Pitt Gets Recruits & Tougher P.I.A.A. Transfer Rules sou
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THE CHOPS
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Pitt Gets Recruits & Tougher P.I.A.A. Transfer Rules sou
Pitt gets recruits, tougher P.I.A.A. transfer rules sought....
1/18/2007,
The Associated Press :
(AP) — It's been a good week for No. #6 Pitt on and off the basketball court.
The Panthers have beaten Big East opponents Georgetown and Connecticut since Saturday, and also landed two recruits — not for next fall, but for the 2008-09 season.
Nasir Robinson, a 6-foot-5 junior from Chester High School, decided to commit to Pitt halfway through his junior season. He is averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Pitt also received an early commitment from 6-foot point guard Travon Woodall of St. Anthony's Academy in Jersey City, N.J. Woodall plays for Bob Hurley, one of the nation's most successful high school coaches.
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TRANSFER PROPOSAL:@ A proposal that will restrict the athletic eligibility of students who transfer past their freshman year of high school is headed for a second reading before the PIAA board next week.
The rule change also has the tentative support of at least one PIAA district.
PIAA District #7 (WPIAL) representatives recently proposed a rule that would make any student who transfers after the start of his ninth-grade school year automatically ineligible to play varsity sports for one year. There are only a few, narrow exceptions, according to WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley — mostly for employment changes.
Currently, students who transfer from one PIAA school to another can be deemed athletically ineligible for a number of reasons, including "material gain" — a phrase that replaced the former "athletic intent" rule.
However, many transfers that resulted in an ineligibility ruling at the district level have been overturned upon appeal by the PIAA.
District 7 had several of those cases overturned, so it sought clearer, stronger language regarding transfers. The current proposal passed a first reading of the PIAA board by a 26-1 vote, but faces two more readings on Jan. 25 and March 23.
The proposal has gained another ally. District 2 recently threw its informal support behind the change but wanted further definition and more discussion about exceptions. Currently, the proposal does not necessarily include exemptions for financial hardship, divorce, family illness or death.
_____________________________________________________________________
RULING UPHELD:@ One eligibility case that was not overturned on appeal by the PIAA was upheld Thursday by a federal judge in Pittsburgh.
Sam Brownlee, a sophomore, was declared ineligible for wrestling after transferring from Mount Lebanon to Canon-McMillan. The WPIAL and PIAA ruled that he transferred because doing so would have aided his career.
U.S. District Judge David Cercone upheld the ruling, saying there was no proof that not wrestling this season would cause Brownlee irreparable harm. Brownlee can wrestle at Canon-McMillan as a junior and a senior.
_____________________________________________________________________
PITT OVER PENN STATE:@ Highly recruited running back LeSean McCoy of Harrisburg chose Pitt over Penn State, although he cannot officially commit until the Feb. 7 NCAA signing date.
McCoy gained 6,640 yards and scored 75 touchdowns at Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, despite missing all but a month of his senior season with a badly broken right ankle. He initially chose Miami, but academic issues led him to attend Milford Academy in New York this school year.
McCoy plans to enroll at Pitt in May. He made up his mind after attending the Georgetown-Pitt basketball game last Saturday, where a fan held up a sign urging him to choose the Panthers.
McCoy canceled a planned weekend recruiting trip to Penn State after giving the verbal commitment to Pitt.
_____________________________________________________________________
TWO-SPORT STAR IN SAME SEASON:@ Two-sport athletes are hardly unusual. Athletes participating in two sports in the same season are very rare.
Sheffield's Larry Heeter is one of those exceptions, playing basketball and wrestling this winter.
Heeter, a senior, practices both sports daily and said there have been only a few conflicts between his wrestling — he wrestles between 135 and 140 pounds — and basketball.
Heeter has wrestled since kindergarten and decided to pick up basketball this school year, in part because he played in junior high and his father also played.
Wrestling and basketball aren't Heeter's only sports. He also doubles up in the spring in baseball and track, and he also played football.
"When I do get some free time, I like to spend it hunting, fishing and trapping," Heeter said.
______________________________________________________________________
FOOTBALL'S COMING?@: New Hope-Solebury High School, located in Bucks County, could be the latest Pennsylvania high school to add varsity football if a booster organization's plans work out.
The school district is studying a plan to add football to a school that currently offers three fall sports — cross country, soccer and golf — for 181 male students.
Supporters of the proposed program said they will fund startup costs estimated to be about $60,000 for the first year. The program would cost approximately $30,000 each ensuing season.
However, the school board projected that adding football and appropriate upgrades to the existing soccer stadium would cost about $3 million over the next two years. The administration also said it must look into Title IX compliance issues.
Supporters say those costs, including the installation of an artificial turf field, are not necessary at this point.
