NCAA reform will have big effect on JC level

[jocoshock]

Could have big impacts on WSUs recruting strategy...

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/58001/ncaa-reform-will-have-big-effect-on-jc-level

A year ago, Pierre Jackson earned national junior college player of the year honors at Southern Idaho.

This year, the Baylor junior was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.

Two years ago, Jae Crowder earned national junior college player of the year honors at Howard College.

This year, the Marquette senior was named Big East player of the year.

Bundled into the NCAA’s academic reform package is a mandate that as of the end of the 2013 academic year, junior college transfers must now have a 2.5 GPA in their transferable credits in order to be eligible for a four-year school.

[choida]

it doesn't just impact our strategy, it impacts everyone...survival of the fittest, just adapt and look for new ways to recruit great players that fit our program and system.

[im4wsu]

Seems to me that there will be a lot more "placements" in specific JC programs of high school prospects, monitoring the courses they take, etc.

[RoyalShock]

Or, this is going to push even more players into the legitimate prep schools (as opposed to the player-mills). I don't see the better players opting for juco if the eligibility requirements of juco transfers are going to be strengthened.


I haven't read the proposal, but unless it puts similar requirements on 5th-year prep players, this is going to reduce the quality of juco ball even more than it already is.

[DoubleJayAlum]

I've been waiting for this type of story. I remember when the rule changes were being discussed here, @WuDrWu: and I commented about how this JUCO rule would have a dramatic impact across all of college basketball, especially schools that recruit JUCOs the hardest. I'm surprised it has taken this long for the media to get to this issue, but rest assured that this will become a huge deal as most JUCO kids end up in JUCo because of academic shortcomings.

[Ta town]

Will this really be an issue? My limited experience with Butler/Cowley was if you did the work it was really hard not to get an A and almost impossible to get below a B. Can't imagine the average athlete coming out of Juco can't average 75%.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Or, this is going to push even more players into the legitimate prep schools (as opposed to the player-mills). I don't see the better players opting for juco if the eligibility requirements of juco transfers are going to be strengthened.


I haven't read the proposal, but unless it puts similar requirements on 5th-year prep players, this is going to reduce the quality of juco ball even more than it already is.

Royal,

With the raised HS standards and the "locking in" of grades from the first six HS semesters, I'm not sure that Prep Schools will be able to do much to improve non-qualifying kids that wait until their senior year (or even after) to transfer.

Of course, if the transfer is done early on, we might see a return to the diploma mills of a few years ago.

Here's a story on the new HS guidelines and the "locking in" I discussed above: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ege-basketball

[WSUwatcher]

Will this really be an issue? My limited experience with Butler/Cowley was if you did the work it was really hard not to get an A and almost impossible to get below a B. Can't imagine the average athlete coming out of Juco can't average 75%.

Ta, I'm with you, although for a different reason. I don't think WSU is primarily a JC recruiting program. They use jucos for specific needs, such as to field a respectable team after Turgeon left the cupboard bare -- sorry, MT fans (actually I'm one of them myself), but he did -- or to recover from losing a large class that was needed to speed the rebuilding, or to fill in for a bad recruiting year before Marshall and his staff really had the machine cranking.

I expect to see fewer jucos as WSU rolls along and reloads, evening out their class structure in the process. Next year, assuming that Armstead and Mitchell will both be on non-basketball scholarships, which appears to be the case at this point, they're headed for 3-2-3-5 assuming both Hawkins and Uwadiae qualify and are on board, or 3-3-3-4 if one of them doesn't make it and another player is added to the junior class. This is not a program that has to live and die by recruiting two-year guys.

[choida]

I dont see us using less JUCO's in the future...they fill a need, and there are always going to be hit or miss freshmen for WSU, and IMO, there is nothing wrong with JUCO players, especially the winners 3G is bringing in like Wiggins and Early, All American types.