Wow -thats impressive.. Any Idea what the average SAT score for the team was.. or the minimum requirement for entrance?
Remember everyone, to be a student athlete the athletics can't be more important. If a kid doesn't graduate within four years he's not a student, nevermind the fact that professional sports are incredibly ageist and most players will be done by the time they are 30, leaving a good, oh, 50 years to go back to school and get a degree and then have a head start on finding a job because employers will be impressed by their background. Also forget the fact that most of these kids negotiated school money into their contracts with the express interest in completing their degree and a lot of them take classes while also playing. Forget all that though, because by ThePonchant's estimation, Akron soccer players are not student athletes because only 4/11 starters are named academic All Americans while having the highest team GPA on campus. You leave school early, you're a deadbeat who doesn't care about your education, not someone who wants to chase a once in a lifetime dream knowing that school will be there when they are done.
Not sure Alfred Koroma would really be considered a top notch Student-Athlete and he certainly didn't get "turned away".
No. Their studies do not necessarily stop just because they leave the program. Both GA and HG have provisions for finishing one's degree. Very few (if any) Akron players leave prior to graduation if they are neither GA nor HG. I struggle to remember the last one who did. I know Generation Adidas and Home Grown contracts differ dramatically. I do not claim to understand all the details. Perhaps Sandon can educate us. Ultimately, that does not matter. The salient point is that whilst one plays for Akron, he will study. If there is no demonstrated high school record of scholarship, Akron likely will not recruit that player. I do not know what the minimum academic level is for Akron Soccer, so do not ask me. But I do know that academic excellence spiked sharply under Porter. To his credit, Porter raised the standard not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.
I love when people pick 1 guy out of 30 to make their point and expect us to all be dumbfounded by its brilliance. Yes, some kids don't have great grades but are really, really, really good at soccer. I was unaware that this was something that didn't happen at every single D1 school across the country. Shame on Porter for recruiting to make his team better.
You may be right. I do not know what type of student Koroma is. If any student in the program is academically mediocre, rest assured, there is a straight A guy on the roster to statistically offset him. Only a select few attend Akron on a straight athletic scholarship. It is entirely plausible that Koroma is one of those.
By no means did I say that's what it takes to be a "student-athlete." No where did I say that you're a deadbeat if you leave school. I am one who supports alternative methods. But, I also do not declare them "student-athletes." I could care less if a kid leaves -- I would encourage them to make money through Homegrown or GA contracts. But, I wouldn't call them "student-athletes." I call them pursuing their dreams! Good for them for doing it. I would love to see NPSL and PDL teams take over the collegiate soccer scene. Extend the season. Help the players get jobs, community college/tech school education, and housing options. It's MUCH better than what colleges are doing by screwing kids of their opportunity to succeed based on a test score or a grade.
Moderator, is there any method to unrep something prior to actually repping it? You spell the doom of collegiate soccer (which I dearly love). Surely, you realize this. So, do not stop there. Take your measure to the philosophical end. I propose the elimination of all athletic "scholarship" of any kind. Reserve all that money for proven, well, you know,... scholars. Everybody go D3 tomorrow. All sports included. There is no logical justification for the NFL and the NBA to enjoy tax payer subsidized minor leagues. Not in these austere times. There. I said it.
Not intentionally.. I researched it and couldn't find it.. so I asked... but I am "interested" in this GPA discussion, and the SAT requirements...... cuz it aint duh infomatun I wuz gittin....
I am a HUGE college soccer fan...unfortunately, it's not conducive to player development. Maybe one could say that Division I somewhat is, but I highly doubt that. Actually, if one wants to look solely on player development, NAIA has some of the best rules for it (or maybe I should say -- no rules at all for it). No one can really have more contact with their players than NAIA allows. I actually think we would be better off "meshing" our athletic/academic institutions into the academy setup that the rest of the world has. Imagine if we could turn EVERY institution into an academy for ANYTHING...and the finances are there. We spend just about more money than any other country on academics AND athletics. So, why not make them academies? It's a complete overhaul and restructuring, but I think it'd be for the better. It also gives us something that no one else has. Academies that serve EVERYONE, not just those who excel in certain things (i.e., La Masia and soccer).
You made a point that "very good" players are turned away from Akron if they don't have the "academic chops". My point was that no "very good" players are turned away. Akron has done a great job recruiting players who were academically very good who would not have gone to Akron without the great soccer program. Very good students = academic money = great GPA = more soccer scholarship money for the not so academically gifted. Great model that has been very successful but to say good players are "turned away" is not at all true.
