Greg Oden, Please Go to Class
May 03 2007 10:20 PM -- Filed in: Misc
Today we understand why we crave the actual events of
the collegiate athletics. Because, in the offseason
we get bombarded with rule changes, reversals of
previous rule changes and the parched subject matter
of APR. APR stands for Academic Progress Rate and
it's the brainchild of the NCAA and, well, that's all
you need to know.
It's not a beloved system by many as pointed
out here and here and, for good measure,
here. If a team falls below a
score of 925 - in effect, the Mendoza Line for the colleges
and universities - they could face the loss of
scholarships. And, that's major. Ohio State, in
case you were wondering and you probably were,
is doing okay but a rather nasty cloud looms for
the men's basketball team.
The otherworldly recruiting success could come back to harm Thad Matta. Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr and Daequan Cook have opted to enter the NBA Draft and, in doing so, could negatively affect our basketball APR score. Provisions are in place to not penalize a school for losing players to the professional ranks, with the caveat that they are academically eligible when the leave. And when the leave is the key point. It's not when the player declares or when they are drafted, but rather the end of the academic year.
According the Dispatch, Conley Sr. says his son and Cook will be eligible. Greg Oden is more of an uncertainty. Matta has mentioned he's had discussions with each player to stay the course and act like their lives aren't about the change. Go to class. Study as if you don't really hold a lottery ticket. Advice that's dispensed mainly because of the rule and the long-lasting affects that can result if a scholarship is taken away. Of course, this could have been avoided with a higher current score which wouldn't make Oden's class attendance of paramount importance.
On the surface, APR is a noble concept. The implementation and a few unrealistic details may leave a little to be desired. The smaller schools and conferences tend to take the brunt of the force and that's okay with MGoBlog. Larger schools who have the financial wherewithal most likely will be fine, even if it means sweating out the hope the future No. 1 pick in the draft continue attending class to maintain eligibility. So Greg, go to class. For the university.
The otherworldly recruiting success could come back to harm Thad Matta. Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr and Daequan Cook have opted to enter the NBA Draft and, in doing so, could negatively affect our basketball APR score. Provisions are in place to not penalize a school for losing players to the professional ranks, with the caveat that they are academically eligible when the leave. And when the leave is the key point. It's not when the player declares or when they are drafted, but rather the end of the academic year.
According the Dispatch, Conley Sr. says his son and Cook will be eligible. Greg Oden is more of an uncertainty. Matta has mentioned he's had discussions with each player to stay the course and act like their lives aren't about the change. Go to class. Study as if you don't really hold a lottery ticket. Advice that's dispensed mainly because of the rule and the long-lasting affects that can result if a scholarship is taken away. Of course, this could have been avoided with a higher current score which wouldn't make Oden's class attendance of paramount importance.
On the surface, APR is a noble concept. The implementation and a few unrealistic details may leave a little to be desired. The smaller schools and conferences tend to take the brunt of the force and that's okay with MGoBlog. Larger schools who have the financial wherewithal most likely will be fine, even if it means sweating out the hope the future No. 1 pick in the draft continue attending class to maintain eligibility. So Greg, go to class. For the university.
