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Post by hcpride on May 18, 2024 9:45:42 GMT -5
With a traffic fatality, the police would lock everything down because they probably need the state police reconstruction team to come in and do their thing. Kind of standard. Reports are that players were being allowed to drive onto the course. Either the police office did not realize Scheffler was a player or Scheffler did not think he was being waved through in a timely fashion. Scheffler is saying he misunderstood the police officer's instructions Or he thought he was supposed to drive around the stopped lineup (perhaps misinterpreting the detective's hand signals in the dark and this (driving around stopped traffic) may have been something the players in courtesy cars ordinarily do to get on the course early AM). Given the fatality an hour earlier involving an auto and a pedestrian security guard, there may be a lighting issue. We'll see. In any case, Scheffler was apparently wise enough to comply once he realized what was going on and has been saying all the right things regarding law enforcement.
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Post by hcpride on May 18, 2024 9:34:41 GMT -5
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Post by hcpride on May 17, 2024 13:13:31 GMT -5
A school named in this thread has a current staff member whose sole responsibility is to provide academic support to a men's team of said institution. This individual has a PhD in education from a PL school, and describes their skills as those of a "learning specialist". This person's previous employment includes nine years as a special education teacher (with an emphasis on dyslexia) and prior to that, this person worked in the tutoring field. I don't think it is really fair to a student-athlete if their academic eligibility is wholly dependent on their being tutored during the entire course of their schooling. And the institution has one or more academic programs (majors) that are not that challenging. If a school offers both, then, IMO, the AI becomes dispensable. When Father Brooks (pre AI) retained discretion on entry criteria we survived. And prospered. One suspects ditto with Prez Rougeau even if we ditched the AI.
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Post by hcpride on May 17, 2024 13:09:14 GMT -5
20 years ago HC was ranked close to where we are today (top 30 LAC) and Villanova was a "safety". Crazy how things change. I'm pretty sure at one point, not too long ago (Father McShane Era?), Villanova and the University of Scranton were 1/2 respectively in the "Regional College" rankings. Look at BU and Northeastern too 😱 Things change.
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Post by hcpride on May 17, 2024 12:27:34 GMT -5
All the League presidents and ADs, including GU and Fordham, and the two academies, had to be aware of and approve the offer to UR to join before it was made. The UNH quote (granted 10 years ago) is exactly why I think one of three things will happen to Richmond athletics via the AI. UNH is a fine state school but the admissions standards are no where near Richmond’s selectivity. The correlation is simple; the higher the AI of the entire freshman incoming class = the more difficult to attain the necessary aggregate AI avg for incoming student athletes. Either 1 of three things are happening: 1) The PL is relaxing (not abolishing) the target AI for all incoming student athletes. Would also be welcome news to G’Town and even Colgate. 2) The PL will allow a slow transitional period for Richmond to become fully AI complaint. 3) There is an understanding b/t the Richmond athletics department, the football program and admissions that the football program WILL NOT be where the athletics department will have to make changes. The more selective admission requirements will fall upon lesser known Olympic sports. As I think about it more, this one actually seems most likely. After following recruiting very closely for several years, I’ve seen Richmond football admit some kids out of HS or the portal that I don’t believe could have been admitted to the PL. Fordham the only PL school that has been able to push around the admission edges per Chesney. That coupled with 2 primary sources that played for both the PL AND Richmond confirming that perception from an insider view of the academic differences amongst their respective teams. To the extent Richmond currently has any commits (and perhaps the following year’s commits) that fall outside the PL AI guidelines for Richmond, I’d imagine option 2 applies. It is interesting the AI issue wasn’t mentioned as a concern by the coach or president in the press conference. The red shirt issue certainly was (and all indications at the press conference were that Richmond’s current policies in that regard will continue). IMHO Georgetowns football recruiting woes (relative to their PL competition) are a lack of athletic schollies and unimpressive facilities coupled with low financial aid more so than their PL AI.
