Bilas calling for renewal of NCAA transfer rules after proposals were parked last year

[jbcarol]

If the members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches board of directors get their way, all transfers will have to sit out a year, regardless of their issue. There was apparently only one dissenting vote when the group met last week to discuss the issue and suggest a change.

The "tranfer free agency" that has overrun college basketball is a direct result of waivers and loopholes that were added to the books a few years ago with good intentions, but have netted mixed results.

The two most controversial are allowing players to play immediately if they have an ill relative within 100 miles of their home. The other -- the one being taken advantage of more and more this spring -- allows players to graduate early and seek a master's degree not offered at their present institution.

"The rule in most cases is not being used as intended and is clearly adding to the widespread free agency in college basketball,'' Coach Sendek told ESPN.com.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, an NABC board member and no friend of Katz, wasn't at the meeting last week in Indianapolis but weighed in on the subject when reached this week.

"We've just got into an area of unintended consequences,'' Boeheim said. "The rule was for if a kid really wanted a different academic program. Now it has gotten to be a strictly playing situation.''

The waiver to allow a player to be closer to a relative has also been abused...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/9258608/coaches-push-changes-transfer-rule-college-basketball

[chiefhawg]

Don't pay them and don't let them leave. The coaches have to protect those million dollar salaries.

[Dogtown Donkey]

Don't pay them and don't let them leave. The coaches have to protect those million dollar salaries.

Don't let them leave?

All they're saying is make everyone sit a year out when the transfer.

[jbcarol]

"For us [the immediate eligibility rule] has been very beneficial," Oregon coach Dana Altman said, "because it allows us to fill an immediate need on our team."

"The role that you play for three years may not be the same as the role you're going to play for that one year at your new school," Haith said. "It's totally different than getting a one-and-done guy out of high school. They have no role. They're coming in and saying, 'I'll fit in wherever.'

"The grad students ... they were ingrained to do things differently. It can be a bit of a war to get them to fit into the role you want them to play for your team. It's not always easy. From a coaching standpoint, it can be hard."

Still, Haith hardly regrets taking Oriakhi...

Arguably no potential transfer this offseason could impact a team as much as former Missouri guard Michael Dixon... Dixon, who has one year of eligibility remaining, has yet to complete his undergraduate coursework. But he's still hoping to receive a waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play immediately at his new school.

Dixon was kicked off Missouri's squad in November after a female student accused him of sexual assault, the second such claim made against Dixon since January 2010.

Boone County prosecutors, though, determined that a police investigation lacked sufficient evidence to even interview Dixon in the second case, and the first alleged victim declined to press charges against him.

"No charges were brought against Michael Dixon," said Kim English, Dixon's former teammate at Missouri. "He's never even had a conversation with any police department. He was just told he couldn't play his senior year for a program he helped rebuild.

"Your name is all you have. His name wasn't presented in a good light, and the court of public opinion is awfully condemning. I know he's looking for a chance to right the ship."

Sources said schools such as Memphis, Purdue, Oklahoma, Louisville and Houston inquired about Dixon after the season, but the schools currently showing the most interest are East Carolina, Colorado, Loyola Marymount, and of course, Baylor. Dixon visited East Carolina last weekend.

Dixon's family is hopeful the NCAA will grant their son a waiver similar to the one obtained last fall by Dez Wells, who was expelled from Xavier amid sexual assault allegations but was never charged. He was allowed to play right away at Maryland and led the Terrapins in scoring last season.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9257810/tarik-black-michael-dixon-other-transfers-looking-new-programs-college-basketball

[chiefhawg]

It is about the coaches. Just  my opinion.

Michael DeCourcy ‏@tsnmike 2m
I like nearly every college basketball coach I know. But I wish coaches cared as much about the game as they do about coaches.

Michael DeCourcy ‏@tsnmike 2m
Hypocrisy of declaring the grad transfer rule "bad" while coaches change jobs by the score every spring is galling. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/9258608/coaches-push-changes-transfer-rule-college-basketball ... ...

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/resources/latest+news/2012/may/get+the+facts+about+transfers

[Dogtown Donkey]

Coaches aren't students. They're paid employees.

/discussion

[chiefhawg]

The unpaid Student-Athletes ability to transfer to another institution and participate immediately is restricted by rules that are championed by paid coaches/employees. The restrictions are in the coaches interest.

