[UVM Hoop Cat]

Interesting article in the weekend edition of the WSJ. The article talked about how the NCAA is making grade requirements more strict so that coaches are no longer drinking from the JUCO well- and some coaches that have routinely recruited JUCO's in the past are making it a policy to no longer continue the process.

The NCAA monitors each school's APR- Academic Performance Rate, and according to Hartford President Walter Harrison, who is chair of the NCAA committee on academic performance states that the initiative has accomplished what it has intended to do- as aggregate APR scores have been "imrpoving" and this initiative provides transparency for the schools so each team know where they need to make necessary changes to improve grades.

The article also discusses how this negatively effects the JUCO schools, basketball attendance has decreased along with revenues, obviously.


The article drew the conclusion that since colleges can no longer go after the potentially more talented players because of their lower grades- therefore the overall quality of the team will suffer because they will be taking the other kid with the higher scores, which I found interesting because I disagree. Just because a kid has better gradesdoesn't make him a worse basketball player.

Additionally, the article also states that while JUCOs are no longer getting the kids without the required grades for admittance, more kids have been enrolling in prep shools and have other alternatives in different professional leagues if school is not an option (Euro, USBL, CBA, NBDL, etc).

Since college coaches no longer recruit at JUCOs, the prospective recruits just enroll at prep school, basically circumventing the process while the JUCOs suffer.

I have noticed more and more players enrolling in prep school as opposed to junior college the last few years, and this article really explained why this is.




Thoughts? Anyone else read it?

 

[BBallDog]

The article drew the conclusion that since colleges can no longer go after the potentially more talented players because of their lower grades- therefore the overall quality of the team will suffer because they will be taking the other kid with the higher scores, which I found interesting because I disagree. Just because a kid has better grades doesn't make him a worse basketball player.

Hoop Cat,

I didn't read it, but it sounds interesting.

One thing you mentioned about grades and their correlation (or no correclation) to basketball skills: reality is that's why most kids who are at a JUCO are there--because they weren't good students but good players.

I agree that smart kids can be talented players just as well as academically challenged kids, but many underprivildged kids put sports first (they see it as a way out of their situations) and their grades suffer. Plus they tend to be more driven at sports than those who have an alternate future through education, therefore better players. I know this sounds like a stereotype, but in my experience it's been pretty true for the majority of kids in that situation (of course there are always exceptions). I think we can all remember several high school kids every year who don't have the scores to get into college but are talented enough for the pros. It's rare to have an academically talented kid's name mentioned as such a prospect.

 

[black0ut]

I think it's just a cycle. In a few years (if this is all true), a few coaches will go back to the JUCO's and hand pick the best players there, then slowly the rest of the country will go back....

It's like the 'moneyball' idea Beane had, and the Red Sox and A's picking high school players this past draft. Yea they prefer college kids, but the rest of the teams panicked to take them all, and left the best high schoolers availible. The same will happen here.

 

[TheVelezes]

There will always be room for good junior college programs. Preparatory schools are more of a New England phenomena, and quite expensive for many parents (for $14,000 tuition you can attend a state college). Besides, there are only a few of them nationwide, so they will never provide enough talent pool like junior colleges.

What the new NCAA rule is going to accomplish is this: JuCos will stress strong academic curricula (no more Gym 101 courses) and reject marginal student-athletes.