Extreme recruiting variations, ala Kentucky

[Mr_Twister]

How long will it be before a program takes a recruiting approach as extreme as Kentucky's pursuit of one-and-dones with no interest in graduating players but serving as a finishing school for NBA players? Perhaps a team that fills its roster with graduate transfers every year? Or a team that fills its roster with foreign players, only? Or a team whose players come from a single AAU program? Or a team that never recruits players out of high school but only fills its roster with transfers (graduate/JUCO/other programs)?

 

[ecojew]

Aren't there NCAA rules governing things like progress toward degree, graduation rates, a sufficient GPA per team, etc.? How can Kentucky even qualify to play college teams when it would fulfill none of those requirements? Kentucky doesn't field a college basketball team so it shouldn't be permitted to play against college basketball teams.

As for foreign players, I have no problem with that so long as they are students, take finals, stay more than a few months, etc. But I do have a problem with the "Hire an Aussie" or fill in any other nationality, approach like that used at SHU in 1989, with the Australian player who showed up on campus sometime in October for the start of practice and departed in April after the NC game. He never spent a semester at the school.

 

[seels2662]

I thought of a way to do it, don't know if its possible. Make it so that the players on your team must have at least on average say 2.5 years college experience. This way its impossible to fill the roster with one and dones. It won't work with a team filling in JUCOs (since JUCOs have two years under their belts) but I don't see that as a problem to be honest. A team of JUCOs doesn't necessarily make the team better.

 

[TDIrish1]

EJ

Did you have a problem with RU telling Douby to stop attending HS so he would be ineligible and invalidate his Hofstra LOI ?

Then he went Prep for a year and his recruiting reopened.

The UK grad rate for guys that stay is actually pretty good.

The one and done thing is something all the RU faithful would have a different slant on if Karl Towns came here. You cannot hold it against a school if a kid decides to make a living playing basketball.

 

[Rufaninga]

How long will it be before a program takes a recruiting approach as extreme as Kentucky's pursuit of one-and-dones with no interest in graduating players but serving as a finishing school for NBA players? Perhaps a team that fills its roster with graduate transfers every year? Or a team that fills its roster with foreign players, only? Or a team whose players come from a single AAU program? Or a team that never recruits players out of high school but only fills its roster with transfers (graduate/JUCO/other programs)?

 

[nacorwin]

Aren't there NCAA rules governing things like progress toward degree, graduation rates, a sufficient GPA per team, etc.? .

For the last few years, the Kentucky one and dones have stayed in school for the full spring semester. They leave with enough credits to count as making progress towards their degree. Teams like Ohio State, Syracuse, and UConn have been penalized because the students drop out as soon as the season ends, leaving them in bad academic shape. There are no NCAA rules about graduation rates nor team GPA (although Kentucky claims their team GPA is high). Also, APR only counts students that reciece scholarships so they (in theory) can't be helped by having a bunch of walk-ons on the team, although I would guess Kentucky puts some walk-ons on one year scholarship most years to help.

 

[Mr_Twister]

EJ

Did you have a problem with RU telling Douby to stop attending HS so he would be ineligible and invalidate his Hofstra LOI ?

Then he went Prep for a year and his recruiting reopened.

The UK grad rate for guys that stay is actually pretty good.

The one and done thing is something all the RU faithful would have a different slant on if Karl Towns came here. You cannot hold it against a school if a kid decides to make a living playing basketball.

TDIrish1 ... You are aware of Kentucky basketball's history of cheating and nearly getting the death penalty? It's funny that you suggest "make a living playing basketball". Kentucky's history includes paying family members of recruits/players, as well as the recruits/players. To hear the scheming that landed Douby at Rutgers mentioned in the same sentence with Kentucky is amusing. Kentucky not only deserves its reputation for cheating -- it's been convicted. Probation, ban from post season play, and banned from live TV. And to cite Kentucky basketball's graduation rate when players rarely graduate is even more ludicrous.

 

[TDIrish1]

That's all fine and true but that stuff hasn't been found to happen during Calipari's tenure and that's what the poster was referencing.

If ancient history is your thing John Wooden is considered a saint but if Sam Gilbert wasn't paying players at UCLA how good would they have been ?

I stand on my statement----guys who stay at UK for the 4 years graduate for the most part during JC's tenure. You can't blame him for being able to land kids who are good enough to be pros at an early age and you can't blame them for leaving.

If Karl Towns came to Rutgers for 1 year and got you to the NCAA you would wish him well and say thank you.

As for the Douby thing----it was true----that's what they did.