The NCAA says sitting out one year is for the athlete to adjust to a new academic environment. If that were the true case Freshmen would not be eligible. It is harder to adjust to college from high school than to adjust to a new college. In my opinion, it is about deterring transfers. Coaches retain their leverage with players.

The coach should not lie to recruits and if it not working out let them go. But you what, coaches don't trust each other. They know that someone will always be recruiting their players.
Bottom line, it is about coaches protecting their interests.

[Dogtown Donkey]

You simply can't have an environment in which athletes do not have to sit out after transferring. You'd have kids all over the place. It'd be chaos. Of course that has to be a deterrent.

[azhog10]

Pretty sure some poster came out and stated that Dixon has hired an agent and if so would not be elgible to play college basketball. By this article that would not be true. Also I wonder how much Kim English really knows. Him not having been questioned by the police is very interesting.

"For us [the immediate eligibility rule] has been very beneficial," Oregon coach Dana Altman said, "because it allows us to fill an immediate need on our team."

"The role that you play for three years may not be the same as the role you're going to play for that one year at your new school," Haith said. "It's totally different than getting a one-and-done guy out of high school. They have no role. They're coming in and saying, 'I'll fit in wherever.'

"The grad students ... they were ingrained to do things differently. It can be a bit of a war to get them to fit into the role you want them to play for your team. It's not always easy. From a coaching standpoint, it can be hard."

Still, Haith hardly regrets taking Oriakhi...

Arguably no potential transfer this offseason could impact a team as much as former Missouri guard Michael Dixon... Dixon, who has one year of eligibility remaining, has yet to complete his undergraduate coursework. But he's still hoping to receive a waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play immediately at his new school.

Dixon was kicked off Missouri's squad in November after a female student accused him of sexual assault, the second such claim made against Dixon since January 2010.

Boone County prosecutors, though, determined that a police investigation lacked sufficient evidence to even interview Dixon in the second case, and the first alleged victim declined to press charges against him.

"No charges were brought against Michael Dixon," said Kim English, Dixon's former teammate at Missouri. "He's never even had a conversation with any police department. He was just told he couldn't play his senior year for a program he helped rebuild.

"Your name is all you have. His name wasn't presented in a good light, and the court of public opinion is awfully condemning. I know he's looking for a chance to right the ship."

Sources said schools such as Memphis, Purdue, Oklahoma, Louisville and Houston inquired about Dixon after the season, but the schools currently showing the most interest are East Carolina, Colorado, Loyola Marymount, and of course, Baylor. Dixon visited East Carolina last weekend.

Dixon's family is hopeful the NCAA will grant their son a waiver similar to the one obtained last fall by Dez Wells, who was expelled from Xavier amid sexual assault allegations but was never charged. He was allowed to play right away at Maryland and led the Terrapins in scoring last season.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9257810/tarik-black-michael-dixon-other-transfers-looking-new-programs-college-basketball

[azhog10]

The unpaid Student-Athletes ability to transfer to another institution and participate immediately is restricted by rules that are championed by paid coaches/employees. The restrictions are in the coaches interest.

The NCAA says sitting out one year is for the athlete to adjust to a new academic environment. If that were the true case Freshmen would not be eligible. It is harder to adjust to college from high school than to adjust to a new college. In my opinion, it is about deterring transfers. Coaches retain their leverage with players.

The coach should not lie to recruits and if it not working out let them go. But you what, coaches don't trust each other. They know that someone will always be recruiting their players.
Bottom line, it is about coaches protecting their interests.

I pull for "contract" like scholarships to become the norm. Give coaches and players the ability to sign "contracts" on how many years they will attend. If they sign a 2 year scholly, then after the 2 years the coaches and players have the right to part ways with no penalty for transferring. That way it forces coaches to take risks, but also actuallly invest in making the players improve. If you are willing to give a kid 4 years when another team only does 1. Well then you are invested in that player more. It's kind of a weird concept, but I think it would provide a little more security to the players, and if a coach leaves, then that contract is no longer binding. The contracts should be signed by the university andcoach. As long as coaches have agents then in my opionion a kid is tied to the university AND the coach. If something happens to one of those two, then the contract should be void.

