- SLAM Online on Friday had some rave raviews for big man Tristan Thompson, who is slated to begin his college career at Texas in 2010:
"...it feels pretty good to see him dominate elite talent with his combination of length (despite his slender frame, the class of 2010 prospect hits the boards hard, battles on the inside, finishes with power and blocks shots), quickness (the Texas commit runs the floor like guard and can guard all five positions on the court) and skill (a role player for St. Benedict’s in Jersey last season and the go-to guy on his Grassroots Canada AAU squad, he can handle the rock in perimeter and in transition, see the floor, hit the mid-range J and has a wide array of post moves)."
- Here's a look at the rigamarole that Toronto baller Devoe Joseph has faced getting his credits approved by the NCAA so he could play at the University of Minnesota. It seems bogus that Joseph was subject to such scrutiny when there are players with no desire of an education, who are waved right into college.
- The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has posted a Q&A with point guard Junior Cadougan, who's planning to go to Marquette.
That's three good building blocks for the senior national team, if not for when London 2012 qualifying begins in three years' time, but somewhere down the line. It would be great to not have to type that with your fingers crossed.
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4 comments:
"It seems bogus that Joseph was subject to such scrutiny when there are players with no desire of an education, who are waved right into college."
Just to be fair, the NCAA Clearinghouse is equally harsh to American-born high school players. A top 5 recruit for 2008 and Arizona commit Brandon Jennings was declared academically ineligible by the NCAA and is now headed to Europe. A good percentage of the top USA basketball and football recruits are often denied entry into NCAA schools due to academic ineligibility.
The problem with Canadian recruits lies not with the level of scrutiny, but the arbitrary nature in which the NCAA assigns equivalent credits from Canadian schools. That is why it is so important for Canadian kids to talk to their school counselor as early as Gr 9, so as to choose proper courses that prepare them for US equivalency.
Fair comment ... it wasn't meant to imply that Canadians are getting hosed any worse than Brandon Jennings was (I've heard the story, but didn't post on it, since NCAA stuff like that isn't of huge interest to a predominantly Cdn. readership).
It was meant to imply that, to use your phrasing, there is an "arbitary nature" to how the NCAA decides who's eligible and who's not.
The NCAA doesn't seem particularly willing to appreciate and accept that Canada has its own education system. Joseph stayed in Canada 5 yrs, all at the same high school (far as I know), he didn't bounce from one diploma mill to the next ... doesn't seem like the kind of kid to whom school is just a means to an end.
It is a de facto form of protectionism. By making it tough for Canadian kids to qualify, they increase the number of spots for Americans. They would never ackowledge that, of course, but it is true. Now, I'm a guy who thinks that in most instances, kids should be staying at home to get their degrees, but in order to do that they will need CIS to pull their collective heads out of their backsides. I'm not holding my breath.
I keep remembering one retired coach who, when B.C. Lions star Brent Johnston was at Ohio State, said he was the argument against scholarships in Canada because you were never going to someone like that from going to the States.
That thinking is kind of ingrained. Why spend money or make an effort, the Americans will just trump us no matter what.
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