Urban Meyer, new hoop rule, and statues
This week, we look at a handful of topics in the world of college sports.
Meyer situation coming to close?
Ohio State University has until Monday to reach its self-imposed deadline on what to do about Urban Meyer蘑菇视频 job.
Meyer has been on paid administrative leave for two weeks, and the sports world is still waiting for the findings of the special investigation of his actions around the domestic abuse charges against former assistant coach Zach Smith.
I stand by my view in last week蘑菇视频 column that he will not be fired, but we never really know what goes on behind closed doors.
Are they trying to figure out a way to keep him?
If so, Athletic Director Gene Smith may find his days numbered.
Or is the committee trying to figure out a negotiated buyout to terminate Meyer?
Maybe it is trying to find a legal avenue to eliminate him and not pay him anything for breach of contract?
Regardless of what happens, we should know by Monday.
If I was a betting man, and I am not, I would put money on Meyer being suspended three games so he can coach the fourth to get back in the swing of things before the Buckeyes head to Happy Valley for possibly its toughest game of the season on Sept. 29.
New college hoops rule
Amidst the chaos with Meyer and the unfortunate situation around the death of Maryland football player Jordan McNair, college basketball passed new rules last Wednesday for players when it comes to the NBA Draft.
My instant reaction to them is that there weren鈥檛 a lot of knowledgeable college basketball experts in on the decision.
The moves were made by the NCAA hoping that it will clean up college basketball which has been submerged by an FBI investigation and other corrupt actions in recent years.
Elite high school basketball recruits and college players are now allowed to be represented by agents who are certified by the NCAA, eligible underclassmen who enter the NBA Draft but are not drafted can return to school, there will be more rigorous certification requirements for summer amateur basketball events, imposing longer postseason bans, and there will be harsher suspensions and recruiting restrictions for coaches who break rules.
ESPN蘑菇视频 Jay Bilas, considered to be the top college basketball analyst, shared his thoughts on SportsCenter last Thursday.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 a lot of window dressing鈥nd that has come to be expected from the NCAA,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t misses the mark in some ways.鈥�
The NCAA announced that USA Basketball will decide who the elite recruits are that can hire agents or even go pro, but no one with the NCAA seemed to discuss this with anyone from USA Basketball.
As far as the players who enter the NBA Draft but go undrafted and can return to their NCAA team, two red flags pop up.
If a player declares and his college coach fills the scholarship with an incoming freshman, what does that player do if he tries to return to school and the scholarship isn鈥檛 there?
If 60 players are invited to the NBA Draft Combine to work out, technically the 60th ranked guy there can return to his school.
But is it fair that the 61st ranked player, who was not invited to the NBA Draft Combine, cannot go back to school?
That makes no sense.
What would have made sense would have been for the committee that decided these rules to talk with draft guru蘑菇视频 or those who are more knowledgeable than those who decided this sitting behind a computer.
Want to know what would make more sense?
Have Bilas be a college basketball commissioner with democratic control to make basketball decisions with task forces which are made up of people who know what they are doing.
College football statues
This past Friday over at www.ESPN.com, Senior Writer David Fleming wrote an excellent piece on how so many statues are being built to honor sports legends.
While I won鈥檛 go into great detail about the column which can be found at http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24266446/bronze-epidemic-college-football, it ironically came a day after Bill Lofink, a math teacher at Marion Elementary School in the Belle Vernon Area School District, emailed me with a question about the Joe Paterno statue that used to stand outside Beaver Stadium.
鈥淲hat do you think they will do with the statue and do you have a theory about what they will do with it?鈥�
The statue has been in storage since 2012, and people are divided as to what should have happened to it and what should happen to it.
Five days before it was taken down on July 22, as stated in Fleming蘑菇视频 piece, a plane flew over Beaver Stadium with a banner that said, 鈥淭ake the statue down or we will.鈥�
Had the statue stayed up, the university would have had to had guards near it 24/7/365 because someone would have eventually attempted to do damage to it.
My theory?
Once Beaver Stadium renovations are underway, I can see the university putting the statue up inside the stadium.
Share college sports news and names
If you know someone currently playing a sport in college, coaching, or holding another role, email me or tweet me and we will get them mentioned in this column.
Email questions/comments to powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to @BillHughes_III.