[chiefhawg]

I pull for "contract" like scholarships to become the norm. Give coaches and players the ability to sign "contracts" on how many years they will attend. If they sign a 2 year scholly, then after the 2 years the coaches and players have the right to part ways with no penalty for transferring. That way it forces coaches to take risks, but also actuallly invest in making the players improve. If you are willing to give a kid 4 years when another team only does 1. Well then you are invested in that player more. It's kind of a weird concept, but I think it would provide a little more security to the players, and if a coach leaves, then that contract is no longer binding. The contracts should be signed by the university andcoach. As long as coaches have agents then in my opionion a kid is tied to the university AND the coach. If something happens to one of those two, then the contract should be void.

I think that would be fair to both the athlete and coach. But in reality, it will never happen.

[jbcarol]

Jay Bilas ‏@JayBilas ·4h
NCAA transfer restrictions are ridiculous. http://bit.ly/1qZUZ5h  Hey @kstate_pres, step in and give your athlete/asset her release.

MANHATTAN — Leticia Romero says the Kansas State athletic department is blackmailing her.

Romero, a unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Freshman team, said her request for a release from the women's basketball team — submitted about a week ago — was recently denied.

K-State, Romero said, offered her a deal of sorts.

"They said we wanted to do the same thing they did with Angel (Rodriguez) for the men's team, and they said that they weren't going to give me the release this year," Romero told The Topeka Capital-Journal on Tuesday afternoon. "They wanted me to try one year, and in one year if I didn't like it, they would give me a release.

"I really saw this as blackmail."

Romero says she has plenty of reasons to want to leave Kansas State, but she can't understand why she is being denied that opportunity. The athletic department refused comment Tuesday, citing student athlete privacy laws that make them unable to comment on issues involving transfers or releases.

[Fatty McGee]

Coaches aren't students. They're paid employees.

/discussion

That makes zero sense and whenever someone claims they have ended the discussion, you know whatever they said immediately before is foolish.

[Fatty McGee]

You simply can't have an environment in which athletes do not have to sit out after transferring. You'd have kids all over the place. It'd be chaos. Of course that has to be a deterrent.

Dogs and cats living together!

I don't know how schools would handle it if so many kids left each year!  Wait, yeah I do, because Kentucky does it every year.

If a coach can break a contract and leave and that's not chaos, there's no reason one of 15 players would be that devastating.

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

This would be a good rule change.  If they really want to transfer, they still can....just have to sit out a year.  Too many players transferring around just because they can, or the grass looks greener....  Hopefully, this will make the recruits think harder & make better decisions about which will be the better fit... & school for them.

[jbcarol]

From last month:

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117079/espns-jay-bilas-ncaas-biggest-critic

[jbcarol]

On a related subject:

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·14 hrs
I know coaches don't like the graduate-and-transfer rule, but I'm all for anything that motivates these guys to graduate.

[Fatty McGee]

This would be a good rule change.  If they really want to transfer, they still can....just have to sit out a year.  Too many players transferring around just because they can, or the grass looks greener....  Hopefully, this will make the recruits think harder & make better decisions about which will be the better fit... & school for them.

Maybe they did think real long and hard.  Really chose what was the best fit for them.  Had a coach with a 10 year contract so they knew he wouldn't leave.

But then what do you know?  That coach who swore he'd help them graduate.  Who would be there with them for the duration, up and took a job for more money and left without saying goodbye.

You're right.  It will teach them a lesson to have to sit out a year.  About honoring their commitments, about making good long term choices, etc. 

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

Maybe they did think real long and hard.  Really chose what was the best fit for them.  Had a coach with a 10 year contract so they knew he wouldn't leave.

But then what do you know?  That coach who swore he'd help them graduate.  Who would be there with them for the duration, up and took a job for more money and left without saying goodbye.

You're right.  It will teach them a lesson to have to sit out a year.  About honoring their commitments, about making good long term choices, etc.

Most of the transfers that are happening are not because their original coach left for another job.  Although not perfect, if transfers are not required to sit out a year....this problem will get worse.  Most of the transfers are happening because they got into trouble, not getting enough playing time, have a run in with their coach, etc.  If there are no consequences for the kids that transfer, it may start resembling a free agency. It will still give the student the option to transfer, if they really need/want to. There is always a certain risk in scholarship athletics.....for both the school, & the student athlete.

