OK, Tobias, let's discuss the facts about the Purvis situation.
'TobiasFunke said:
Purvis had to repeat the 8th grade. Then all of a sudden he's smart enough to skip a grade? How many kids do you know that have to repeat a grade and then suddenly are smart enough to skip a grade a couple years later?
You cite two facts here. He repeated the 8th grade, and he later reclassified back to his original graduating class.But you left out a few other relevant facts. Purvis passed 8th grade and did not have to repeat it. His mother decided he should repeat the grade. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with a learning disability, got help with it, and took all the classes required to re-classify to his original class.
'TobiasFunke said:
Add to that the fact that the school- again, at which he was the first and only member of the graduating class-
This is untrue. Per the
News and Observer:
As a member of the first graduating class at Upper Room, Purvis is the first athlete from the school to go through the NCAA eligibility process.
'TobiasFunke said:
Add to that the fact that the school... is run entirely by State alums
Is it? I don't know much about the school, but here is its Board of Directors:Mrs. Pamela M. Wooden, President
Mrs. Felice Pete, Vice President
Elder John K. Amanchukwu, Executive Director
Ms. Keesha White, Secretary
Elder Robert L. Williams, Treasurer
Mrs. Carol Peoples
Mr. Tirrell Listenbee
Mrs. Debra Thomas
John Amanchukwu played football at State. Do you know which of the other BOD members are affiliated with State in some way? For example, do you know if the other 4 officers on the BOD are affiliated with State? Do you know that only John Amanchukwu "runs" the school, or is it possible that the other BOD members are involved? These would seem to be important and relevant facts to your claim.
'TobiasFunke said:
including a former State basketball player serving as basketball coach
I agree this is a fact. Are you saying you find it surprising that a guy who played basketball at State in Raleigh became a basketball coach in Raleigh?
'TobiasFunke said:
and a former State football player as the head of the school
John Amanchukwu played football at State and is the Executive Director of the school. Are you saying you find it surprising that a guy who grew up in Raleigh and played football at State in Raleigh is the Executive Director of a school in Raleigh?
'TobiasFunke said:
after the reclassification during his high school career the kid revoked his commitment to Louisville and committed to State. That's the facts as I understand them
Well, you left an important fact out of this part. From
ESPN:
Rodney Purvis, the No. 10 ranked player in the 2012 class, decommitted from Louisville over the weekend. The decision came as a result of Cardinals former assistant coach Tim Fuller, a North Carolina native like Purvis, taking a position at Missouri.
'TobiasFunke said:
I really don't care about the NCAA's stupid eligibility requirements- far as I'm concerned, if a school decides to admit a kid, he should be eligible to play, and the consequences of admitting poor students or failing to educate those students is the school's problem. But based on my understanding, this isn't a simple case of the NCAA not completing paperwork on a new high school quickly enough.
Again, from the
News and Observer:
Purvis’ high school, Upper Room Christian Academy in Raleigh, is under an “extended review” by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
That process includes a review of every NCAA-required core class, such as English and math, that Purvis took for each year at the school. As a member of the first graduating class at Upper Room, Purvis is the first athlete from the school to go through the NCAA eligibility process.
The NCAA posts a list of “approved” classes for each high school on its web site. Because Upper Room had never been reviewed, it doesn’t have any “approved” classes, according to the NCAA’s site.
Purvis committed to N.C. State on Oct. 1, but the NCAA doesn’t begin its eligibility process until after a high school student graduates. About 200,000 high school students submit information to the eligibility database each year. The review process between Upper Room and the NCAA began in June. Upper Room, the NCAA and N.C. State have spent the summer trying to resolve Purvis’ eligibility.
Upper Room principal Jojuanna Long did not respond to a request seeking comment.
The NCAA does not comment on current cases and Chris Radford, an NCAA spokesman, said earlier this month there is no timetable for the extended review.
Radford wrote in an email to the News & Observer that an extended review of a high school is not unusual. The NCAA Eligibility Center categorizes about 50 schools per year as under “extended review.”
Every eligibility case has its own circumstances, but the NCAA cleared Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel, the top-rated prospect in the class by ESPN, on Aug. 9. Last week, the NCAA withheld UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad from traveling with the team to China due to eligibility issues.
Like Noel, Purvis reclassified during his prep career, moving up a grade to the class of 2012, but Purvis’ academic issues with the NCAA are related to the qualifications of the high school.
This quote also identifies another member of the class of 2012 who reclassified by moving up a grade. I don't know how common this is, do you?