NCAA at it Again

Now, I may sound like an insensitive jerk during this post, but just hear me out. The NCAA in their infinite wisdom has declared that Tyler Smith a transfer from Iowa can play immediately at the University of Tennessee. As most of you know NCAA bylaws state that a player must sit out a year when transferring, for the obvious reason of player gouging by coaches with little to no moral standard (i.e. Bruce Pearl).

At any point that transfer has the option of appealing that bylaw and getting a waiver forgo that year of sitting on the pine. In most cases the NCAA does not grant them the waiver, and that is understandable because they already have a rule in place. The appeal process is for certain circumstances like what happened at Baylor a few years back, or maybe if a ki9d is unjustly kicked off a team or not renewed a scholarship for some reason other than his own doing.

Tyler Smith spent his freshman season at the University of Iowa under Steve Alford. After the season Alford left to take another coaching position. Smith then decided that he no longer wanted to be at Iowa, which often happens when a new coach comes into a program. Now we all no right here the NCA is somewhat hypocritical where a coach can jump from team to team with virtually no consequence but a player must sit out. At this point Smith enrolled at Tennessee and applied for a waiver because as the article states “a native of Pulaski, Tenn., sought the waiver because he wanted to return to his native state to be closer to his father, Billy, who suffers from lung cancer.” Now here is the Kris sounding like a jerk part, who cares? Am I said for the young man and his family that his father has this terrible disease, absolutely, but the NCAA shouldn’t.

This has no bearing one whether or not he should be granted a waiver. He had no plans to transfer when Steve Alford was still the coach. So the issue here is not his dying father, the issue is Steve Alford really. Was he in any way wronged by the NCAA, Iowa or the University system that is why someone should be granted a waiver, not because of a family problem. Listen pal, all of us have family problems. This is where the NCAA opens up a can of worms when they make decisions like this with no explanation. That is the NCAA’s problem, they never offer a logical explanation for these things. So are we to believe now that if you have a ill parent you can transfer without consequence, because to me that is what this decision says, but maybe I am too literal.

I just want an explanation, that’s all. And if I am waiting for the NCAA to give me one, I have no chance of hearing a logical one.


UPDATES

Anyone who knows me and who read my last blog knows my ever loving obsession with the NBA Draft, and guess what kids, it’s draft week. So what could be better than wall to wall Block Party coverage. On Tuesday we have a First Round mock draft, Wednesday we have a Block Party original. Thursday we will have one more final draft preview, and then Friday we will post some of our live draft chat. If anyone is interested in being part of the live NBA Draft chat please email me at krisdeblasio@hotmail.com