[Fatty McGee]

Why should the players have consequences when the coaches don't? 

You keep referring to this "problem" - what is the problem? 

[Fatty McGee]

Here's Emmert's take on why the transfer rule is needed:  "You don't want to be punitive to an athlete who makes a change obviously but you don't want to have coaches recruiting people off other people's benches," Emmert said.

Basically, we can't trust our coaches, so we're going to punish the players.

[Inhogswetrust]

Here's Emmert's take on why the transfer rule is needed:  "You don't want to be punitive to an athlete who makes a change obviously but you don't want to have coaches recruiting people off other people's benches," Emmert said.

Basically, we can't trust our coaches, so we're going to punish the players.

However if a player takes care of academics and graduates like he is SUPPOSE to do then the coach has no control over them. I have no problem with that since I think it is a reward for taking care of your academics.

[Inhogswetrust]

On a related subject:

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·14 hrs
I know coaches don't like the graduate-and-transfer rule, but I'm all for anything that motivates these guys to graduate.

THIS!

[Fatty McGee]

However if a player takes care of academics and graduates like he is SUPPOSE to do then the coach has no control over them. I have no problem with that since I think it is a reward for taking care of your academics.

This doesn't make sense.

[Stang1970]

Heres how you change the rule.

1.  If a player is in his 5th yr at a school and wants to transfer, he is ineligible to transfer.

2.  If the players wants to transfer he has to sit out a year regardless.

3.  If a Head Coach leaves or is fired and he is not a 5th yr player, the play can transfer and play immediately.  (only fair if a coach can leave and coach the next year)

[jbcarol]

Jay Bilas ‏@JayBilas  5h
La Times' Chris Dufresne on NCAA dysfunction and motivation: http://bit.ly/1jjKZQ9  Why not change ALL dumb rules? Not that complicated.

[jbcarol]

Student-athletes who seek transfers due to "difficult life circumstances" will have to sit out a season at their new schools but will gain an extra year of eligibility starting in 2015-16, according to a proposal by the NCAA Division I Leadership Council.

The council recommended the elimination of immediate eligibility for players approved for hardship waivers. The NCAA says the proposed change would give athletes a year to focus on academics and the circumstances that led them to transfer in the first place before they can play.

The proposal is also intended to reduce concerns about waiver process abuse and claims of inconsistent decision-making. The NCAA approved 127 of 236 such waivers from July 2012 to June 2013.

The NCAA's board of directors will rule on the proposal on April 24.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/10802216/ncaa-proposal-force-hardship-transfers-sit-year

[jbcarol]

Rustin Dodd ‏@rustindodd ·Apr 19
Denying an athlete a transfer request rarely --if ever -- ends well for the school. Most read story on our website. http://www.kansascity.com/2014/04/18/4968431/kansas-state-committee-denies.html ...

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  18h 

NCAA says no more immediate-eligibility hardship transfer waivers, but allows year on back end http://ow.ly/w8rfw

Student-athlete cannot have an ailing relative and play immediately but you can earn a sixth year of eligibility if needed.

Rationale is that if you have a relative in a bad way you now have a redshirt season to focus on the relative and not the demands of playing.

[Inhogswetrust]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  18h 

NCAA says no more immediate-eligibility hardship transfer waivers, but allows year on back end http://ow.ly/w8rfw

Student-athlete cannot have an ailing relative and play immediately but you can earn a sixth year of eligibility if needed.

Rationale is that if you have a relative in a bad way you now have a redshirt season to focus on the relative and not the demands of playing.

Good point. I have no problem with it. If a relative is really that bad off then they should concentrate on the relative first and not have to worry about the time constraints of playing.

[Inhogswetrust]

This doesn't make sense.

Once a player has graduated a coach has no control if the player leaves and plays for another school while going to graduate school.

[Cotton]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  18h 

NCAA says no more immediate-eligibility hardship transfer waivers, but allows year on back end http://ow.ly/w8rfw

Student-athlete cannot have an ailing relative and play immediately but you can earn a sixth year of eligibility if needed.

Rationale is that if you have a relative in a bad way you now have a redshirt season to focus on the relative and not the demands of playing.

They got this one right.. Don't let them play right away, but they don't lose the year either.