Looked on the Internet about NCAA transfer rules, best I could determine the losing school must approve the 1 year sit out waiver so unless UT approves the waiver I think Westbrook will have to sit out a year.
While Geno is a great recruiter, the “closer” is Kathy Auriemma in the kitchen....
I don’t believe there’s ever been an instance when a coach was let go that a school did not approve a waiver for immediate eligibility.
Promise Taylor's waiver was not approved at Mississippi State after Matt Insell was fired at Ole Miss.
A couple points. It was an intra-conference transfer between two in-state rivals. I am not sure if it applied in this particular instance, but there are cases when a transfer’s academic progress figures into the decision. Finally, we have seen an acceleration of more liberal transfer eligibility rules in just the past few years. I would not expect Westbrook to face any difficulty securing immediate eligibility.
Somehow the idea of Tennessee granting the waiver knowing they're headed up to Storrs to face the Huskies (and, if they granted it, Westbrook) this fall makes me think they'd more than hesitate to grant it if she were to transfer to UConn. Even close to a decade after Pat retired from the program, IMHO the women's basketball rivalry between UConn and UT is far, far more rivalrous than MSU and Ole Miss.
One additional question. Do we know if MS St actually requested a waiver? Taylor would have been a backup all season behind SEC POY Tiera McCowan. By sitting out a year, Vic potentially gets to have her as his starting center for 3 yrs.
The way I read the term "incoming college athletes" makes me think that only applies to freshmen and transfers, not to Westbrook, who would not be an incoming college athlete vis-a-vis Tennessee.
Evidently this is a moot discussion. See Jibariqua’s post above.
I don't think it is. See my post above. Which makes me think it will matter very much where she goes. It's one thing to waive for a school like Oregon State that's her home state and not scheduled to play UT next season. But to me, waiving for her to go play in Storrs is something altogether different.
I could be wrong but the new rule only applies to incoming players. Again this is how I understand and could be wrong.
Yes they requested one for both Espinoza-Hunter and Taylor at the same time. When AEH's was approved they said there was no update on Taylor's. I don't think it ever got approved.
If TN does in fact retain the right to grant immediate eligibility to Westbrook, there are a couple of other factors. UConn can appeal directly to the NCAA. Considering the extremely difficult environment and criticism that Westbrook faced at TN, there’s a very good chance that the NCAA would grant the waiver.
I mean, I agree, but I don't think it'd be an easy call for UT either way. I agree that Westbrook faced criticism at TN that was sometimes unwarranted, but when she basically called for Holly's firing, got her wish, and then still transferred anyway, I think she lost some benefit of the doubt in terms of whether UT fans should be expected to look favorably on her, and whether the UT administration should do everything they can to ease her transfer. Think about it: if she seeks the waiver because of a coaching change she sought to help bring about, that would create some pretty bizarre perverse incentives. Get your coach fired so you can leave without having to sit out a year!
She was the number 2 player in the class who has had 2 years of horrendous coaching. Let's see what Evina can do with good coaching and within a offense system that has actually been updated for this century and not to the last.