BU juco guard Kendahl Amerson to redshirt this season

[Da Coach]

Bradley announces that Kendahl Amerson will redshirt this season.

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20141103/SPORTS/141109833

The only reason given was:
Amerson... will sit out this year to further develop his game and because of a crowded backcourt, Ford said.
"We have a lot of junior guards (six scholarship players) and there are only so many minutes to go around," Ford said. "Kendahl is big and can get his own shot.
"But he has a fair amount of growth defensively he needs to make. Also, flow of the game and shot selection, things that aren’t emphasized in high school and junior college, are now more important.
"He’s got some maturing as a basketball player to do. But he’s a really hard worker and we don’t think it’s unrealistic he could go from redshirt to a potential starter."


Amerson is a big physical guard, and was one of the better shooters in practices so far, attributes that Bradley really needs.
Considering how much he would help this team this season, and considering the reports we have heard for weeks that this was coming, there is more to this than is being said.

[blackandgold]

I would have to think that it is fairly rare for a Juco player to be red shirted. Isn't that the point of Juco players? Plug and play. Now that I say that, watch the Shocks red shirt one of our Juco players.

[Da Coach]

I would have to think that it is fairly rare for a Juco player to be red shirted. Isn't that the point of Juco players? Plug and play. Now that I say that, watch the Shocks red shirt one of our Juco players.

See above- there is more here than meets the eye.

[molar50]

Does the redshirting of a junior college player happen very often, without any injury? I see it often for a freshman that is not ready for Div I play, but I cannot recall a JC player being redshirted before a season started

[tornado]

the one statement
"...he could go from redshirt to a potential starter."
..is interesting - because if there's enough of a logjam in the backcourt now to use that as a reason to redshirt...
- then ya think it's gonna get any less of a logjam next year when we don't lose a single backcourt player to graduation??

... Next year when he'll be a first year player - there's gonna be AT LEAST five experienced senior guards jamming the backcourt ahead of him - not to mention that even the current freshmen will be more experienced...

but you're right - nobody recruits juco kids just to redhshirt them - Can't say I've seen that happen much anywhere other than injury...
you go after the juco kids because they are a bit more mature and you expect them to play right away...this has more to do with our desperation going after kids with really marginal academics cuz that's all that's left in the bottom of the barrel - then finding only too late (as we did in a different setting with Chris Blake when we didn't do the proper checks on his eligibility) and having it cost us dearly...
Now we are into November without a commitment with our current scholarship - what does that say - we can't land any of our targets - we are not getting it done.
...and the available recruits next spring are gonna look at that roster and a dozen guys coming back again in 2015 - including kids who have redshirted - so it's gonna be hard to convince any recruiting targets that can win some playing time...

[Buesch N Chips]

Bobby Parker's news & notes said something about a residency requirement, or something like that.

[tornado]

he's redshirting "to fulfill NCAA residency requirements" ???

Don't let the fancy wording fool you - it's academic shortcomings...

that is just a fancy way of saying that his credits that transferred from juco do not meet NCAA requirements and now he has to be enrolled for a year at Bradley and get good grades before they will reconsider his initial eligiblity
...similar to what used to be called Propostion 48 when applied to freshmen, but now the rules apply to juco kids as well

http://www.msjc.edu/Athletics/StudentAthleteSupport/Documents/Transfer%20Tips-%20NCAA%20and%20NAIA.pdf

http://www.lsusports.net/src/data/lsu/assets/docs/ad/policymanual/pdf/502C.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=5200

[Da Coach]

From what I saw, and from what I have heard that the coaches have said, Amerson was the most physically ready guy of the incoming kids.
There is no way they'd choose to redshirt him when the status of Sutherland is still up in the air.
I am not sure why the smoke screen. This was not an elective choice.

[understandingthetruth]

This has got to mean

With an extra year of working on his game he will be less prevalent to recent traditions of missing wide open free throws and uncontested layups. Yes? Ditto on any and all jump shots. May the FORCE be with him!

[BU freak]

Why can't they just tell the truth? Stop the BS. I have never seen a JUCO redshirted for not being good enough. If it's academics then say so. Unreal

[Chico]

Why can't they just tell the truth? Stop the BS. I have never seen a JUCO redshirted for not being good enough. If it's academics then say so. Unreal

The new Hilltop.

[hoops guru]

The explanation in Dave Reynolds article is completely bogus. Since when did Dave become a parrot for the university? Nobody ever redshirts a juco kid, especially when there are injuries. This redshirt obviously involves academic issues. Even Bobby Parker vaguely alluded to that with his line about "Kendahl Amerson is expected to redshirt the 2014-15 season to fulfill new NCAA residency requirements". Why didn't Dave Reynolds bother to say that? Who do they think they are fooling? And why is the PJ Star not doing their job and reporting the facts, instead of reporting exactly what they're told to say? Is it any wonder fans are leaving in droves? reporting exactly what they're told to say? Is it any wonder fans are leaving in droves?

[Buesch N Chips]

The new Hilltop.

Well, as fishy as this sounds, I find it hard to believe that manipulating the media and only telling half of the story began with this administration and staff. Let's be realistic.

[tornado]

in the print edition only this morning - the PJ Star article has been amended to describe the new NCAA rule that requires a minimum 2.5 GPA in all transferable credits or else the athlete must spend a year in residency sitting out at Bradley before being eligible to play, which is precisely what is described above in yesterday's post

[tornado]

Here are the NCAA rules - note especially 14.3.4 & 14.5.4

http://www.catalogsgate.com/gamerules/2014_NCAA_Division_Manual/files/assets/basic-html/page175.html

http://law.marquette.edu/assets/sports-law/pdf/14.3.pdf

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Division%20I%20Governance%20Structure%20Proposal%20(2014-2).pdf?division=d1

hopefully KA will get great grades and be eligible next year - we should have a very solid, experienced team in 2015 barring more unexpected issues or surprises...
...especially if we can pick up a few more shooters/scorers in the spring.
I believe he is the first incoming player to be deemed ineligible since Daniel Ruffin but Ruffin's situation was quite different.
Contrary to some uneducated comments, Ruffin took the SAT several times and improved his scores enough to get entry to Bradley and to expect clearance by NCAA.
However - NCAA declined to accept his best & passing score - however there were zero irregularities as he was deemed fully eligible the following year and ended up getting all four years of eligiblity...recall all those Simeon kids who got caught with "irregularities" in their tests (one of whom was an ISU recruit) -
..were NEVER granted eligibility for DI thereafter (Kenyon Smith, Tim Flowers, Kevin Johnson, etc..) and ended up playing DII or going juco or pro.