Vols lose basketball scholarship after falling one point under APR

The Tennessee men’s basketball team missed holding on to all 13 of its allotted scholarships by an agonizingly close margin.

The Vols’ multi-year Academic Progress Rate of 924 fell one point shy of the NCAA’s mandated 925, resulting in the loss of a scholarship for the upcoming season, according to figures for the 2007-08 academic year released by the NCAA on Wednesday afternoon.

The news was better for UT’s baseball team, which was subject to a historical penalty last season.

In its second year under coach Todd Raleigh, the baseball team saw its multi-year APR jump nine points to 898. The resulting improvement means UT’s baseball team will be penalized only 0.33 of a scholarship this season after incurring the maximum penalty of 1.17 scholarships last season.

Despite the departure of 10 players since December, UT’s football team will not be penalized for the upcoming season and actually saw its multi-year APR increase by one point to 949.

“The Thornton Center has been very active in the NCAA’s academic progression discussions and has put in place a great framework to make sure our athletes stay on track,” said men’s athletic director Mike Hamilton. “If our student-athletes aren’t winning academically, they won’t be competing.”

The player transactions that caused men’s basketball to fall below the required standard involves players dating as far back as Brandon Crump, who played under Buzz Peterson, to the dismissals of Duke Crews and Ramar Smith last spring.

Crump graduated from UT with his bachelor’s degree and was taking graduate level classes his senior season. But because Crump didn’t finish his studies, the Vols were docked a point.

Former Vol Major Wingate left one day after the APR’s census report was taken. Had Wingate dropped classes one day earlier, UT would not have lost a point. That day earlier, however, was Labor Day.

The dismissals of Crews, Smith, Jemere Hendrix and Tony Passley all counted a point against the Vols, but Crews’ was the most costly.

Unlike the other three, Crews was not eligible when he left UT. Crews later became eligible, but the Vols don’t get to count it in their APR.

When a player isn’t eligible and doesn’t graduate, it’s considered an “0-for-2” if APR terms. If a team has any players of “0-for-2” status and falls below 925, the team automatically loses a scholarship.

Had Crews been eligible when he left, UT would have scored a 925 and had 13 scholarships to offer.

As things stand, if junior Tyler Smith elects to return for his senior season, the Vols are oversigned and will have to release a current player from scholarship.

UT coach Bruce Pearl has confirmed on two occasions that the player could be redshirt freshman Philip Jurick, who was not encouraged by his prospects for playing time next season.

Tennessee fared better than some of its SEC peers in the APR.

Auburn was the most penalized school in the SEC, being hit with scholarship reductions in men’s indoor and outdoor track (0.03 of a scholarship), men’s swimming and diving (0.99) and men’s basketball (1).

South Carolina also lost one men’s basketball scholarship, while Ole Miss was penalized three football scholarships.

Drew Edwards contributed to this report.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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