Waiver Request Denied by NCAA

[Druken Friar]

UConn identified 3 athletes in its 100 page report to the NCAA. The names were redacted in the version the USA Today looked through. The USA Today speculated on who those 3 were. I suspect they got it wrong.

 

[upstater]

""A review of points lost in the Academic Progress Rate cohort comprised of the 2007-2008 through 2010-11 academic years show that three student-athletes who departed the University to pursue professional opportunities left academically ineligible. [Information redacted.] Had those student-athletes maintained their eligibility through the conclusion of the Spring semester, the Men's Basketball multi-year Academic Progress Rate score reported during the 2011-2012 academic year would have been 921 . . . providing us access to the post-season." The three Connecticut players who left early to turn pro during that timeframe, according to NBA early-entry lists, were Kemba Walker, Hasheem Thabeet and Ater Majok."

"Prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, a new position was added to the men's basketball staff - an assistant director of men's basketball administration, whose primary job is working with the team academic counselor and performing duties including "directly monitoring class attendance of the student-athletes.""
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/coll...enalty-ncaa-tournament-jim-calhoun/53036476/1

Uh, Majok left before classes started in September. Walker is definitely not someone who hurts them, and you seem to have confused the word "pro" with the NBA. Pro means you get paid to play ball.

 

[caw]

""A review of points lost in the Academic Progress Rate cohort comprised of the 2007-2008 through 2010-11 academic years show that three student-athletes who departed the University to pursue professional opportunities left academically ineligible. [Information redacted.] Had those student-athletes maintained their eligibility through the conclusion of the Spring semester, the Men's Basketball multi-year Academic Progress Rate score reported during the 2011-2012 academic year would have been 921 . . . providing us access to the post-season." The three Connecticut players who left early to turn pro during that timeframe, according to NBA early-entry lists, were Kemba Walker, Hasheem Thabeet and Ater Majok."

"Prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, a new position was added to the men's basketball staff - an assistant director of men's basketball administration, whose primary job is working with the team academic counselor and performing duties including "directly monitoring class attendance of the student-athletes.""
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/coll...enalty-ncaa-tournament-jim-calhoun/53036476/1

The problem with your (USA Today's) reading of this is that it says nothing about leaving early to pursue professional opportunities. The three most likely were Robinson, Edwards and one other. Thabeet may have been the third but not Dyson, Adrien, Kemba or Majok from what I have heard.

 

[Druken Friar]

Uh, Majok left before classes started in September. Walker is definitely not someone who hurts them, and you seem to have confused the word "pro" with the NBA. Pro means you get paid to play ball.

These are quotes from the article, I didn't write any of it, read the article.

 

[Danzz]

You can't just stop attending classes. You have to leave and still be eligible for the next season. None of those guys were, apparently. I thought Kemba graduated early though, so I'm doubting the accuracy of the list of players.

As I recall Kemba has one course to finish and did not graduate.

 

[mets1090]

As I recall Kemba has one course to finish and did not graduate.

True but he was still academically eligible. Being one course shy implies he finished all of his courses in the Spring, which means he was still academically eligible for the following semester.

 

[caw]

As I recall Kemba has one course to finish and did not graduate.

It doesn't matter if Kemba did or did not graduate for APR purposes. He was well beyond where he needed to be for his class credit wise. Now if his not finishing made his GPA drop below whatever the NCAA says it has to be, then it would be a problem. To my knowledge he was fine both in terms of credits and GPA.

 

[huskiesnyc]

As I recall Kemba has one course to finish and did not graduate.

I'm pretty sure Kemba took a class first semester to graduate

 

[caw]

Nice Quotes from the new AD.

 

[Ricky1Moore]

I like the cut of his jib

 

[freescooter]

I have a more fundamentla question that I haven't seen answered anywhere...Was there some sort of deadline as to why UCONN submitted its application for the waiver BEFORE naming the new AD? Seems to me that adding his resume, especially his experience at Buffalo with exactly this issue of teams not meeting the APR would have greatly strengthened the argument. To say nothing of having his input on the proposal which will significantly impactthe operations of his department next year...

