NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

It might be a bit premature to suggest the NCAA will finally be forced to compensate athletes with anything more than a scholarship, but the day could be around the corner.  Former UCLA Basketball star Ed O’Bannon, with the help of sneaker legend Sonny Vaccaro,  have filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for using the likeness of former players long after they have left campus.

Ed wrote about his reasons for the lawsuit to the Lost Letterman:

I’m not in it for the money. I’m in it to help open eyes about how the NCAA has exploited tons and tons of student-athletes in basketball and football.

The Vaccaros came to me with an opportunity. And I thank God for this opportunity to represent these student-athletes, so they would at some point see some compensation for it.

Cutting Down the Nets in 1995, the NCAA is still profiting

I just think it’s my duty, as a former student-athlete, to open a door and let everyone see what’s going on. There are a lot of student-athletes who have played basketball and football whose faces are being sold. Their jerseys are being sold. Their images are being sold.

Below are some of the various opinions across the web on the implications of the lawsuit.

Yahoo:

“When you’re in school you’re obligated to live up to your scholarship,” O’Bannon said. “But once you’re done, you physically, as well as your likeness, should leave the university and the NCAA.”

Hausfeld notes that the very forms the NCAA cites in controlling all revenue are for one-year terms. ” [The scholarship] requires annual signing,” he said. It’s proof that the NCAA has no right over former athletes.

“What it does is emphasize the illegality with the Association essentially saying by reason of these annual, limited grants of right, the Association and the universities can exercise the right to use the image of the former student-athlete eternally,” Hausfeld said.

“The entire program is focused on the student-athletes’ enrollment in a university as well as the athletes’ eligibility,” he continued. “You’ve got two absolute qualifiers. You need to be a student and you need to be eligible. Once that ends, there are no rights the Association acquires over you.”

Deadspin:

What’s nominally at stake is control of the $4 billion market for collegiate licensed merchandise, but the lawsuit, orchestrated by crusading former sneaker impresario Sonny Vaccaro, is nothing short of an attack on the NCAA’s antiquated and evermore untenable notion of amateurism, in which the NCAA profits wildly off the rampant commercialism it pretends to decry. You can read all about the implications here. It’s a worthy fight, of which Ed O’Bannon, one of the more spectacular basketball flameouts in recent memory, is now the public face, a “sort of Curt Flood of college sports,” in Wetzel’s phrase. There’s something sort of sweet about that. The guy couldn’t crack the mid-’90s Nets lineups, and now he might very well wind up taking down the NCAA.

Sports Illustrated:
The stakes of O’Bannon v. NCAA are enormous. If O’Bannon and former student-athletes prevail or receive a favorable settlement, the NCAA, along with its member conferences and schools, could be required to pay tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of dollars in damages — particularly since damages are trebled under federal antitrust law. The marketplace for goods may change as well, with potentially more competition over the identities and likenesses of former college stars.

A victory would also necessitate substantial changes in the relationship between the NCAA and student-athletes. Namely, the NCAA could be required to advise student-athletes of the importance of legal counsel and of ways in which student-athletes can obtain counsel.

Proponents of such an outcome would likely hail the creation of a more equitable bargaining relationship between student-athletes and the NCAA. Critics, in turn, would likely bemoan a more litigious experience for both student-athletes and athletic department officials. They might also worry about diminished NCAA protection of student-athletes, with swindlers and charlatans potentially having easier access to student-athletes as they transition into the real world.

In an interview with ESPN Rise, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall discussed how important decisions are in the recruiting process.

ESPN RISE: What advice will you give to the players at the Gridiron Kings [an ESPN RISE All American Football Game]?
Rashard Mendenhall: One of the more important things is decision making. A lot of guys have that talent, but college is where a lot of people decide where they’re going to be, who they’re going to hang out with and things they’re going to do.

RISE: How did you choose Illinois?
Mendenhall: I went there with my brother, Walter, because we wanted to go to the same school. It felt like the right fit. It had the perfect balance between football and school. We liked the program and the campus, and it was close enough to home but not too far away. For me, it felt right on all aspects.

Here, Mendenhall is showing how important it is to find the right school for you. Remember, choosing a college isn’t a four year decision; it’s a forty year decision. Where you go to school has an effect on your future, from friends to an eventual career, the college search has a major effect on the rest of your life.

NCSA was just informed from the Assistant Athletic Director that they have found a new head basketball coach! Please read the release below!

Carroll University Athletics
For Immediate Release

July 21, 2009

Carroll University names new head men’s basketball coach

(Waukesha, Wis.) – David Buchanan, until recently the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has been named head men’s basketball coach at Carroll University, athletic director Kris Jacobsen announced today.