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Post by hcpride on May 17, 2024 10:27:09 GMT -5
I'm replying to Ignatz. Schools can and do access the SAT scores of all applying students. This was revealed, at least to me, by the study that Dartmouth did before recently re-instating standardized test scores. Students who did not submit standardized test scores and were rejected would have been admitted if they had submitted the scores. The school would have considered the score in the context of the student's economic / social circumstances, and admitted him/her. Wait a minute... So all these schools saying they were SAT or ACT optional really weren't? They were using them as admissions criteria even though they said they weren't? If so that's a scumbag move. Difference between an ability to access scores (if that is a fact) and the use of such scores in the admissions decision when a student indicates otherwise. Beyond that, the details of a SAT-Based AI at a test score optional school have long been shrouded in mystery. GPA- based AI in a time of wildly inflated GPAs is actually funny. At the same time there are folks who want to say PL has an AI so having one permits that.
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Post by hcpride on May 17, 2024 8:30:01 GMT -5
Yes, and I think this section illustrates the relative difficulties of meeting Patriot League AI and redshirt rules while running competitive programs: The inability to redshirt was seen as a huge detriment to New Hampshire's competitiveness on the field - much more so than the Academic Index.
"We had to crunch the Academic Index for months," Scarano told me, "Interestingly enough, the kids we admit would have not been impacted by the academic index. We are admitting kids that fit our academic index just as Lehigh gets theirs, and Colgate gets theirs.
"But one of the really hard obstacles we ran into was redshirting."That might explain why the Richmond press conference hit the red shirt issue really hard and the AI was no issue at all. Amazing for the PL that it picked up a school in UR that's a plus academically and athletically. All under the cover of darkness throughout the FCS world. There wasn't a peep of rumor about this move that I have seen referenced, perhaps because the PL wasn't perceived as being able to pull off an acquisition this good. Once it was announced, people can see the synergy. Yes, the first media report I saw was May 9 suggesting serious Richmond dissatisfaction with CAA — and PL and SoCon as potential football landings spots for Richmond. (With SoCon potentially requiring a very unlikely all-sports commitment.) I’d imagine things were a lot further along than that.
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Post by hcpride on May 17, 2024 8:04:45 GMT -5
Good read from our friend LFN. Would UNH have joined in all sports or just football? My recollection was the discussion at the time was more about UNH and Maine coming in for football. This was in the wake of Hofstra and Northeastern dropping the sport and URI announcing intent to relegate to the NEC. Before Albany and Stony Brook were added, and URI reversed course on the NEC, UNH and Maine would have ended on a remote geographic island for CAA Football. The other thing I can't remember is if these conversations all took place before or after scholarships were announced. I would assume after. UNH would have become a member of the Patriot League in all sports. Yes, and I think this section illustrates the relative difficulties of meeting Patriot League AI and redshirt rules while running competitive programs: The inability to redshirt was seen as a huge detriment to New Hampshire's competitiveness on the field - much more so than the Academic Index.
"We had to crunch the Academic Index for months," Scarano told me, "Interestingly enough, the kids we admit would have not been impacted by the academic index. We are admitting kids that fit our academic index just as Lehigh gets theirs, and Colgate gets theirs.
"But one of the really hard obstacles we ran into was redshirting."That might explain why the Richmond press conference hit the red shirt issue really hard and the AI was no issue at all.
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Post by hcpride on May 17, 2024 1:35:48 GMT -5
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Post by hcpride on May 16, 2024 20:34:36 GMT -5
Spoken like a true provincial New Englander. 42% per the numbers you cite. No provincialism here — was just a link and summary of responsive data found on the UR website — in an effort to respond to a poster’s query. If you think required to include Mid Atlantic states in the poster’s undefined term “Northeast” don't forget to include Virginia — that makes the number 57%. No wonder then that UR, with a majority Northeast student body under your definition, opted for the PL as opposed to SoCon. Or SoCon insisted on all-sports whereas we were ok with football-only.
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Post by hcpride on May 16, 2024 18:50:25 GMT -5
i think a lot of people (outside of the PL-area anyway) think of the PL still as if it was non-scholarship etc....HC and Fordham have beat or nearly beaten multiple FBS schools since scholarships have been restored. Holy Cross would have beaten Richmond easily last year if they had met in the playoffs imo. I think it is because PL was non-scholarship for decades. The PL schollie details were a little hazy for UR’s coach but he was reasonably familiar with some recent PL success.