I do not know such information. I would guess that the same criteria applying to the overall university would also apply to soccer team. And I do not know what that standard is. I have heard that University of Akron is now much more academically "discriminating" than it was in my day. I probably would not even gain admission now.
Reliable sources have identified several good players that had lousy high school grades whom Akron declined to recruit, even when solicited by player. Many of these players enjoyed success at other high-profile NCAA programs. Some are now in the MLS. I dare not divulge names for fear of the virtual lynch mob that would surely pursue me. Under Porter, a mediocre student would only be recruited if he was a great talent, a likely future professional. Even then, his academic intentions need to have been earnest. Poor students were not considered. Legal or disciplinary problems were dismissed from the outset. I expect this practice to continue under Jared Embick. Personally, my love of the program would be no less if we mixed in a few miscreants. We definitely had our share in the past. Boy, did we ever! But that was not the Porter way. I do not claim to know everything. Even so, I challenge anyone to inform me that Porter’s program was anything but squeaky clean, even exemplary. Porter has never received enough credit for that.
Poor students not considered? Um, Darren Mattocks. And as to your last two sentences, keep drinking the Kool-aid my friend. All of the sudden, Akron is both the next Harvard academically and squeaky clean, even exemplary in all facets of their program? Great team for sure, but now we are getting carried away.
I can get carried away. Mos Def. Tell me what you think I do not know. Just how bad a student was Darren Mattocks? I only know the statistics published by the university, such as team GPA. And we also hear about the academic All-Americans. Naturally, the school never draws attention to individuals who are academically mediocre students. Was Mattocks one of those? I do not know. This I do know as a long time supporter: Prior to Porter were many unsavory occurrences (better forgotten) over the decades with shady circumstances and alleged criminal activity. I paint with a broad brush, over many decades. In the early 1990s, a very good coach was ousted due to supposed recruiting violations. In the late 1990s, another fine coach almost lost his job when international players were accused of rape. I think those players were deported. There have been many other rumors, whisperings, and back page stories surrounding this program (one of the NCAA’s oldest) over the years. During the 1970s, drunken brawls were rumored at fraternity parties along with grade fixing of finals. Whatever! Who really knows. Zips were not the Madden era Oakland Raiders or anything, they just had their share of PR problems. I cannot vouche for the veracity of most of this. That is why I have not listed any names. Under Porter, all that stuff just went away. Every single story was positive. Yes, Porter’s program was as pure as the driven snow. Either that, or the SI Department quadrupled their budget in 2006. I am not naïve; I realize how things work. All I can tell you is that hyper-inquisitive and vigilant fans, such as me, never ever heard anything remotely negative about Porter’s program, even when we were looking for the dirt. Jared Embick has big shoes to fill.
This is what I expect to see in the spring. Stevenson.............................Koroma .....................Brenes.................... Najem...............................Quinn ..................Foldesy.................. Derschang....................Abdul-Salaam ..........Gallego............Souders.......... .....................Pina...........................
Gonna agree to disagree with you. Just because your life takes you on a path that postpones getting your degree doesn't mean you weren't serious in your academic pursuits while enrolled in school and playing sports. I can name plenty of athletes who were good students but left school early, many of whom eventually returned to school to complete their degrees and some of whom went on to get advanced degrees.
I'm not going to say it's a bad thing to go to school to play a sport...while also studying. I also don't blame them for leaving. I would too. Those that leave to earn a paycheck to play sports (through college athletics) are no different than those that go to school to study (through college) then get a job and paycheck. It's using the higher education system to get a job...either way you look at it. It's structured that way. I am not about to call someone who KNOWS they are going to spend 1-2 years in college athletics, just to turn pro, a true "student-athlete" though. There's a big difference. It's a stepping stone. And, again, I don't blame them one bit. I'd probably encourage it too, if I ever had players like that.
I want to revive this thread. Ismail Seremba to Akron. http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/boys-commitments:-from-chelsea-to-akron_aid28677
Projected @ Butler S/4/20/2013: Portillos************Foldesy ***********Brenes********* Malkin*************Quinn ***********Souto********** Fives********************Abdul-Salaam ******Ruhaak****Souders****** *************Pina*******************
http://www.butlersports.com/sports/m-soccer/2012-13/releases/20130422ga6znu Butler takes down Akron in a spring game.