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I have a more fundamentla question that I haven't seen answered anywhere...Was there some sort of deadline as to why UCONN submitted its application for the waiver BEFORE naming the new AD? Seems to me that adding his resume, especially his experience at Buffalo with exactly this issue of teams not meeting the APR would have greatly strengthened the argument. To say nothing of having his input on the proposal which will significantly impactthe operations of his department next year...

I think the idea was to submit the waiver as quickly as possible. As long as this is hanging out there unresolved, only bad things can happen. Recruits won't commit for next year, our guys will start thinking about not coming back, etc.

Plus, I'm pretty convinced that there was nothing we could have added to the waiver that would have made it acceptable in the NCAA's mind.

 

[upstater]

I have a more fundamentla question that I haven't seen answered anywhere...Was there some sort of deadline as to why UCONN submitted its application for the waiver BEFORE naming the new AD? Seems to me that adding his resume, especially his experience at Buffalo with exactly this issue of teams not meeting the APR would have greatly strengthened the argument. To say nothing of having his input on the proposal which will significantly impactthe operations of his department next year...

The committee is meeting this month on this issue. UConn needed both the initial proposal and the appeal heard prior to the meeting. The first time Manuel talked to someone from UConn was on Friday.

 

[freescooter]

I figured there must have been some kind of time constraint. I couldn't figure out any other reason why, given Manuel's history, it wouldn't be at least logical to include him and get his input. And while he didn't interview formallly before Firday, by most accounts he was the preferred candidate for quite a while, so I'm pretty sure there had been at least informal communications with UCONN prior to Friday. And it just seems to me that you build your strongest case, regardless of the NCAA's potential action, and our case would have been that much stronger had we been able to say that we have appointed a new AD who is uniquely experienced in dealing with this issue (oh, and by the way, he's a minority...it never hurts to work ont he white guilt, especially of academics, lol) and then recap his UB experience...

 

[RS9999X]

UConn identified 3 athletes in its 100 page report to the NCAA. The names were redacted in the version the USA Today looked through. The USA Today speculated on who those 3 were. I suspect they got it wrong.

2009-10 scholarships
Kemba Walker
Stanley Robinson
Jerome Dyson
Gavin Edwards
Alex Oriakhi
Alex Bailey?
Ater Majok
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel
Donnell Beverly
Charles Okwandu
Darius Smith
Jamaal Trice
Jonathan Mandeldove

2009-10 roster (APR of 826) is a 38 of 46 points. Majok was 1 semester. Mandelove was likely 1 semester.

I score it something like this:
Majok 1/1. Left eligible after 1 semester and went pro.
Smith 3/4. Eligible transfer
Trice 2/4, Ineligible transfer
Edwards 3/3: Eligible pro
'Dyson 2/4: Ineligible pro
Robinson 2/4: Inelible pro
Mandelove 1/2.: Ineligible Retain

That group: 14/22 total

Everyone else 4/4 or 24/24 total

Team total 36/48

 

[Reno]

Dyson graduated. Edwards did not.

I also think it's pretty distasteful to speculate like that about kids who you don't know anything about.

 

[upstater]

I figured there must have been some kind of time constraint. I couldn't figure out any other reason why, given Manuel's history, it wouldn't be at least logical to include him and get his input. And while he didn't interview formallly before Firday, by most accounts he was the preferred candidate for quite a while, so I'm pretty sure there had been at least informal communications with UCONN prior to Friday. And it just seems to me that you build your strongest case, regardless of the NCAA's potential action, and our case would have been that much stronger had we been able to say that we have appointed a new AD who is uniquely experienced in dealing with this issue (oh, and by the way, he's a minority...it never hurts to work ont he white guilt, especially of academics, lol) and then recap his UB experience...

Manuel says he never heard from anyone at UConn until this Friday.

 

[Adios]

http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/01/armor_player_gavin_edwards_lon.html

"A 2010 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Edwards played for seven games for Anyang KT&G Kites of the Korean Basketball League, averaging 5.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7 games."

Just posting. Maybe someone wants to say hello to him in Springfield.

 

[RS9999X]

Dyson graduated. Edwards did not

.
The point is the players named in the USA article were not necessarily the issue. It was among the Mandelove (also nemed in the press earlier), Smith and Trice group which are known from earlier press article and among the 3 graduating seniors (Edwards, Dyson, and Robinson) also known from earlier press article.s

An 826 means the score has to be a 38/46. A player returning in the fall is a 4/4----that eliminates 6 players from point deductions. Oh, and I do have Smith and Trice backwards--Trice went to Div I Applachian State meaning he was eligible{3/4). Smith went JUCO and wasn't eligible (2/4) .

