Antelope Valley College Men's Basketball

PART I – GENERAL INFORMATION

I believe it is time to take a close look at how the NCAA transfer rules may affect students who want play Division I basketball.  There seems to be incorrect information out there that could negatively affect student athletes if they do not follow the correct rules.  There are two main groups that are affected…high school and JUCO students.  This series will concentrate on the JUCO student athletes.  The high school student athlete must have a 2.3 GPA to be accepted to play basketball immediately at the D-1 level.  Most of the university basketball coaches I have interviewed believe that the change in the high school rules will have less effect than the JUCO rules. 

Now to often asked questions about JUCO transfers(D-1 Scholarships); 

• When does this rule go into affect?  The new transfer rule goes into affect for the 2012-13 class.  The JUCO students affected are those who will be sophomores in JUCO this year. 
• What classes that JUCO students take will be included in the overall 2.5 requirement?  Transferrable classes only.  A non-qualifier student athlete(grades or SAT/ACT not high enough in high school) must graduate from the JUCO with a minimum of 48 transferrable hours with a 2.5 GPA that includes 6 hours of English, 3 hours of Math, 3 hours of Natural and Physical Science, no more than 2 hours of PE credit hours can be used.     In other words, real academics.  Each University has a  different specific group of classes they will accept for transfer.  That is why it is so important to have a dedicated Academic Advisor for student athletes in a JUCO that starts working with the student on day 1. Classes Included In 2.5 GPA
• Does this rule affect transfer to D-2 or NAIA universities? Not at this time BUT, rule changes are in the works for these levels.

Many JUCO’s and their student athletes are not prepared for these rule changes.  Part 2 of this series will be a questionnaire for the student athletes who are being recruited by JUCO’s.  This questionnaire will aid the student athlete on evaluation the JUCO’s program’s readiness for the NCAA 2.5 rule that could ultimately lead them to a D-1 scholarship.

Finally, should you be worried about these rule changes? 

NCAA reform will have big effect on Jucos

April, 17, 2012Editor’s Note: The beefing up of eligibility standards for junior college transfers is part of a larger academic reform the NCAA is putting in place over the next few years. For more on the changes to freshmen eligibility, click here.

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.
That’s not only up from a 2.0, but also higher than is required for initial eligibility for freshmen (2.3 under the new NCAA rules) and significantly higher than virtually every university requires for continuing eligibility.

“It almost seems like they’re legislating it this way because they don’t want junior college kids anymore,’’ said Steve Forbes, a former Tennessee assistant who is now the head coach at Northwest Florida State, a team that made it all the way to the NJCAA title game this year. “To be honest, it’s outlandish.’’  And he is not alone in condemning the GPA change’s potential impact.  “I think what you’ll have is fewer guys who make it [to a four-year school],’’ Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “And also, after that freshman year, you might see more coaches shy away or not take a commitment because they aren’t as sure that they’ll get the grade.’’  Drew said he expects nothing less than a considerable shift in the junior college landscape from this, with schools that had been perennial powerhouses falling by the wayside if they fail to send their players to Division I schools.  It will come down, he said, to money. Those that have the funding to offer academic support and tutoring will flourish; others will not.  “Over time, I’m sure you’ll see different schools emerging because they have the resources,’’ Drew said.

Forbes considers himself one of the lucky ones. He has a part-time tutor exclusively devoted to basketball. Even so, he figures of the six players on his roster ready to transfer to four-year schools this year, maybe only half would have the 2.5 necessary in a year’s time.  “If you wanted to go to a 2.25, that’s fine,’’ he said. “But it’s like they fished 2.5 out of the air and it’s like, ‘OK, here you go, boom.’ If you’re a junior at Tennessee, you don’t need a 2.5. If you’re a one-and-done, you only need to pass six hours. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do, but the bottom line, we don’t really have a voice or a choice. We have to do what they tell us to do.’’