"We just want to get a team on the field," said Joel Hutwelker, who coaches Pop Warner football in the area.
THE CHOPS...
1/18/2007,
The Associated Press :
(AP) — It's been a good week for No. #6 Pitt on and off the basketball court.
The Panthers have beaten Big East opponents Georgetown and Connecticut since Saturday, and also landed two recruits — not for next fall, but for the 2008-09 season.
Nasir Robinson, a 6-foot-5 junior from Chester High School, decided to commit to Pitt halfway through his junior season. He is averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Pitt also received an early commitment from 6-foot point guard Travon Woodall of St. Anthony's Academy in Jersey City, N.J. Woodall plays for Bob Hurley, one of the nation's most successful high school coaches.
_____________________________________________________________________
TRANSFER PROPOSAL:@ A proposal that will restrict the athletic eligibility of students who transfer past their freshman year of high school is headed for a second reading before the PIAA board next week.
The rule change also has the tentative support of at least one PIAA district.
PIAA District #7 (WPIAL) representatives recently proposed a rule that would make any student who transfers after the start of his ninth-grade school year automatically ineligible to play varsity sports for one year. There are only a few, narrow exceptions, according to WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley — mostly for employment changes.
Currently, students who transfer from one PIAA school to another can be deemed athletically ineligible for a number of reasons, including "material gain" — a phrase that replaced the former "athletic intent" rule.
However, many transfers that resulted in an ineligibility ruling at the district level have been overturned upon appeal by the PIAA.
District 7 had several of those cases overturned, so it sought clearer, stronger language regarding transfers. The current proposal passed a first reading of the PIAA board by a 26-1 vote, but faces two more readings on Jan. 25 and March 23.
The proposal has gained another ally. District 2 recently threw its informal support behind the change but wanted further definition and more discussion about exceptions. Currently, the proposal does not necessarily include exemptions for financial hardship, divorce, family illness or death.
_____________________________________________________________________
RULING UPHELD:@ One eligibility case that was not overturned on appeal by the PIAA was upheld Thursday by a federal judge in Pittsburgh.
Sam Brownlee, a sophomore, was declared ineligible for wrestling after transferring from Mount Lebanon to Canon-McMillan. The WPIAL and PIAA ruled that he transferred because doing so would have aided his career.
U.S. District Judge David Cercone upheld the ruling, saying there was no proof that not wrestling this season would cause Brownlee irreparable harm. Brownlee can wrestle at Canon-McMillan as a junior and a senior.
_____________________________________________________________________
PITT OVER PENN STATE:@ Highly recruited running back LeSean McCoy of Harrisburg chose Pitt over Penn State, although he cannot officially commit until the Feb. 7 NCAA signing date.
McCoy gained 6,640 yards and scored 75 touchdowns at Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, despite missing all but a month of his senior season with a badly broken right ankle. He initially chose Miami, but academic issues led him to attend Milford Academy in New York this school year.
McCoy plans to enroll at Pitt in May. He made up his mind after attending the Georgetown-Pitt basketball game last Saturday, where a fan held up a sign urging him to choose the Panthers.
McCoy canceled a planned weekend recruiting trip to Penn State after giving the verbal commitment to Pitt.
_____________________________________________________________________
TWO-SPORT STAR IN SAME SEASON:@ Two-sport athletes are hardly unusual. Athletes participating in two sports in the same season are very rare.
Sheffield's Larry Heeter is one of those exceptions, playing basketball and wrestling this winter.
Heeter, a senior, practices both sports daily and said there have been only a few conflicts between his wrestling — he wrestles between 135 and 140 pounds — and basketball.
Heeter has wrestled since kindergarten and decided to pick up basketball this school year, in part because he played in junior high and his father also played.
Wrestling and basketball aren't Heeter's only sports. He also doubles up in the spring in baseball and track, and he also played football.
"When I do get some free time, I like to spend it hunting, fishing and trapping," Heeter said.
______________________________________________________________________
FOOTBALL'S COMING?@: New Hope-Solebury High School, located in Bucks County, could be the latest Pennsylvania high school to add varsity football if a booster organization's plans work out.
The school district is studying a plan to add football to a school that currently offers three fall sports — cross country, soccer and golf — for 181 male students.
Supporters of the proposed program said they will fund startup costs estimated to be about $60,000 for the first year. The program would cost approximately $30,000 each ensuing season.
However, the school board projected that adding football and appropriate upgrades to the existing soccer stadium would cost about $3 million over the next two years. The administration also said it must look into Title IX compliance issues.
Supporters say those costs, including the installation of an artificial turf field, are not necessary at this point.
"We just want to get a team on the field," said Joel Hutwelker, who coaches Pop Warner football in the area.
THE CHOPS...