MBB: Landmark Conference

[onetinsoldier]

Is there really a 28 year old competing at the collegiate level?  Even on the surface that seems like a complete joke.  Whatever body, whether it be NCAA staff, D3 presidents, etc should be looking out for the collegiate athlete.

[ronk]

Recruiting update:
   I have decided against returning to the University of Scranton for graduate studies to use up my final 2 semesters of bball eligibility.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Is there really a 28 year old competing at the collegiate level?  Even on the surface that seems like a complete joke.  Whatever body, whether it be NCAA staff, D3 presidents, etc should be looking out for the collegiate athlete.

God forbid we applaud the student-athlete for getting a degree and choosing that on top of that he would like to play a sport. Plus the fact, do you really think a 28 year old who has been away from the organized game is going to really take over and dominate? This is Division III... his efforts to better himself and contribute should be applauded, not considered a "joke."

(By the way, he is a collegiate athlete - so people are looking out for him, too.)

[Pat Coleman]

There have definitely been older student-athletes in Division III. I would like to think that there's a place in athletics for those who have to drop out to raise a family or go into the armed services or even play a different professional sport and come back to finish college.

It isn't pre-ordained that college athletics is for the U23 set. Horace Jenkins was 26 when Paterson played in the national title game. There was a guy who played football for Sul Ross State a few years back in his 50s. R.J. Bowers became D-III's all-time leading rusher at Grove City after playing minor league baseball for several seasons. The list is longer than that, too. (Heck, Chris Weinke.)

[onetinsoldier]

Is there really a 28 year old competing at the collegiate level?  Even on the surface that seems like a complete joke.  Whatever body, whether it be NCAA staff, D3 presidents, etc should be looking out for the collegiate athlete.

God forbid we applaud the student-athlete for getting a degree and choosing that on top of that he would like to play a sport. Plus the fact, do you really think a 28 year old who has been away from the organized game is going to really take over and dominate? This is Division III... his efforts to better himself and contribute should be applauded, not considered a "joke."

(By the way, he is a collegiate athlete - so people are looking out for him, too.)

Dave,
With all due respect, the guy in question is averaging 27 points per game and was recently featured on the front page of your website.  So yes, it seems to me as if he really has taken over and dominated. 

I applaud and congratulate anyone who works hard and tries to further his or her own education. I'm not saying Wilkes shouldnt have allowed this man on campus, i'm saying he shouldnt be allowed to play intercollegiate basketball. It creates an unfair platform where a man is competing against boys.  But this isnt new to College Athletics.  Just look at Oklahoma State where a 27 year old made them BCS contenders in football.  It is a moot point, i'm sure any age restriction would be challenged in court (and the NCAA isnt about to have its legal status questioned), but this is an unfair advantage that should not be celebrated.

[Pat Coleman]

Appreciate the opinion -- obviously we differ on what should be "celebrated" but I don't have a problem devoting one of what will be several hundred front-page slots this year to this kind of story.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

He may be averaging 27 points, but the team is 5-4... I don't think his "domination" in your eyes is really something to be concerned about. It the team was undefeated... I would see what you are trying to say.

I am just glad he has the chance to play... I enjoyed my two years and wish to this day I could go back and do it again... even at my age.

[TheGrove]

Come on, this is D3... the beauty of this level is that they're in it for the love of the game. How few of these guys will end up going pro? For the D3 athlete, for most of us it's the end of the line. I remember a Susquehanna football player back in my day who was a Gulf 1 War vet, probably about 26 or 27 at the time. I always thought it was cool he got a chance to play college football after serving his country.

[NEPAFAN]

Recruiting update:
   I have decided against returning to the University of Scranton for graduate studies to use up my final 2 semesters of bball eligibility.

Seton Hall still on your radar? 


BTW Scranton has a 26 year old on their roster. My issue with the Cabrini kid is that he shows up just in time for post season last year and then disappears for a semester this year. ( and that he is good!)

Pat, did you ban Cold Case?

[ronk]

Recruiting update:
   I have decided against returning to the University of Scranton for graduate studies to use up my final 2 semesters of bball eligibility.

Seton Hall still on you radar? 


BTW Scranton has a 26 year old on their roster. My issue with the Cabrini kid is that he shows up just in time for post season last year and then disappears for a semester this year. ( and that he is good!)

Pat, did you ban Cold Case?

  Maybe since PJ has become the interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, he'll remember me, offer a 10-day contract, and I'll forego my last 2 semesters of collegiate eligibility.

[ronk]

  Eerie to see a Kings-Scranton rivalry game with nobody there; holiday break and intersession with no students makes for lousy game atmosphere in January. We used to fill the Scranton CYC(4400 capacity) for this game when I was there.

[NEPAFAN]

  Eerie to see a Kings-Scranton rivalry game with nobody there; holiday break and intersession with no students makes for lousy game atmosphere in January. We used to fill the Scranton CYC(4400 capacity) for this game when I was there.

You can't have it any later because you get into conference play, so how about a tip off tournament? Not sure what else you can do to generate some buzz...

[NEPAFAN]

Looks like Cold Case was banned? On what grounds?

[onetinsoldier]

Looks like Cold Case was banned? On what grounds?

I've started e-mailing cc over the past few months, and I found out yes he's received the hammer.  I'm not sure what he did to set Pat or Dave off (I dont know who is responsible for monitoring the site, or even if it is one of them), but i dont think the fight is over anytime soon.  He's writing an editorial with the following excerpt: ""You have to see it to believe it. Two stooges, let's call them, Mutt and Jeff, believe they are the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and ban people when you put them to task with honest questions. These buffoons are as sad as sad can get. Fact is, these clods are Taliban."

either way, his insight on Scranton BBall will be missed, especially if the Royals can make a deep tourney run.

[Pat Coleman]

All he wants to do is bash people and the community. If someone asks a question, I respond, and it leads to taking crap from a poster for answering a question, then honestly, none of us should have to read that.

New Year's resolution -- for my own peace of mind, I'm not going to let people continue to do that. It's covered in the TOS and has been for more than a decade. I have better things to do.

Chris Shovlin is back at Wilkes? I thought you had five years to complete four? No?

"The clock" is for scholarship levels. It doesn't apply to Division III. If someone isn't enrolled full-time, they do not use a semester of eligibility.

D-III has nothing to do with it. It's the NCAA. My point is that the guy is 28. At that age, he should be out working and perhaps taking part-time classes. Instead, the guy is probably full-time. And, after years of landing transfers, are you surprised it's Wilkes?

It actually *is* D-III, and not the NCAA, that makes D-III rules. Division III presidents, VPs, athletics directors assistant athletic directors and coaches make up the rule-making bodies and vote on proposals at conventions. The people who work in the NCAA office in Indianapolis (aka, "the NCAA") are not the ones who make the rules. (They do interpret the rules and manage the budget, etc.)

I suspect the reason why we do not have a clock is that since D-III student-athletes are never on scholarship, they do sometimes have to take time off from school in order to go back to work and make money to pay for another year of school. I do not at all think it is a problem to have non-traditional students come back and finish their degree and eligibility, provided they are full-time students (or in the final semester to finish their degree requirements). I applaud Chris Shovlin for coming back, in fact. Good for him!

Not many people post on "your" site. Keep chasing them away....

Someone who is intent on making discussions personal, even when I have said nothing personal, is not going to change, in my opinion. Enough is enough, already. I have tried interacting with this poster in a professional way and this is the response I get. Not worth the time I've spent even compiling this post.