New NCAA freshmen eligibility standards are good

New NCAA eligibility rules will take effect next year which will determine if incoming freshmen are eligible to compete that first year in college. There’s a new organization of minority coaches who dislike the new standards which will require better grades throughout a student’s high school career, specifically the first three years. The NCAA simply wants incoming college students to be better prepared for college.

The new rules require a minimum grade-point average of 2.3 in 16 core course and 10 of those core courses must be completed in a student’s first three years of high school. Retaking a course to improve the grade in the first three years will not be allowed or, if retaken, not counted toward the 2.3 GPA. All of this has to do with being eligible to participate as a freshman in college.

Members of the National Association for Coaching Equity and Development think the rules are unfair to minority students. The members—led by basketball coaches Tubby Smith of Texas Tech, John Thompson III of Georgetown, and Paul Hewitt, formerly of Georgia Tech—of NAFCED think the college entrance and eligibility requirements are too high and will prevent some students from playing college athletics. Thompson, representing the group, said: That dream could be taken away after six semesters in high school. So for someone that’s a late bloomer, someone that the light bulb doesn’t go on until later, not it’s too late. And just the disproportionate number of minorities that’s going to affect, the number of people in general that’s going to affect, is not good.

The GPA is not too high for the 16 core courses. And, to progress and succeed each year of high school is a good way to go for anyone who wants to be a college athlete. And, if the rule is as it seems, it does not prevent a coach from signing the player. The student would have to sit the first year. Those who are part of NAFCED need to focus on making sure the students they recruit can make it through college, and the NCAA’s new rule pushes that thought to new levels.

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extemporize (verb) [ik-stem-puh-rahyz] to speak or perform with little or no advance preparation