Can Mike Cook come back for another year with the Pitt Panthers? He would be able to keep his good career alive for a true Senior year instead of a short 11 game stint that ended with the injury. I hope he can come back.
At this point they would be better off without him taking up a scholarship. Don't get me wrong, I believe Cook to have been a true asset to the program during his time here, but the program is moving to a point where he cannot follow. Dixon is already low on scholarships for the next season or two. Having a player coming back from a serious knee injury taking up a scholarship that could be used by a freshman would be a detriment to the future of the program.
I like Mike's game he was steady, but does PITT need him, NO. Would he help, yes. I wish we had him when he was a Freshman. This is not like the womens team that needed M. Winn to come back, PITT's mens team will be OK without him and I wish him well.
How many scholarships can a school have? Does it differ from one school to another or are all D-1 schools allowed the same number? The fact that a school like North Carolina or Kansas seem to have 40 guys on the bench, is that because most of them are walk-ons who don't have a scholarship?
NCAA Men's Division I basketball teams are allowed 13 scholarships . . . as much as the media loves Duke, even Coach K has to make do with the same 13 scholarships that Belmont has ;)
I think--someone may have to check me on this--that women's teams in DI have 15 scholarships, although I do not know why the women have two more than the men.
For the record, I think Mike Cook is a class guy and its a shame his career ended the way it did, but I agree that Pitt doesn't need him.
DemonDeeken, since the early part of this decade, the courts decided that athletic scholarships must be given out egaully between women and mens sports. to further regulate and control this practice, the NCAA standards that were set up to balance sports Sholarships to equal out athletic scholarships between men's and women's sports. Being that Football gives out so many scholarships to men, other sports like Softball, Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball and Lacross must give out more to the women to balance out for Football.
Pitt is already one scholarship over for next year and has still one scholarship on the table for Dan Jennings. If he accepts, Pitt will need to remove scholarships from two current scholarship players or hope that somone becomes academically ineligible.. One will most likely be be Cassin Diggs, but who else after him? If Cook earns a red shirt (for which I do not think Dixon will pursue) we would really have a problem not to mention if Darnell Dodson may have an option to return since I did not hear that Pitt took his scholarship away yet since he was academically ineligible last year.
I also believe that Dixon over recruited for 2008 with mainly role players and did not free up scholarships to use for elite players for 2009 or 2010. We will definitly be thin in recuits for those years since we should only have three graduating (Fields, Biggs, Young) during those two years. (My count may be off).
Thanks Connect04, that makes a lot of sense about the scholarship thing. As far as graduating players, I think you missed Maurice Polen, who I believe is a junior this year, but your point stands: we are really stretched thin in terms of scholarships. I'm not sure what Jamie plans on doing about that, but if he makes the ones he's got left count we should be alright . . . c'mon Jamie, no busts!!!
Great catch, but that still means only two recruits a year on average. Not real advantageous. I hope he chooses to be selctive and not give out scholarships early like he did to Lamar Patterson for 2009. What can make things even worse is, choosing to red shirt a few. Some players may have to choose to walk on for a year before they get on scholarship.
Does Lamar's scholarship count against the total now or do they count it once he is actually on campus? If it doesn't count for another year, are you actually tieing a scholarship up for an entire season with nothing to show for it? Whatever the rules are, I believe he will be a contributor by his sophomore year.
We had 1 unused scholarship from a year ago and now it is reported that Cassin Diggs quit the team. opened room for Jermaine Dixon and now we maxed out our scholarships @ 13