 

[upstater]

.
The point is the players named in the USA article were not necessarily the issue. It was among the Mandelove (also nemed in the press earlier), Smith and Trice group which are known from earlier press article and among the 3 graduating seniors (Edwards, Dyson, and Robinson) also known from earlier press article.s

An 826 means the score has to be a 38/46. A player returning in the fall is a 4/4----that eliminates 6 players from point deductions. Oh, and I do have Smith and Trice backwards--Trice went to Div I Applachian State meaning he was eligible{3/4). Smith went JUCO and wasn't eligible (2/4) .

The irony may be that though Edwards graduated, he didn't do it in the specified time. so, you get dinged for a bad semester, or leaving early. To begin your career. But leave after freshman year in good standing, you're good. After all, that's the important thing, making it through your freshman year, much more important than, say, graduating after 6.

 

[Reno]

.
Oh, and I do have Smith and Trice backwards--Trice went to Div I Applachian State meaning he was eligible{3/4). Smith went JUCO and wasn't eligible (2/4) .

They both transfered to junior colleges (Trice was at Midland College before going to Appalachian State) and actually played each other in the NJCAA National Championship game last season.

http://athletics.csi.edu/custompages/Men's Basketball/20102011/statistics/nation4.htm

 

[huskyjawz]

The irony may be that though Edwards graduated, he didn't do it in the specified time. so, you get dinged for a bad semester, or leaving early. To begin your career. But leave after freshman year in good standing, you're good. After all, that's the important thing, making it through your freshman year, much more important than, say, graduating after 6.

+1

 

[RS9999X]

They both transfered to junior colleges (Trice was at Midland College before going to Appalachian State) and actually played each other in the NJCAA National Championship game last season.

http://athletics.csi.edu/custompages/Men's Basketball/20102011/statistics/nation4.htm

.[/quote]

Trice took the JUCO route to avoid sitting out a year. Smith had to.

>>Rather than sit out a year by transferring immediately to another Division I school, Trice chose junior college. He enrolled at Midland College in Texas and played last season for a team that went 33-4 and played for a national junior-college title.

"A lot of people look down on JuCo players, but the thing is they all play really hard because they want to get to that next level," Trice said. "It made me a lot tougher." <<

>> Former Connecticut guard Darius Smith has joined Eastern Illinois' team following its winter break and will redshirt this season, the school announced on Friday.

Smith signed with the Panthers last spring, but he had to complete classes at a junior college this fall before enrolling at Eastern Illinois <<

 

[freescooter]

The irony may be that though Edwards graduated, he didn't do it in the specified time. so, you get dinged for a bad semester, or leaving early. To begin your career. But leave after freshman year in good standing, you're good. After all, that's the important thing, making it through your freshman year, much more important than, say, graduating after 6.

I don't think that is exactly how it works, first of all. And just because a sports writer refers to someone as a UCONN graduate, doesn't mean he actually graduated...I think the issue is that you can't essentially just play basketball your final semester and never go to class, never take any exams never submit any papers becuase you are "training" for the NBA. That is what the NCAA is trying to get at. What seems to have happend in 2009, 2010 is that guys essentially played basketball, then when the season ended, they simply blew off any academic requirements and went to those various training facilities. Hence ended the semester with incomplete or failing grades. Throw in a couple of transfers who in essence did the same thing and you have a recipe for problems. That you come back later and make things up is a good thing for certain, but you really can't just be at college to play basketball is th epoint. You really do need to take classes at least somewhat seriously. I have no idea whether he ultimately graduated or not, but I recall a report on Stanley saying he hadn't passed a class for over a year when they went to the NCAA Final Four in 2009. He took inclompletes in Spring 2008, took a leave in the fall of2008 and returned for the Fall semester 2009, took a minimum class load and was blowing that off as well...now maybe he caught up and made up everything subsequently. But if that was the kind of crap that went on, it is no wonder that we were in trouble.

 

[huskyjawz]

you're telling me that all of these kentucky one and doners complete their coursework in the spring semester knowing that they are leaving for the nba?