Buchanan, chosen after a national search that attracted more than 200 applicants, becomes the 25^thhead coach in the 101-year history of the Pioneers men’s basketball program. He succeeds David Schultz, who resigned after seven seasons to become a full-time teacher and boys basketball coach at Waukesha West High School.

“Our men’s basketball program has been very successful and has garnered national attention,” said Jacobsen. “I feel strongly that David Buchanan represents integrity and character. He will continue the tradition of winning on the court and will be a positive influence to his players, the community and the large following of alumni. Carroll University is fortunate to have David join our team.”

Theresa Barry, Carroll’s Dean of Students, echoed Jacobsen’s comments. “We are delighted to have David join Carroll University as the head men’s basketball coach,” said Barry. “He will be a strong asset to our student-athletes, both on and off the court.”

Buchanan comes to Carroll after a successful two-year stint at the helm of the UW-Superior program. In his short tenure at Superior, the Yellowjackets improved from being Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) afterthoughts to title contenders.

In his first season at UW-Superior (2007-2008), Buchanan led the Yellowjackets to a five-win improvement from the previous season and ended the year by advancing to the semi-finals of the WIAC Tournament for just the second time in school history. Superior’s fifth-place regular season finish that year was its best WIAC finish since 1979. He compiled a two-year record of 23-29 overall, including a 10-22 mark in the WIAC.

Buchanan, a Watertown, Wis. native, was a standout collegiate basketball player at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he graduated in 1995.

Buchanan’s coaching career began as a volunteer student assistant coach at UW-La Crosse. He then moved to Greenfield High School for his first head coaching position, leading the Hawks in just his second season to their first Woodland Conference Championship in 31 years. After five years at Greenfield, Buchanan had a short stop as head coach at Brookfield East High School before becoming head assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, an NCAA Division II member.

As the recruiting coordinator at UW-Parkside, Buchanan recruited a regionally recognized class in just his first season. That recruiting class went on to eventually qualify for the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to become the head men’s basketball coach at Carroll University,” said Buchanan. “The University has a tremendous upside both academically and athletically. Coach Schultz did a great job with this program and now my goal is to build on that and win Midwest Conference Championships while also competing at the National level.”

Buchanan inherits a Carroll program that has the talent to contend for the Midwest Conference Championship in his first season. Two notable returnees for the Pioneers include senior point guard John Hoch (Colgate, Wis./Hartland Arrowhead) and sophomore shooting sensation Kyle Jones (East Troy, Wis./East Troy). The pair averaged 24.1 and 11.8 points per game, respectively, and played a major role in helping Carroll finish 16-8 overall (12-4 in the MWC), its sixth consecutive season with 15 or more wins.

“The players are looking forward to the opportunity to work with Coach Buchanan,” said Hoch, a third-team D3hoops.com All-Region selection and first-team All-Midwest Conference honoree. “We are willing to whatever it takes to keep the program at a high level. We believe Coach Buchanan is going to give us a great opportunity to be successful, both now and in the future.”

Carroll’s 2009-2010 schedule is currently being finalized and will be released in the coming weeks.

Rick Mobley

Carroll University

Assistant Athletic Director

Director of Sports Information

Read up all upcoming seniors!! Here are the steps you need to take once you have started to build a relationship with a college coach, in order to finalize the recruiting process and ultimately make your decision.
Gage interest from the coach.To gage interest, you need to get an evaluation from the coach. This means you need to get the coaches video or invite them to see you play live. Once they have watch you play–ask what they thought. If you get a good evaluation–you need to ask where you stand on their list of recruits. If you are top on their list–this is a good sign! If your evaluation is not what you are expecting, ask what you can do to improve and continue to follow up or move on to the next school. If you are on the top of the coaches list, you now need to ask a lot of questions to determine your interest level.
Once there is mutual interest you need to ask if you should apply and find out what the application process is. You will also need to set a visit or ask the coach if they are planning on offering you an official visit. Setting a visit to see the campus, meet coach and teammates, is extremely important. It is recommended to do this with a few schools before making your decision.

The visit is most often when a coach will put an offer on the table. If you are ready to commit, you can accept. If you are not ready, explain that you are interested, need more time and ask how long the offer stands. Good luck!

How much impact could a visit to a college campus have on a young athlete? It can only be positive as you never know what it could lead to down the road in recruiting.Coach Neal Studd, Florida Gulf Coast University, has a Junior Olympics event on his campus with swimmers ranging in ages from 14U to 8U. It is a huge event and Coach Studd is hoping that he can reap some benefits down the road for his program with potential recruits by having this event at his venue.  He will be around the pool to meet people and talk about his school to anyone who has questions.

