NCAA denies UConn APR waiver request – Huskies ineligible for 2013 tournament

By Mac Cerullo

NCAA denies UConn APR waiver request – Huskies ineligible for 2013 tournament

U. Connecticut announced today that its waiver request to participate in the 2013 postseason has been denied by the NCAA.

The university requested the waiver as a result of the men’s basketball team’s Academic Progress Rate scores, which fell below the new minimum standards that were implemented by the NCAA this past October. UConn will appeal the decision.

Because the school’s APR scores fall below the minimum standard, UConn will be ineligible for the 2013 postseason unless the decision is overturned on appeal. UConn could also become eligible if the NCAA Committee on Academic Performance votes to allow schools to use the most recent possible APR scores available at its next meeting on Feb. 20.

In that scenario, UConn would be able to use its APR scores from 2010-11 and 2011-12 instead of 2009-10 and 2010-11. UConn’s APR scores from those years would meet the minimum standards to be eligible for the 2013 postseason.

The minimum standards passed in October dictate that a school must have a four-year rolling APR average score of 900 or an average of 930 between 2009-10 and 2010-11. In 2009-10, UConn’s APR score was a dismal 826, which caused the school to fall short of both marks. The 2010-11 score is reportedly around 975, and the school has indicated that the academics of this year’s team has improved greatly as well.

Here is the university’s statement in its entirety.

The University of Connecticut was informed on Friday by the NCAA that its waiver request to participate in men’s basketball postseason competition for the 2012-13 season, including the 2013 NCAA Tournament, has been denied.

Connecticut will now appeal the decision to the NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance Subcommittee on Appeals.

The waiver was submitted to the NCAA as a result of the UConn men’s basketball team’s performance in the Academic Progress Rate (APR).

“We are deeply disappointed that our request for a waiver was denied, but we look forward to continuing in the process,” said UConn President Susan Herbst. “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.

“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. 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.”

Read more here: http://www.dailycampus.com/news/ncaa-denies-apr-waiver-request-1.2775470
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