball not just spring sports.

 

[Charliebball]

looks like a fifth year of eligibility is going to happen:

NCAA planning to grant additional year to some, discussing more

247sports.com

 

[jonson]

looks like a fifth year of eligibility is going to happen:

NCAA planning to grant additional year to some, discussing more

247sports.com

Spring sports only so far, and that makes sense. But the problems doing this for wbb are so numerous that I am frankly surprised that Geno, or any coach for that matter, would think it's a good, or fair, idea. Most of the seniors in, say, Division 1, haven't missed a single game. And, among the tournament teams, half will miss only 1 game, another 16 2, and so on. And one could of course argue that everyone on these teams has been similarly deprived. Rosters for a fair number of teams will have to expand past the current limit to accommodate returning seniors, and incoming freshmen, who made decisions based on what a given team's roster would look like in 2020-21 will be surprised to find that their decisions were based on information that is no longer relevant and, in some cases, will doubtless want to go elsewhere. Etc., etc., etc. . . .

I say all of this as a fan of the team--Oregon--for whom the cancellation was arguably the most painful. UCONN, Baylor, and South Carolina already have accomplished what Ionescu and company hoped to do, and the chances of Oregon having a team as good as this one down the road are imo less (in UCONN's case considerably so) than the comparable odds for the other three. In short, I--and I think most Oregon fans--couldn't be more disappointed and sadder for the team. But that doesn't mean extending this year's problems into the next season.

 

[MilfordHusky]

looks like a fifth year of eligibility is going to happen:

NCAA planning to grant additional year to some, discussing more

247sports.com

There is no rush. The NCAA should seek input and consider this thoroughly. They have made too many moronic decisions to do anything quickly.

 

[JordyG]

I saw where Jessica Shepard has already asked for a waiver to get a "5th" year of eligibility due to the pandemic.

It's already been approved.

 

[Big Mick]

..... Jessica Shepard did not ask for a waiver to get a "5th" year of eligibility. That's preposterous. Especially since the NCAA reached out and offered Jessica a "5th" year of eligibility without her even asking....

Wrong!

At Nebraska:
Jessica Sheppard was the Big Ten's freshman of the year in 2016.
Then, averaged 18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in 2017 as a sophomore.

Sooo - she had two full seasons at Nebraska:.

Immediately (in June) after that 2017 season, she transferred to Notre.

She should have had to sit out a year, like everybody else.

BUT, since it was Notre Dame and they needed a big, she mysteriously became eligible right away.

Don't give us this daft notion that the NCAA reached out to her and offered...

 

[cbraarj]

Just think if Sabrina still felt she had "unfinished business: and stayed another year. Not only would her record become impossible to break, if NCAA had "image and likeness" approved, I am sure she'd make more from that #20 jersey staying in Oregon and playing the tourney next year than going to the WNBA. With those 7 McDonald AAs along with Sabrina conducting, who would stop them.

Or she can blow out a knee in preseason.

 

[cbraarj]

Yes it took a pandemic for her not to win it this year.

For all her individual accomplishments which are incredible! Doesn't mean Oregon would have won this year! It could have ended with Sabrina can't win the big one but we will never know!

 

[Centerstream]

Wrong!

At Nebraska:
Jessica Sheppard was the Big Ten's freshman of the year in 2016.
Then, averaged 18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in 2017 as a sophomore.

Sooo - she had two full seasons at Nebraska:.

Immediately (in June) after that 2017 season, she transferred to Notre.

She should have had to sit out a year, like everybody else.

BUT, since it was Notre Dame and they needed a big, she mysteriously became eligible right away.

Don't give us this daft notion that the NCAA reached out to her and offered...

OK, stop this. I raised the Jessica Shepard scenario as sarcasm in this thread, just because of the previous 100 threads/posts on her eligibility at the Golden Dome. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CURRENT OP. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FUNNY, NOT A SERIOUS ITEM FOR THIS THREAD!!!!! WOW!!!!!

 

[Centerstream]

Just wondering...of the projected 64 schools that were to be selected for the 2020 Tournament:
How many of them participated in the Big Dance in the previous 3 seasons?
How many of the projected top 16 were in the top 16 in any of the previous 3 seasons?
How many of the projected top 8 were in the top 8 in any of the previous 3 seasons?
How many of the projected #1 seeds were in the Final Four in any of the previous 3 seasons?

So, any schools that are in any of these scenarios have "experienced" the Tournament and therefore this year's experience would be no different because every team in the Big Dance knows that they are just 6 wins away from being the NCs and the aim was the same for every school.
And 2 of the #1 seeds have already cut down the nets in the last 3 years (I believe), so...

 

[HuskylnSC]

I think for spring sports all seniors deserve the option.
For winter sports, I think very few would take the option. The exception is a situation like CV. If he could come back and play for a winning team all year and potentially be the leader of the team, it would increase his value immensely. IF he didn't get a tickle from the NBA, his international stock could be significantly higher. That means playing for more money in a better league and the ability to continue to chase the dream. If I were in CV's situation, I would consider it.

