Israeli Newspaper: Gal's gone

[aShock4life]

So as far as the APR points go did we lose those with AB leaving as well? Does anyone know between Gal leaving during the semester and AB if that will hurt us in the near future?

[Rosewood]

So as far as the APR points go did we lose those with AB leaving as well? Does anyone know between Gal leaving during the semester and AB if that will hurt us in the near future?

I can't imagine that we are anywhere near getting hurt by that.

[SB Shock]

So as far as the APR points go did we lose those with AB leaving as well? Does anyone know between Gal leaving during the semester and AB if that will hurt us in the near future?

I can't imagine that we are anywhere near getting hurt by that.

WSU in the last two years has had the following scholarship players leave without getting a degree:

Sean Ogirri
Gal Mekel
Ryan Bradley
Chris Brown
Arbry Butler

I can't imagine that is a good thing for the APR. Maybe there is enough academic progress with the remaing players to absorb this blip over the period that APR is calculated - I sure hope.

[pinstripers]

leaving in mid-semester hurts a lot

[rrshock]

The only one that will hurt the APR is Gal if he leaves now. The others all transferred to another school, and have time to finish their degrees. It doesn't matter where they finish up at, as long as they finish the degree.

Is their a provision in there about foreign players? I would think that if a foreign player chooses to return home to his native country, that it might be harder to punish the school they were attending. But who knows?

[shockar25]

While things probably didn't go exactly as he or any of us had imagined when he first arrived here, I will miss Gal and the fierce competitive spirit he brought each and every time he stepped on the court in a Shocker uniform.

I'm sure he will be successful no matter where he plays.

GOOD LUCK GAL!

As others have said--you'll always be a Shocker.

[wsu789]

rr, I think that's right only if those players left in good academic standing. If they leave in poor academic standing it hurts us more than if they leave and are eligible, even if they ultimately get a degree in a timely manner. I'm not privy to the grades of those players obviously, but there were certainly rumors about Ogirri's and Butler's grades. Maybe more than rumors. And Brown and Mekel both left mid-semester, meaning that it might be difficult to be in good standing. But I think Brown actually finished up his course work.

[rrshock]

rr, I think that's right only if those players left in good academic standing. If they leave in poor academic standing it hurts us more than if they leave and are eligible, even if they ultimately get a degree in a timely manner. I'm not privy to the grades of those players obviously, but there were certainly rumors about Ogirri's and Butler's grades. Maybe more than rumors. And Brown and Mekel both left mid-semester, meaning that it might be difficult to be in good standing. But I think Brown actually finished up his course work.

Brown would have had to finish up the semester, or he wouldn't be eligible to play ball.

[DaShox]

Gal didn't fit in Turg's system either. It's not just Gal didn't fit with Gregg.

2007 APR
WSU's APR for basketball: 944
Avg DI APR for basketball: 927
Public university APR: 917
Private university APR: 947

As of 2007, WSU is in the top 60-70% in basketball APR. An APR of 925 transalets into a graduation rate of 60-70%.

Teams which fall below 925 and have a student athlete fail and left school, can lose scholarships. Those who do well academically and stay in school earn two points. Those who pass but do not return to school earn one point. If a student-athlete fails academically and leaves school, their team loses two points. If a student-athlete returns to school later and graduates, the school earns one bonus point.

Arbry Butler's departure cost WSU two points. Gal Mekel's departure will earn WSU 1 point.

Teams can lose up to 10% of scholarships for poor academic performance.

A 900 APR results in additional sanctions. 3% of schools had an APR below 900. 8% of schools had an APR below 925.

Long story short: we'll be fine.

[Ricky Del Rio]

Gal didn't fit in Turg's system either. It's not just Gal didn't fit with Gregg.

2007 APR
WSU's APR for basketball: 944
Avg DI APR for basketball: 927
Public university APR: 917
Private university APR: 947

As of 2007, WSU is in the top 60-70% in basketball APR. An APR of 925 transalets into a graduation rate of 60-70%.

Teams which fall below 925 and have a student athlete fail and left school, can lose scholarships. Those who do well academically and stay in school earn two points. Those who pass but do not return to school earn one point. If a student-athlete fails academically and leaves school, their team loses two points. If a student-athlete returns to school later and graduates, the school earns one bonus point.

