2ndGenBeaver
Sophomore
Posts: 1,819 
Grad Year: 1991 (MS/CS) 1999 (PhD/CS)
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Post by 2ndGenBeaver on Jun 2, 2017 14:36:34 GMT -8
"Andrea Aquino is playing on an AAU all-star team in NJ. I can't imagine a Paraguayan family putting up the money for that." ------- I presume AA comes from a low income family - but don't know for sure....Her Mom was in Corvallis for AA's Official. Pretty sure that OSU can't foot Mom's travel... I'm sure there are no cheap flights Paraguay-Portland. I am not saying anything is shady - not even hinting at it. But it is another head-scratcher in the how-do-they-pay-for-this in the basketball world. Well, this ( www.espn.com/college-sports/recruiting/story/_/id/15271513/ncaa-passes-rule-allowing-institutions-pay-two-guardians-accompany-recruits-official-visits) says: Proposal 2015-52 will allow institutions to pay the actual round-trip costs for a prospective student-athlete's parents or legal guardians to accompany the prospect on his official visit and will be implemented August 1, 2016. Go Beavers! |
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Post by beavershoopsfan on Jun 2, 2017 14:50:06 GMT -8
The visits that Andrea Aquino (and her mother) and Patricia Morris (and her parents) took to Corvallis in May 2017 each qualify as the one "official visit" that a prospective athlete can make to a given college as per NCAA recruitment regulations. Recruits are permitted to take official visits to as many as five schools, but can take only one "official" visit to a given college. As high school juniors who had completed their junior season of high school basketball, they are permitted to take official visits once the collegiate basketball season was completed. Prospective collegiate athletes commonly take a number of unofficial visits (assuming they live close enough) to colleges on their own dime in their attempts to find the right fit for themselves during a very important development time in their lives.
I found some info below about official (and unofficial) visits on an NCAA recruitment website.
What is the difference between an official visit and an unofficial visit?
Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents paid for by the college is an official visit. Visits paid for by college-bound student-athletes or their parents are unofficial visits.
During an official visit the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the prospect, lodging and three meals per day for both the prospect and the parent or guardian, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sports event.
The only expenses a college-bound student-athlete may receive from a college during an unofficial visit are three tickets to a home sports event.
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Post by 411500 on Jun 2, 2017 18:38:10 GMT -8
2ndGenBeav & beavershoopfan--- Yo: thanks for the great information. I was in a bit of a time warp because I remember well the days when a parent could not be compensated when the accompanied their kid on an official....
In the instance of AA & her Mom this helps things to fall into place much better....
This is a great example of a thread that actually transmitted real, relevant information.
A pleasant relief from the catharsis clouds that puff up and billow thru so may threads....
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Post by bennyskid on Jun 2, 2017 19:44:08 GMT -8
I found an AAU rulebooks on-line. A few interesting excerpts, in particular regarding "NCAA-certified" events, which I think are the ones where NCAA coaches are allowed.
Some league rules:
- No all‐star game of any kind is permitted
- A league or event can NOT receive revenue from spectator admissions, raffles or similar activities, live television broadcasts, or parking fees. Charity events are not permissible.
- NCAA coaches in attendance ... must be separated from prospective student‐athletes and ... parents, high school coaches, nonscholastic coaches, Recruiting/Scouting Services, etc. ... at minimum, separate seating.
- organizers may not distribute ... any information or data from or relating to a prospective student‐athlete ... except a packet to NCAA coaches attending my event.
But I found what I think is the "money shot". Here it is in full:
Reduced Entry & Employment Program Requirements
NCAA legislation requires activity operators to charge participants the same entry fee. Operators are prohibited from granting free entry or reduced entry to select participants based on athletics ability or reputation. An operator may offer participants a reduced entry fee or employment program provided the following conditions are met:
1. If offered, reduced entry fees must be made available to all qualifying participants and must be based on some objective criteria that is unrelated to a participant's athletics ability or reputation.
