PHILADELPHIA – The charity for troubled youths started by Jerry Sandusky more than three decades ago – and through which the retired Penn State assistant football coach met the boys he is charged withSTORRS, Conn. – The NCAA on Friday turned down the University of Connecticut’s request for a waiver that would allow its men’s basketball team to play in the 2013 national championship tournament.
UConn doesn’t qualify for the tournament because of below-standard academic results, but it asked for a waiver last month.
The school proposed alternate penalties, including playing a shorter schedule next season, forfeiting the revenue awarded to the Big East for participating in the 2013 tournament, and barring coach Jim Calhoun from meeting off-campus with prospective recruits during the fall 2012 contact period.
University President Susan Herbst said she’s disappointed by the NCAA’s decision to reject that proposal but said the school will appeal.
“I want to be clear that during my entire career as a scholar and a teacher, I have been in full support of high academic standards in collegiate athletics,” she said. “However, in this case, there are good students who could be penalized for the problematic behavior of students who have not been enrolled for years. Educators and parents need to do what is right for their students, and not allow them to be caught in the dynamics of public relations.”
Under rules approved in October, a school must have a two-year average score of 930 or a four-year average of 900 on the NCAA’s annual Academic Progress Rate, which measures the academic performance of student athletes.
Connecticut’s men’s basketball scored 826 for the 2009-10 school year. UConn’s score for the 2010-11 school year is expected to be about 975. That would not be high enough, giving UConn a two-year score of 900.5 and a four-year average of 888.5.
“We continue to believe that we have made a very compelling case in our waiver to the NCAA and we are pleased with the recent outstanding academic success of our men’s basketball student-athletes,” Herbst said.
The school’s appeal now goes before a subcommittee of the Committee on Academic Performance and could be further appealed to Walter Harrison, the chairman of the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance.