Arbry Butler's departure cost WSU two points. Gal Mekel's departure will earn WSU 1 point.

Teams can lose up to 10% of scholarships for poor academic performance.

A 900 APR results in additional sanctions. 3% of schools had an APR below 900. 8% of schools had an APR below 925.

Long story short: we'll be fine.

Two genius brothers. I suppose your Mom and Dad are geniuses too. And Jakey too.

[wsu789]

DaShox: If I understand the way it works, if Gal leaves and is in good academic standing, we receive one point. But if he leaves now and ends up flunking his classes this semester, we lose two points, correct? In other words, does the NCAA look at how Gal finishes this semester, or how he finished last semester? I thought it was the former, but I may be wrong.

I think this is what Coach Marshall was saying in the quote in the Eagle. The program needs Gal to finish his coursework this semester in order not to be hurt in the APR. Or, as it written in the Eagle:

"His departure may put WSU in a bad situation with the NCAA and its Academic Progress Rate score for basketball. Mekel's departure during the semester could cost WSU a retention point and an eligibility point. Each athlete on a roster earns two points each term, one for being eligible and one for staying with a program. Poor APR scores can result in a loss of scholarships for a program.

"From an APR standpoint, it's important to try to conclude his semester," Marshall said. "It's going to be difficult.""

So, while we've traditionally done well in the APR, I don't think it's a given that Mekely is getting us a point. But he will if he completes his course work.

[wsu789]

rr, I think as long as a student is making sufficient progress toward a degree (as the NCAA defines the term), then the fact that they failed or did not complete their final semester would have no impact on their ability to play for another D1 school, so long as they complete two full time semesters at the new school and sit out for that year. Of course, if someone failed their last semester, they may not be making sufficient progress toward a degree. And, as I noted, I think Brown did complete the semester, though I've heard he initially left without planning to do so.

[DaShox]

Two genius brothers. I suppose your Mom and Dad are geniuses too. And Jakey too.

It's definitely inherited. My mom has referred to my dad as a genius quite often. :D

[cantwaitforrecruits08]

well...good luck, gal. at least they'll pronounce your name right

[shockball]

From Sullentrops Shockwaves
Gal’s departure
WSU guard Gal Mekel is back in his home country of Israel and will play for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Why was he here? It seemed a strange match from the start and it never really paid off.

Go back to the summer of 2007, when WSU is coming off a Sweet 16 spot and the No. 1 priority is replacing center Paul Miller. WSU’s final recruit that summer was Mekel, landed in part by new assistant coach Scott Spinelli’s international connections. The roster is loaded with guards - Braeuer, Ogirri, Bradley, Preadom, Couisnard.

Concern: Out of that group, only Braeuer is a pure point guard. I can understand looking for help in the backcourt, but not at the expense of the front court, and only if that addition at guard is a slam-dunk difference maker. Bigger concern: WSU is short on big men entering 2007. The three freshmen seem long shots to contribute immediately, and that proves to be accurate. Phil Thomasson does some of what Miller did, but not enough.

Serviceable big men are not easy to find, so maybe it’s not fair to say “Why didn’t WSU get some kind of big man to help Wilson, Martin and Thomasson instead of another guard?”

Why didn’t WSU get some kind of big man to help Wilson and Martin instead of another guard?

With the benefit of hindsight, Mekel was the wrong player at the wrong time. He is a point guard who needs to dominate the ball to play his game. That did not fit with WSU under coach Mark Turgeon or Gregg Marshall. The adjustment from the international game was too tough for him to make. WSU, it appears, was over-sold on Mekel’s ability to come in and be a difference-maker immediately. He is not a great athlete. He is not a great shooter or scorer. Had he been that kind of player, the gamble might have worked in 2007. Imagine that team if Mekel had matured into a dynamic scorer off the bench by mid-January or February.

He wasn’t. Mekel was a hard worker who took his basketball seriously and wanted to win. His desire to play the point and his love of the “beautiful” play didn’t fit at WSU. Given time, in the right system and situation, Mekel had the skills to play for a coach who could live with a few turnovers. He needed to go somewhere we was needed to run a team, not just be a part.

For Marshall’s program, it’s best that Mekel move on and remove the doubt. His future was always going to be an issue because of his ties to Maccabi. It’s best to break it off clean when WSU can recruit and fill his scholarship.