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http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2009/05/geving_knew_psu_was_in_trouble.html
Geving knew PSU was in trouble, and says he'll help Vikings dig out of it, too
by Jim Beseda, The Oregonian
Monday May 11, 2009, 5:51 PM
When Portland State assistant Tyler Geving sought and landed the chance to succeed departed men's basketball coach Ken Bone, he knew he was inheriting a program in trouble.
Trouble on the academic front.
Even before Bone accepted the Washington State job, word had gotten around the PSU offices that the Vikings were about to take a hit from the NCAA for the program's deficiencies in the classroom and its low graduation rate.
That would mean loss of scholarships and a cut in maximum practice time, which both can be crippling for major programs.
So, Geving knew what he was getting into -- and what he would have to get out of.
"We as coaches need to do a better job of evaluating who we're bringing in and making sure that academics are a priority to them," Geving said. "I don't think that you can point the finger at just one person or thing for this whole situation.
"The coaches have to hold the players more accountable, and the players have to want to get their degree. It has to mean something to them. And our academic support group has to do a better job. ... There's a lot of blame to go around, but we also have an opportunity to fix it."
The PSU men's basketball program posted an Academic Progress Rate of 867, falling well below the NCAA's benchmark score of 925 for the second consecutive year. As a result, the NCAA penalized the Vikings, limiting them to 11 scholarships instead of 13, and only 16 hours of team activity per week instead of 20.
"Obviously, this is going to have a little bit of an impact," said Geving of his team that has made back to back NCAA Tournament appearances. "With 11 scholarships, we should still be able to compete at a high level. We've done it before with fewer."
Two years ago, when the Vikings won the Big Sky Conference championship and played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, they had 13 scholarship players. But three of the players -- Jamie Jones, Phil Nelson and Dominic Waters -- weren't eligible because of NCAA transfer rules, and Dupree Lucas missed more than half the season because of injury, so the Vikings dominated that season on the strength of nine scholarship players.
Geving said the Vikings also would have no problem adjusting to the reduced practice time.
"It's going to have a little bit on an impact on us," Geving said. "I'm not naive (enough) to think it's not, but we still have enough good players to be successful, and we still have enough hours in the practice day to be successful, as well."
To build up the program, the Vikings took some chances on players that were academic risks. And while the program has improved in the win-loss column, the departure of several stars and scrubs alike before they got within shouting distance of a diploma have dealt the most severe blows to the team's APR.
And the hits keep coming, with four scholarship players from last year's team leaving the program since the departure of Bone, who could not be reached for comment.
Freshman forward Wendall Wright dropped out of school and returned home to Lakewood, Calif., junior center Donatas Visockis is looking to transfer to a junior college, and junior forwards Kyle Coston and Tyrell Mara both plan to transfer to Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C.
From an APR standpoint, Mara's loss is mitigated by the fact that he is expected to graduated from PSU at the end of this term. Mara, who appeared in 90 games over three seasons at PSU, also has a chance to play for his former high school coach and earn an additional year of eligibility under Canadian collegiate rules, while working toward a master's degree.
Losing Coston, Visockis and Wright, though, hurts the program, and could be a drag on the team's APR for several years to come.
Although Visockis and Wright weren't key players last season, Coston, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward, started 31 games and averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds last season. He hopes to play at the pro level as a shooting guard, so he wants to take a year off to work on his game, and then use the additional year of eligibility he'll gain in Canada to help him achieve that goal.
"We wish Kyle the best," Geving said, "There's a good example of a kid that's a good student who's leaving and we're going to get penalized for it."
At the same time, the Vikings have a few former players who are continuing to work toward their degrees, which could turn into favorable points. Those points might not be enough to push the team's APR to 925, but the Vikings' goal now is to at least show the NCAA that they are heading in the right direction.
"I think the perception is that we've sitting around as coaches and we don't care if the guys go to class or not. That's not the case," Geving said. "I don't think people realize sometimes how many hours we spend with our guys on their academics, but maybe what we were doing wasn't enough.
"I look at it this way: We're going to clean up the mess. Even in recruiting, that's something that is going to be important to me and is going to be at the top of the priority list as I sell our program to kids and their parents.
"I think we'll be all right. Am I concerned? Yes, I'm concerned, but I'm also confident in the guys we have this year, and I'm confident that we're all going to work together and make it better, because it can't be the same. Something has to change."
Note: Portland State has signed Phillip Thomas, a 6-8, 240-pound forward, to a letter of intent. Thomas, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 rebounds last season at College of Eastern Utah, will be a junior in 2009-10.