2. If offered, a work program must be made available to all qualifying participants and must be based on financial need that is unrelated to a participant's athletics ability, reputation or value that the individual would bring to the event/league. Financial need will need to be determined objectively and will need to be based on concrete information. Operators will need to identify what documentation/criteria will be utilize to determine financial need to select these participants. Compensation must be paid only for work performed and at a rate commensurate with their experience and for similar employment in that locale.
3. Any reduced entry fee program and/or participant employment program must be publicized in advance. Operators will need to identify how participants will be notified/informed that such a program exists (on registration form, event flyers, website, etc.).
So Andrea might have her participation fees paid by her team, as long as its based on concrete, objective financial need. She can also be in some sort of work program (run the concession stand between games?), as long as it's based on need or other objective criteria and publicized in advance.
Events can also pay for hotels, local transportation and meals as long as everyone gets the same. The only other thing that an event can give to the participants (incl. coaches) is a single T-shirt. I couldn't find anything regarding what a team can give its players, but I have a strong hunch that they can only do as much. If I'm right, then Katie likely has to pay her airfare to Italy and she'll need pocket money for personal stuff, but Adidas will foot the bill for the rest. (Her parents are on their own, I'm sure.)
One interesting item . . . the AAU specifically states that they don't recommend having pro sports teams sponsor events. Apparently that triggers an entirely different set of rules regarding "try-outs", and they basically say that it's a big can of worms that they prefer you don't open.
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Post by 411500 on Jun 3, 2017 11:06:45 GMT -8
bennyskid - In my view you delivered a pretty solid reply to a tough issue.
Producing literate prose that is engaging and informative while at the same dancing around the use of particular words that are potentially offensive is a really tough task.
I give the benefit of doubt to the author unless he or she indicates they don't deserve it.
Avoiding all potentially offensive language really condenses your keyboard. If you get my drift.
Oh well, enough of this. I can't add anything to this topic that hasn't already been written by far better thinkers.
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Post by bennyskid on Jun 3, 2017 13:08:02 GMT -8
Getting back on-topic, now I understand why we know so little about these events. The rules prevent the organizers from publishing anything that might be considered an "evaluation". So, no box scores. The teams are very limited in how they can promote themselves and the players, so their twitter feeds are filled with very generic posts. It's all intended to keep the Willie Lyles-types at arms-length, but it's frustrating for us fans that want to know how "our girls" are doing.
I thought it was interesting the lengths they go to keep the college coaches "quarantined". Apparently, larger events even have separate restrooms for the college coaches.
And the financials are more clear to me now. Clearly, the system relies on there being lots of marginal players and teams to pony up the entry fees that allow the events to happen. Most of those players will never get a sniff from the colleges but the parents seem willing to pay to keep the dreams alive. And I imagine that most of the parents (and players) know that the chances are slim, but are willing to put in the money and time because it keeps the kids busy and focused on something positive.
Looking at Andrea's team, the NJ Sparks, they claim to have about 100 alumni that got scholarships. Of course, most are to little schools (Dominican, Felician, UNC-Central), but there are a lot of big schools in there as well. They are registered as a non-profit, and they give their players a form letter to give out to prospective donors to ask for money for hotels, entry fees, and such. The basic fee for the travel teams are as much as $1500. They also have raffles (and players are required to sell $200 in raffle tickets).
This all seems pretty reasonable to me. I recall paying over $500 for a 10-day tennis camp, held at OSU - no travel, uniforms, or anything. $1500 for a travel team doesn't seem outrageous at all.
I noticed that the colleges they listed are all over the map. If the NJ Sparks was run by Willie Lyles, I'd expect to see girls being channeled to specific schools. But the only schools that seem over-represented are a couple small schools, which I presume are local and their entire recruiting budget doesn't cover the coach's lunch at the AAU tournament he shared a ride to get to.
It all seems pretty clean to me. But the preponderance of rules suggest that it hasn't always been this way. I don't think you write a hundred-page rulebook covering everything down to the potty stalls unless there have been problems.
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