NCAA coaches fair well on academic report cards
The NCAA released their first ever round of academic progress reports for coaches on Thursday and despite a barrage of recent scandals, everyone faired pretty well.
The APRs had until this year been reserved for players to evaluate their performance in the classroom so as to ensure they remain academically eligible to play their respective sports. In an effort to improve transparency for future recruits deciding on an academic program, the NCAA opted this year to also release report cards for coaches.
"Some people say that coaches don't care about academics. That is not true," said Walter Harrison, chairman for the committee on academic performance. "I know from our baseball, men's basketball and football working groups that coaches feel very strongly about their students' academic progress, and academics is the first thing they often ask about on the recruiting trail or when they meet with recruits."
"With the release of these APR portfolios, we are calling attention to the success of coaches and having transparency,” said Harrison when asked if the coaches would be penalized for poor academic. “There are a lot of people responsible for academics, so I'm comfortable with where we are."
Topping the rankings, which were retroactive to the 2003-04 season, was Butler basketball coach Brad Stevens, who posted three consecutive perfect scores of 1000 over the past three seasons. Duke's Mike Krzyzewksi, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins trailed just behind him in recent years, putting up perfect scores twice. All four teams were in this years Final Four in the NCAA tournament.
In fact, 13 teams ranked in the AP top 25 last year posted perfect scores in 2008-09.
"It's a commitment by the athletic department and the university to supply the resources to help the players succeed academically," said Huggins, who has often been criticized for his player’s academic performance. "I commend our guys not only for their performance on the floor but in their academic work in the classroom as well."
Another coach often criticized for a lack of effort in the classroom, John Calipari of Kentucky received a 922 in 2008-09 and 980, 1000 and a 960 in his final three seasons with Memphis.
"It's hard to argue with our numbers," said Calipari on his wesbite.
While strong academic performance seemed to coincide with strong play, a similar trend developed at the opposing end of the scale; schools buried in scandal tended to flop on their report cards as well.
Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun, whose program is mired in agent scandal and currently under investigation by the NCAA, scored 844 and 909 after four years of relatively better results.
The NCAA’s mandated cutline for academic performance is 925.
Two other schools that have been in the spotlight over scandal, USC and Indiana also faced dismal marks. USC’s Tim Floyd scored a 949 the year O.J Mayo left for Los Angeles; the previous year, he posted an 804. Indiana’s Kelvin Sampson had only two scores over 900 through six seasons with his low, 811 coming in his final year with the Hoosiers.
NCAA football programs faired similarly well with all but one, Brigham Young, of the APs top 25 finished with a score above the mandated 925. Oddly though, the trend of scandal and low scores did not seep through into the football programs, with former USC coach Pete Carroll receiving passing grades in all six years, while Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose players were at the heart of a textbook scandal, finished last year with a 972.
The academic progress reports evaluate the performance of coaches across six NCAA disciplines: men’s and women’s basketball, football, baseball and indoor and outdoor track. The NCAA did not release averages, arguing that statistical anomalies such as coaching changes would skew the scores.
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