 

[j66kicker]

Spring sports only so far, and that makes sense. But the problems doing this for wbb are so numerous that I am frankly surprised that Geno, or any coach for that matter, would think it's a good, or fair, idea. Most of the seniors in, say, Division 1, haven't missed a single game. And, among the tournament teams, half will miss only 1 game, another 16 2, and so on. And one could of course argue that everyone on these teams has been similarly deprived. Rosters for a fair number of teams will have to expand past the current limit to accommodate returning seniors, and incoming freshmen, who made decisions based on what a given team's roster would look like in 2020-21 will be surprised to find that their decisions were based on information that is no longer relevant and, in some cases, will doubtless want to go elsewhere. Etc., etc., etc. . . .

I say all of this as a fan of the team--Oregon--for whom the cancellation was arguably the most painful. UCONN, Baylor, and South Carolina already have accomplished what Ionescu and company hoped to do, and the chances of Oregon having a team as good as this one down the road are imo less (in UCONN's case considerably so) than the comparable odds for the other three. In short, I--and I think most Oregon fans--couldn't be more disappointed and sadder for the team. But that doesn't mean extending this year's problems into the next season.

This might have cost Kelly Graves a $million Daddy Phil NC bonus

 

[FairView]

It's sarcasm, plain and simple. Thanks for thinking that I posted this as something serious or remotely meant to be factual. Thinking that it was otherwise, well that's preposterous and crazy.

And yet you "liked" the post that you are now criticizing me for posting.

Did you read my post?
It was sarcasm on top of your sarcasm.
You said Jessica asked, which I understood as sarcasm. I took it a step further and said she didn't even need to ask, which was sarcasm as well. The point being that ND is so favored they don't even need to ask for favors, the NCAA proactively grants them. We are on the same page. I liked your post because it's funny sarcasm. I was adding to it. The feigned anger at the beginning was to suck the reader in and set them up and then deliver the punchline: how dare you think Jessica actually had to request the waiver, it was granted as a matter of course. I got your point. I hope you now get mine.

On another note, too bad there couldn't have been a tourney without the flopping Irish in it.

 

[jonson]

This might have cost Kelly Graves a $million Daddy Phil NC bonus

Not 1M, but, if my math is correct, it cost him up to $300,000 (the total for winning it all). That's nearly half his base salary.

 

[Centerstream]

Did you read my post?
It was sarcasm on top of your sarcasm.
You said Jessica asked, which I understood as sarcasm. I took it a step further and said she didn't even need to ask, which was sarcasm as well. The point being that ND is so favored they don't even need to ask for favors, the NCAA proactively grants them. We are on the same page. I liked your post because it's funny sarcasm. I was adding to it. The feigned anger at the beginning was to suck the reader in and set them up and then deliver the punchline: how dare you think Jessica actually had to request the waiver, it was granted as a matter of course. I got your point. I hope you now get mine.

On another note, too bad there couldn't have been a tourney without the flopping Irish in it.

Thanks, I do. But you read way too much into my post, I am not that good of a writer.
Just the topic, Jessica Shepard and her waiver, was my attempt at sarcasm.

 

[WestCoast]

Yes. I would like to have the NCAA take a pro-student-athlete stance on this issue and grant winter sport student-athlete seniors with another season of eligibility. The logistics can be worked out. Providing hope to senior student-athletes can be a powerful thing, given the uncertainty in our country and world right now that concluded their competitive careers prematurely.

 

[Woof 101]

I thought this thread was discussing Senior Citizens

Yeah, if the NCAA can get us each 1 extra year of life, I'm all for it!

Ahh yes a lesson in life for the ones inheriting the planet as it is. We can only hope there is more awareness and future planing and cooperation between all countries. Getting old but hoping for a few more years of eligibility myself.

 

[CajunHusky]

Silly question.

my initial reaction would be a resounding no because I am focused on basketball.

But if there are sports now getting started, I would treat this like a "season ending injury" and give them a fifth year if they lose more than half of their season .... are there any spring sports just getting started? baseball, track and field, etc

 

[WestCoast]

NO! I think it is a ridiculous idea. This would change college sports for years to come. Why would Geno bring this up it doesn't help Uconn at all. Who do we have that is going to help this team next year ? He is only helping other teams that don't give a damn about Uconn. He needs to start thinking about his own team more now days.

We shouldn't only look at how it may benefit our own team. It is about providing hope for a subset of people who have had an experience taken away from them for unexpected circumstances. If the NCAA should grant this extraordinary opportunity, the subset of seniors who would opt to do so would be given an opportunity to remain in school and follow their dreams a little longer. A very good thing given where our economy and labor market may be in six months. The logistics of scholarships can be solved with an one-year exception from the NCAA.