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Post by hcpride on May 16, 2024 9:19:19 GMT -5
Reading some other message boards there is a consistent thought that UR was done with CAA football (for unspecified reasons) and had discussions with SoCon and PL. That, in fact, was the earliest print report. SoCon (a better geographic fit and a bit stronger in FCS football) insisted on all-sports while PL was willing to do football only.
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Post by hcpride on May 16, 2024 5:41:47 GMT -5
Relative to Richmond’s choice of Patriot League over Southern Conference (SoCon), here is their new-ish president’s bio: “After graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Kevin earned his Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. For sixteen years, he served on the faculty of Cornell University, where he was most recently Director of the Institute for Compensation Studies and Dean of the SC Johnson College of Business. Kevin and his wife, Tina, grew up in a small town in Massachusetts.” president.richmond.edu/hallock/index.html
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Post by hcpride on May 15, 2024 19:32:45 GMT -5
I don't know if it was offered, but a little surprised Richmond came our way and not to the SoCon. My hunch is that they believe Nova is right behind them in joining our ranks. Curious what the breakdown of undergrads at U of R percentage-wise is from the Northeast...anecdotally knowing friends&family who attended there, I bet it's a fairly high percentage. This is from Richmond's website, goes most to least, and puts them in good company (except numbah 3). TOP 10 UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION COMPETITORS University of Virginia William & Mary Boston College Georgetown University University of Michigan Wake Forest University University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill University of Maryland Virginia Tech Washington and Lee ifx.richmond.edu/research/peers.html
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Post by hcpride on May 15, 2024 14:04:06 GMT -5
I'm sorry but why are we so down on the College's academic reputation after the acceptance rate dropped to 21% for the class of 2027? The "we" are small in number but loud in voice. Some of the same folks that for years have been clamoring for us to leave the PL and join the CAA. I'm waiting for them to turn the good news about Richmond on its head and and say that now is the perfect time for us to apply to the CAA. After all, the CAA is already down one FB school and if 'Nova joins the PL they'll be down two . . . To be fair, CAA football looks VERY different than it did just two or three years ago. Things change.
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Post by hcpride on May 15, 2024 11:03:12 GMT -5
Agreed, W&M being a public all-sports CAA member isn’t heading to PL. At some point we’ll find out Richmond’s specific issue(s) with the CAA. The word is that their internal decision to depart CAA came prior to a decision to pursue PL football membership. We know JMU and Delaware departed to go FBS. On another front there were those who extolled the virtue of belonging to a small conference because it meant more non-conference games could be played (kind of an odd virtue and not altogether certain how serious these folks were)…hopefully they are OK with adding Richmond as another in-conference game. 😀 OK with it. Assuming the PL remains a one bid league most years, each current member school may go to the playoffs slightly less frequently but the league as a whole is stronger. Yes, the argument that PL football was a great league because there weren’t very many games versus the member schools kinda sounded like a (very) backhanded compliment. Or making a silk purse of a sow’s ear. In any case, glad to see that notion evaporate.
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Post by hcpride on May 15, 2024 2:57:30 GMT -5
Tobacco money has made for solid endowments across the South. … I think UR is a good fit for the PL. W&M will not follow, the College vested as an all sports member of the CAA. The majority of the fanbase as well as our new AD are on board that the CAA as the best home for W&M sports. Agreed, W&M being a public all-sports CAA member isn’t heading to PL. At some point we’ll find out Richmond’s specific issue(s) with the CAA. The word is that their internal decision to depart CAA came prior to a decision to pursue PL football membership. We know JMU and Delaware departed to go FBS. On another front there were those who extolled the virtue of belonging to a small conference because it meant more non-conference games could be played (kind of an odd virtue and not altogether certain how serious these folks were)…hopefully they are OK with adding Richmond as another in-conference game. 😀
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Post by hcpride on May 14, 2024 19:25:56 GMT -5
Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror. These two schools don’t have the institutional support or care compared to the other five (now six) schools. Georgetown has all the institutional support they are going to get for a school with 62 scholarships across 15 men's teams. If they didn't have support, Georgetown football would be sitting alongside Seton Hall and Xavier. That said, UR is good for the league. If Georgetown admin doesn’t support football with athletic schollies they are not going to win much in the schollie PL. As we have seen. And this should not be a surprise. Of course there are reasons why Georgetown football doesn’t get the institutional support it needs to succeed in PL football but that is a separate issue.