- Jim Beseda: [email protected]
Geving knew PSU was in trouble, and says he'll help Vikings dig out of it, too
by Jim Beseda, The Oregonian
Monday May 11, 2009, 5:51 PM
When Portland State assistant Tyler Geving sought and landed the chance to succeed departed men's basketball coach Ken Bone, he knew he was inheriting a program in trouble.
Trouble on the academic front.
Even before Bone accepted the Washington State job, word had gotten around the PSU offices that the Vikings were about to take a hit from the NCAA for the program's deficiencies in the classroom and its low graduation rate.
That would mean loss of scholarships and a cut in maximum practice time, which both can be crippling for major programs.
So, Geving knew what he was getting into -- and what he would have to get out of.
"We as coaches need to do a better job of evaluating who we're bringing in and making sure that academics are a priority to them," Geving said. "I don't think that you can point the finger at just one person or thing for this whole situation.
"The coaches have to hold the players more accountable, and the players have to want to get their degree. It has to mean something to them. And our academic support group has to do a better job. ... There's a lot of blame to go around, but we also have an opportunity to fix it."
The PSU men's basketball program posted an Academic Progress Rate of 867, falling well below the NCAA's benchmark score of 925 for the second consecutive year. As a result, the NCAA penalized the Vikings, limiting them to 11 scholarships instead of 13, and only 16 hours of team activity per week instead of 20.
"Obviously, this is going to have a little bit of an impact," said Geving of his team that has made back to back NCAA Tournament appearances. "With 11 scholarships, we should still be able to compete at a high level. We've done it before with fewer."
Two years ago, when the Vikings won the Big Sky Conference championship and played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, they had 13 scholarship players. But three of the players -- Jamie Jones, Phil Nelson and Dominic Waters -- weren't eligible because of NCAA transfer rules, and Dupree Lucas missed more than half the season because of injury, so the Vikings dominated that season on the strength of nine scholarship players.
Geving said the Vikings also would have no problem adjusting to the reduced practice time.
"It's going to have a little bit on an impact on us," Geving said. "I'm not naive (enough) to think it's not, but we still have enough good players to be successful, and we still have enough hours in the practice day to be successful, as well."
To build up the program, the Vikings took some chances on players that were academic risks. And while the program has improved in the win-loss column, the departure of several stars and scrubs alike before they got within shouting distance of a diploma have dealt the most severe blows to the team's APR.
And the hits keep coming, with four scholarship players from last year's team leaving the program since the departure of Bone, who could not be reached for comment.
Freshman forward Wendall Wright dropped out of school and returned home to Lakewood, Calif., junior center Donatas Visockis is looking to transfer to a junior college, and junior forwards Kyle Coston and Tyrell Mara both plan to transfer to Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C.
From an APR standpoint, Mara's loss is mitigated by the fact that he is expected to graduated from PSU at the end of this term. Mara, who appeared in 90 games over three seasons at PSU, also has a chance to play for his former high school coach and earn an additional year of eligibility under Canadian collegiate rules, while working toward a master's degree.
Losing Coston, Visockis and Wright, though, hurts the program, and could be a drag on the team's APR for several years to come.
Although Visockis and Wright weren't key players last season, Coston, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward, started 31 games and averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds last season. He hopes to play at the pro level as a shooting guard, so he wants to take a year off to work on his game, and then use the additional year of eligibility he'll gain in Canada to help him achieve that goal.
"We wish Kyle the best," Geving said, "There's a good example of a kid that's a good student who's leaving and we're going to get penalized for it."
At the same time, the Vikings have a few former players who are continuing to work toward their degrees, which could turn into favorable points. Those points might not be enough to push the team's APR to 925, but the Vikings' goal now is to at least show the NCAA that they are heading in the right direction.
"I think the perception is that we've sitting around as coaches and we don't care if the guys go to class or not. That's not the case," Geving said. "I don't think people realize sometimes how many hours we spend with our guys on their academics, but maybe what we were doing wasn't enough.
"I look at it this way: We're going to clean up the mess. Even in recruiting, that's something that is going to be important to me and is going to be at the top of the priority list as I sell our program to kids and their parents.
"I think we'll be all right. Am I concerned? Yes, I'm concerned, but I'm also confident in the guys we have this year, and I'm confident that we're all going to work together and make it better, because it can't be the same. Something has to change."
Note: Portland State has signed Phillip Thomas, a 6-8, 240-pound forward, to a letter of intent. Thomas, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 rebounds last season at College of Eastern Utah, will be a junior in 2009-10.
- Jim Beseda: [email protected]