 

[jonson]

We shouldn't only look at how it may benefit our own team. It is about providing hope for a subset of people who have had an experience taken away from them for unexpected circumstances. If the NCAA should grant this extraordinary opportunity, the subset of seniors who would opt to do so would be given an opportunity to remain in school and follow their dreams a little longer. A very good thing given where our economy and labor market may be in six months. The logistics of scholarships can be solved with an one-year exception from the NCAA.

I get this for seniors, but there are other subsets of players for whom this "solution" may be less than ideal: incoming freshmen whose commitments were likely based, at least in part, upon what a given team's roster would look like in 2020-21, and now find the basis for those decisions no longer relevant, not to mention players (freshmen, sophomores, juniors) on the team who might have made similar judgments in the past. So, at least in the case of recruits, shouldn't they then be given the opportunity to change their minds and go elsewhere? And couldn't one also argue that players other than seniors have been similarly deprived of the opportunity to fulfill their dreams this year? Granted, they may have other opportunities next year or the year after, but there is no certainty of that, and, in any case, isn't a lost opportunity a lost opportunity whatever may happen later? No solution is imo a much better choice here than a very imperfect one.

 

[Sakibomb25]

NO! I think it is a ridiculous idea. This would change college sports for years to come. Why would Geno bring this up it doesn't help Uconn at all. Who do we have that is going to help this team next year ? He is only helping other teams that don't give a damn about Uconn. He needs to start thinking about his own team more now days.

Maybe he is thinking of his own team. He's thinking about all the hours, hard work, sweat and tears Crystal, Molly, Evelyn, Batouly, and Kyla put into the UConn program. He wants to see it pay-off for them. As a coach, I think he's making the right choice by advocating for the students. So actually yes, he is thinking about his own program.

 

[Fiftyish]

I thought this thread was discussing Senior Citizens

Yeah, so did I. And believe me, I'm always hoping for another year.

 

[LoTrader]

I get this for seniors, but there are other subsets of players for whom this "solution" may be less than ideal: incoming freshmen whose commitments were likely based, at least in part, upon what a given team's roster would look like in 2020-21, and now find the basis for those decisions no longer relevant, not to mention players (freshmen, sophomores, juniors) on the team who might have made similar judgments in the past. So, at least in the case of recruits, shouldn't they then be given the opportunity to change their minds and go elsewhere? And couldn't one also argue that players other than seniors have been similarly deprived of the opportunity to fulfill their dreams this year? Granted, they may have other opportunities next year or the year after, but there is no certainty of that, and, in any case, isn't a lost opportunity a lost opportunity whatever may happen later? No solution is imo a much better choice here than a very imperfect one.

Is there a way to provide an extra year to both the seniors and incoming freshman? Or, immediate extra year for the seniors, and, provide the incoming freshman an "automatic" redshirt year to use at their discretion (vs the university's discretion).

 

[WestCoast]

Is there a way to provide an extra year to both the seniors and incoming freshman? Or, immediate extra year for the seniors, and, provide the incoming freshman an "automatic" redshirt year to use at their discretion (vs the university's discretion).

Yes. The NCAA has the ability to do all that you have inquired about if it chooses to do so. The logistics of those issues can be solved.

What we will likely also see will be the NCAA allowing signees out of their LOIs based upon concerns about the virus in specific campus cities. Can you imagine the potential liability if a recruit wants out of the LOI, is denied, and later contracts the virus at college?

Many people are speculating that fall collegiate sports are a 50/50 proposition now, dependent on how our country is able to flatten the virus spread curve during the next two months.

The NCAA and the colleges themselves are in a different world right now with distance learning being what the college experience will be for at least the spring term across the country. The NCAA will be forced to make unprecedented decisions more quickly than it ever has has to do so in the past.

 

[jonson]

Is there a way to provide an extra year to both the seniors and incoming freshman? Or, immediate extra year for the seniors, and, provide the incoming freshman an "automatic" redshirt year to use at their discretion (vs the university's discretion).

I imagine there could be, but--again--trying to come up with a solution that is fair to everyone involved (and I would include the current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in this since they have also may have been denied an opportunity/games that will never come again) is, in my view, hopeless. What happened/is happening is unspeakably sad, but sometimes it's better simply to acknowledge that and move on rather than assume that somehow the right remedy can make things ok again. In the case of my team, I don't think any of this will really matter. For 4 years now Ionescu and Hebard have done more for UO wbb than anyone could ever have imagined and I have no doubt that both believe it's time to open a new chapter. Moore might be an exception, but I suspect that she will want to move on from college as well, and Sabally (only a junior, I know) will still want to do what's best to support her family. So, whatever the NCAA decides, Oregon in 2020-21 will be very different from Oregon in 2019-20. Sad for all of us? Of course. But imo it's time--and it's right--for Duck fans to turn the page as well.