Greg Oden is gone but is not expected to be taking a scholarship with him.
The 7-foot freshman has withdrawn from classes at Ohio State as he prepares for the NBA draft, men's basketball coach Thad Matta said yesterday, but a university official said Oden's failure to complete the spring quarter is not expected to cost the program a scholarship.
The NCAA's Academic Progress Rate threatens programs not measuring up to its standards with a loss of scholarships.
"My understanding is that because he withdrew, it triggers back to his eligibility coming out of winter quarter," said John Bruno, the OSU athletic department's faculty representative. "He was making very good progress at the end of winter quarter, and, therefore, according to NCAA parameters, he would professionalize at a time when he was in good academic standing. If that's the case, and I have every reason to believe that is the case, then he would not trigger" a loss of a scholarship.
The men's basketball program's APR score this year was 902. Teams that score lower than 925, or roughly a 60 percent graduation rate, face a loss of a scholarship, Bruno said, but only if they also have a player leave the program while ineligible.
"Greg Oden will not (adversely) impact basketball's APR," Bruno said. "Had he stayed, would he have helped their APR? Of course, because they would gain points had he stayed. But leaving ineligible is the real thing you have to worry about, and he left eligible."Labels: student loans, study abroad |