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Post by hcpride on May 14, 2024 16:17:20 GMT -5
The APR is very important to TPTB. Thus, the AI will stay, IMO Why is this so important? Do they not trust their member schools? The AI helps some schools and absolutely dooms others. It does not help the league as a whole. Schools like Nova and Richmond exercise their own discretion and things work out just fine there. Really not worth any attention at a press conference, etc. (I've been wondering if PL uses a GPA AI now and that is kinda funny if you know what is going on with high school GPAs nowadays.)
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Post by hcpride on May 14, 2024 15:57:08 GMT -5
I wonder if they sort of sprung this on the coach...he looked and sounded like he didn't think this was a great idea. Like Brooksie on Rick Carter?
Interesting that they don't compete much recruiting wise v W&M but a whole lot versus various Patriot League teams.
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Post by hcpride on May 14, 2024 14:09:56 GMT -5
Wow--there are some really despondent Spider fans on that board--as entertaining as the Fordham board has always been, I'd like to get on it and welcome them but I think it is a pay board. Probably feels v like a step down to a lesser football league comprised of distant schools they barely (if at all) know. OK, I overstated it but to some extent I understand their “football fan” issues with the move. Bbbbut, a concurrent Nova move will greatly ease their angst.
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Post by hcpride on May 14, 2024 14:01:24 GMT -5
AI wasn’t the barrier to HC excellence. 5th years made the difference (as we know) so I suspect the idiotic PL position on regular redshirts has gone bye bye.
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Post by hcpride on May 12, 2024 18:27:08 GMT -5
When the Nova board brought back football they had a very firm and public resolve never to again go 1-A (FBS). Of course Big East football was a suitor but the idea of big time hoops and nationally competitive FCS has proven a winner. To say the least. Where do we sign up for that model? I wonder if the drop off in "buzz" for lack of a better word between big time hoops and FCS football inhibits Nova fans from getting as excited about good FCS teams as HC fans have been during the Chesney era? I guess if we had won a couple of March Madness national championships recently as a Big East basketball member our PL football team might be a bit overshadowed. Be surprised if that wasn’t the case and that’s a ‘problem’ we’ll never have to confront.😀
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Post by hcpride on May 12, 2024 9:49:27 GMT -5
They certainly aren’t against facing the PL in football (as it has been 2 or 3 teams per year recently…this year just 1 although it is the long slog to Colgate). As the CAA continues to change there are is a greater and greater chance Nova looks around at their league competition and wonders why they’re not with the more similar and nearby (ish) schools in the PL. Why they don't follow Delaware, JMU, UConn, UMass to G-5? They never had attendance like Delaware and JMU and don't have a whole state behind them like Delaware and UConn, and they aren't a State University like the four who moved up? When the Nova board brought back football they had a very firm and public resolve never to again go 1-A (FBS). Costs and other concerns. Of course Big East football was a suitor but the idea of big time hoops and nationally competitive FCS has proven a winner. To say the least.
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Post by hcpride on May 11, 2024 7:59:21 GMT -5
I've long thought Nova to the PL for football was a fait accompli....just makes too much sense institutionally, geographically etc....former coach Any Talley wanted no part of it but with the watered-down CAA, I think it's only a matter of time they join the PL for football They certainly aren’t against facing the PL in football (as it has been 2 or 3 teams per year recently…this year just 1 although it is the long slog to Colgate). As the CAA continues to change there are is a greater and greater chance Nova looks around at their league competition and wonders why they’re not with the more similar and nearby (ish) schools in the PL.
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