Failure in the last three major world competitions has people asking, has the United States lost its dominance in its own national pastime? The US has failed even reach the championship game in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2008 Olympic Games, and the 2009 WBC. Now, ESPN reports that the United States Collegiate All-Stars have lost to their collegiate counterparts in Japan in a five game series.

Japan took advantage of two errors in the bottom of the 11th inning to defeat the United States 8-7 in the deciding fifth game of the college baseball championship series.

Shuta Koike walked and advanced to third on a throwing error by pitcher Sonny Gray. Masayoshi Kato then hit a grounder to shortstop Christian Colon, who committed an error, allowing Koike to score the winning run.

The Americans took a 7-4 lead in Thursday’s game with three runs in the top of the ninth, but the Japanese team scored three in the bottom of the inning to send the game into extra innings.

Yusuke Nomura picked up the win after holding the Americans scoreless in the final two innings. Gray took the loss.

Many people blame these recent shortcomings to a lack of superstar talent in international competition. Many players from the United States did not participate in the World Baseball Classic because it interfered with Spring Training and they were afraid of injury. Major League players cannot join the US squad during the Olympics because it occurs in the middle of the regular season. Even in the recent collegiate series headliners such as number one overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg were not present. Although this may be a valid claim, the players being sent to these competitions are in no way lacking of talent. In the recent series many of the top collegiate programs such as Florida State, Arizona State, and Cal State Fullerton all had representatives from their rosters. With this in mind then, what could be the cause? Could it be the governing bodies of baseball, the NCAA and MLB?

Recently, athletic interest has been pushed away from baseball and funneled at other sports such as football and basketball. Peter Gammons of ESPN gives pretty valid reasoning for this.

The NCAA has limited baseball scholarships to 10½ for 30 players, it has essentially eliminated full scholarships and the opportunity for poor kids to play college baseball. Now MLB is trying to limit bonuses, which will in turn drive athletes to football and other sports in which they can get scholarships. [Scott] Boras has long railed against the combined efforts of the NCAA and MLB to drive American athletes away from baseball.

It is a shame that America has seemingly lost some of its prowess in the international game. However the reality is that it is getting tougher for every athlete to receive a scholarship with economic times coupled with constantly shifting NCAA regulations on the matter. That is why every athlete should know the 5 Things They Must Do to Get Recruited in order to better their chances of earning a scholarship that will drastically lower the financial burden of a college education.

We have been writing for months about imploding athletic budgets, the struggles complying with Title IX, funding non-revenue sports and general doom and gloom regarding any aspect of college athletics tied to finance.  Many of the sports that have been hit the hardest are NCAA designated “Emerging Sports.”  However, amid the financial wreckage hope has emerged for a few sports.  ESPN reports on the economic environment:

Rowing was the first emerging sport to earn NCAA championship status, in 1997, and has been the fastest-growing sport among the four successes. From the 1997-98 season to the 2007-08 season, 46 teams were added and more than 2,000 women joined teams. According to the NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report, which details athletic participation numbers through the 2007-08 season, rowing was sponsored by 144 schools and had 7,024 participants. That’s about 5,000 more participants than women’s ice hockey, which is second among the four in growth. Women’s ice hockey and women’s water polo both earned NCAA championship status in the 2000-01 season. Women’s bowling became a championship sport in 2003-04. All four have experienced growth.

DeBoer said sand volleyball has the same kind of growth potential simply because court volleyball is the second-most-played NCAA women’s sport in the country. According to the latest NCAA participation report, 1,014 of 1,070 NCAA schools sponsor volleyball, which is only 43 fewer schools than the number that sponsor women’s basketball. Several court teams already spend their springs working out on the sand. The University of Nebraska, for example, has an indoor sand volleyball court.

“A lot of kids that I’m recruiting are currently playing in [sand volleyball] tournaments … but just to get more competition, and they just want to be able to play their sport outside,” said Kevin Maureen Campbell, volleyball coach for North Florida, who has been instrumental in pushing for sand volleyball as an emerging sport.

While some contend that sand volleyball will become a regional sport played in Florida and California, the push for its NCAA inclusion has come from places including Nebraska, Tennessee and the University of Denver. Professional volleyball’s AVP Tour has been widely popular in southern states and in centrally located states such as Colorado. And with the success of the AVP Tour, players have professional opportunities after college.

But most importantly, the cost of fielding a sand volleyball team is minimal. Games could be played at local parks or beaches where courts already exist, or a court could easily be added to a campus at a low cost.

All of these sports will continue to face challenges in the upcoming years as budgets recover, but if they make it through the storm more scholarship opportunities will be created.  Athletes participating in emerging sports will have to keep a close eye on each program to make sure they are aware of any possible change in recruiting opportunities.

Each day student athletes face the decision to commit to a serious college sport or to pass it by for the typical college social life. Although, your scholarship offers are telling you one thing the life of a non-athlete is so appealing when a majority of friends are not headed in the direction of football games, house parties, fraternities/ sororities, etc. As a high school senior, that may seem like the ideal situation for your high expectations of what to expect freshman year of college. But, the typical college lifestyle does not always fit the priorities you have set for yourself and your future as an athlete. When given the opportunity to play a sport in college, I would tell anyone to go for it and that would be the easy part. Finding the right “fit” at a school is the toughest part. Before you turn down the chance to fulfill a dream of athletics, there are ways to select a college that would fit your requirements socially, academically and athletically. For starters try creating a priority list you can think about before signing with a school or ruling out the idea. Sometimes it takes seeing it in writing to understand what you really want out of your college experience and how important it is to your needs.

Example of Questions for the Student Athlete to Answer

1. Location
a. Is it too far from home?
b. Do I stay in state or out of state?
c. Is it the school located in an urban or rural location
2. Size of school
a. How big are the classes?
b. What is the enrollment number?
c. Big school vs. small school?
3. Education
a. Do they have a desired degree or program for you?
b. What is the quality of the classes?
c. Are there post graduation possibilities?
d. Could you get a scholarship for academics?
4. Sport Program
a. Is the team friendly?
b. Do you feel comfortable with the coaches and athletic department?
c. What would be your role on the team?
d. How are the athletic facilities?
5. Social Life
a. What are your expectations?
b. Are you willing to give up parties for early morning practices?
c. Is traveling and giving up weekends something you can handle along with school work?
d. What kind of dorm life do you want?

Have you ever wondered how college coaches can offer scholarships before they are even able to officially write a letter to a prospect? Have you ever wondered how college coaches evaluate film when they receive it from recruits? Have you ever received a letter from a college coach and been unsure how to interpret its meaning?

The recruiting process is filled with questions ranging from NCAA rules and regulations to the proper steps a recruit should take on an official visit…and everything in between. The difficulty families face is getting the right answers.

As always, our focus with this newsletter is to answer those questions, one week at a time. However, we receive hundreds of questions a week in response to our articles and we realize you need the answers as quickly as possible. With that in mind, for the next few weeks, (or until you have no more questions) we will be addressing the topics you want to know about…

I have asked our expert Recruiting Coach staff including former college coaches and athletes led by Former DI Recruiting Coordinator Randy Taylor to dedicate some of their time each week to answer the questions that our readers have about recruiting.

All you have to do is send an email to newsletter@ncsasports.org, type “Recruiting Question” in the subject…and fire away! All we ask is that you limit your emails to one question per week so we can do our best to respond to as many as possible.

Where can you find the answers?

Each week, our Recruiting Coaches will pick five of the best questions to answer in our weekly newsletter.

What if your question is not picked?

We will take the remainder of the questions asked and post them in the NCSA Recruiting Education Blog throughout the next few weeks so be sure to check the blog often to find the answer to your question.

There are no dumb questions so feel free to ask anything!

Specialization is an issue that is hotly debated amongst sports fans.  Does specializing in one sport hurt or help an athlete develop?  There is no consensus answer, and both sides have valid arguments.  Count Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo in the two sport camp.  The AP reports how Romo believes playing multiple sports prepared him for the NFL.

“People sometimes today are predominantly putting their kids into one sport,” said Romo, who held the first-round lead and now is tied for third entering Sunday’s final round of the 20th annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.

“Age 10, they’re going to do one thing the rest of their life. I have a hard time with that because, shoot, I was like a basketball player as a kid. I would have just concentrated on one sport, soccer or something,” he told reporters after shooting a 3-under-par 69 on Friday.

“I never would have been able to do what I’m lucky enough to do — play football,” he said.

“I use the tools that you get mentally on the (golf) course for football,” said Romo, who followed Friday’s 3-under-par 69 with a 72 on Saturday.

“Anytime you’re in a pressure situation or something happens where you have to rely on your mental strength or discipline or all of a sudden you get nervous, blood starts racing, heart starts going, the more you’re in those situations the better off you’re going to be,” he said.

“I think that is exciting to be in those situations on the golf course because then all of a sudden when you’re at the end of a football game, you felt your blood pressure rise, you felt this stuff go through your brain and you have to rely on your fundamentals. … I think my fundamentals are probably a little better at football, but I think that it’s a neat thing to kind of use that in something else.”

Of course this is just his opinion, but I think his words have a lot of value if you are considering making the specialization choice.