Witt gone

vu72 · August 30, 2011, 12:41:55 PM

Just released, Cam will not be part of the team but will stay on an academic scholarship to complete his degree in May. My understanding is that Cam just lost interest in playing which I'm sure was in part due to the handwriting on the wall regarding playing time. For those who view college basketball as dog eat dog, consider that Valpo agreed to pay for his final year when that was not part of the deal. Very generous and probably best for all parties. Good luck to Cam going forward!

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2011-12/10949/valpos-witt-to-focus-on-academics-will-not-compete/

valpotx · August 30, 2011, 01:47:24 PM

Good luck to Cam! I have much respect for him staying and completing his degree. I am sure his injuries of the past probably led to him knowing he may not be playing basketball for a living, so it would be best to work towards his career.

FWalum · August 30, 2011, 02:30:48 PM

I hope that he will find a way to contribute to the program in some other capacity. I am sure the comrades on the team and staff would like to see that happen.

rlh · August 30, 2011, 04:24:48 PM

I feel a little bad for Cam....after a promising Freshman year he just never could get healthy enough, or stay healthy enough to continue to contribute. He worked hard and was well liked and I wish him the best in the future.

nkvu · August 30, 2011, 04:32:54 PM

Quote from: rlh on August 30, 2011, 04:24:48 PM
I feel a little bad for Cam....after a promising Freshman year he just never could get healthy enough, or stay healthy enough to continue to contribute. He worked hard and was well liked and I wish him the best in the future.

Ditto

Glad he will have the chance to complete his degree.

EddieCabot · August 30, 2011, 08:01:59 PM

Quote from: nkvu on August 30, 2011, 04:32:54 PM
Quote from: rlh on August 30, 2011, 04:24:48 PM
I feel a little bad for Cam....after a promising Freshman year he just never could get healthy enough, or stay healthy enough to continue to contribute. He worked hard and was well liked and I wish him the best in the future.

Ditto

Glad he will have the chance to complete his degree.

If that's what Cam really wanted, then good for him and good for Valpo providing him a scholarship to finish his degree. I have no idea, but I just hope this decision wasn't predicated on the fact that Valpo had more players than they had scholarships and needed to make room. In either case, I think it's unfortunate that him not being part of the team was described as what would be "best for the basketball program" in the official press release. I'm sure you all feel differently, but if that was my kid, I wouldn't care for that particular wording.

sectionee · August 30, 2011, 08:12:48 PM

I agree that part about being best for the program probably could've been left out. I think Valpo did the right thing by finding a way for him to stay at school on scholarship to finish up his degree.

lowposter · August 30, 2011, 09:25:54 PM

Best of luck to him. I really thought we had a player his freshman year, particularly the last half of the season.

There is a whole lot more to life than basketball. The fact that this young man is staying and completing his degree speaks volumes.

Bryce and the staff are willing to make tough decisions regarding their personnel. The timing of this pretty much shows they were waiting for Fernandez to be ruled eligible by the NCAA before dropping Witt. The message sent to the players is that the yearly scholarship must be earned.

No doubt Bryce's experiences in the NBA and other professional leagues have allowed him to understand the realities of the game.

lowposter

chef · August 31, 2011, 12:26:53 AM

I liked the line about the best interest in the program. We're adults here. We understand what happened. The release wasn't a bunch of b.s. It nicely worded the truth, without slamming Cam. To me, it was refreshing. This wasn't a secret. It was speculated in this forum back in June. Many of us had "guessed" it was probable before then.

hoopfan22 · August 31, 2011, 09:00:56 AM

Chef, i'm not so sure everyone DOES understand what happened lol. I personally think he could have been kept as a walk on. Can never have TOO many bigs.

FWalum · August 31, 2011, 10:56:10 AM

Quote from: hoopfan22 on August 31, 2011, 09:00:56 AM
Chef, i'm not so sure everyone DOES understand what happened lol. I personally think he could have been kept as a walk on. Can never have TOO many bigs.

I think the question is whether this was forced onto Cam by the coaching staff or if this was a mutual decision made by Cam, the staff and his family. We don't have to look too far to know that young men sometimes lose interest in the game. I almost hate to bring up this name, but Bryan Bouchie, someone who probably had a better shot of making the game payoff down the line, left the game after only 1.5 D1 seasons on the court because of health and motivational issues. This is complete speculation, but it happens that priorities change, especially at this age.

agibson · September 01, 2011, 03:09:54 PM

Quote from: EddieCabot on August 30, 2011, 08:01:59 PM
In either case, I think it's unfortunate that him not being part of the team was described as what would be "best for the basketball program" in the official press release.

To be fair, the full quote is:

"In meetings with Cam and our staff, we came to a mutual understanding that it would be best for Cam and for the basketball program to have him focus on his academic work," said Drew.

The claim is that it wasn't _only_ what was best for the program.

agibson · September 01, 2011, 03:13:40 PM

Quote from: vu72 on August 30, 2011, 12:41:55 PM
Just released, Cam will not be part of the team but will stay on an academic scholarship to complete his degree in May.

How sure are you that it's an academic scholarship? I lose track of the scholarship equation, but I guess Fernandez isn't yet on scholarship? So, for now at least, Witt _could_ be on a basketball scholarship... and just formally not playing?

The quote from the press release is
"Witt will remain in school and on scholarship for the upcoming academic year,"

I've never been sure how academic scholarships work for basketball players. I guess you can't give a player a full "academic" scholarship and allow him to walk-on to the team. Maybe you're allowed to give an academic scholarship to a former player, but I'm not sure... I guess there's no obvious problem with it. (Unless academic standards are being compromised - but maybe he legitimately would have qualified for the academic scholarship. On the other hand, there aren't that many full academic rides offered...)

vu72 · September 01, 2011, 03:32:42 PM

Quote from: agibson on September 01, 2011, 03:13:40 PM
Quote from: vu72 on August 30, 2011, 12:41:55 PM
Just released, Cam will not be part of the team but will stay on an academic scholarship to complete his degree in May.

How sure are you that it's an academic scholarship? I lose track of the scholarship equation, but I guess Fernandez isn't yet on scholarship? So, for now at least, Witt _could_ be on a basketball scholarship... and just formally not playing?

The quote from the press release is
"Witt will remain in school and on scholarship for the upcoming academic year,"

I've never been sure how academic scholarships work for basketball players. I guess you can't give a player a full "academic" scholarship and allow him to walk-on to the team. Maybe you're allowed to give an academic scholarship to a former player, but I'm not sure... I guess there's no obvious problem with it. (Unless academic standards are being compromised - but maybe he legitimately would have qualified for the academic scholarship. On the other hand, there aren't that many full academic rides offered...)

I'm not really. As Fernandez has been announced as a member now, one must presume that he will be on a basketball scholarship which means Cam must be on some other type. Academic seemed the other choice, who knows.

Mark lazerus' article adds some light but doesn't answer your question either:

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/7372936-419/vus-witt-wont-play-senior-year.html

sliman · September 01, 2011, 05:02:50 PM

I think it's safe to assume that Witt is receiving a university scholarship, not necessarily academic. The good news for him is that he still has an opportunity to receive a college degree in the U.S. for little cost.

zvillehaze · September 01, 2011, 05:15:08 PM

The situation's a little tricky, but once the University announces that Witt is no longer part of the program, he can receive any combination of need-based financial aid/scholarships, etc. At this point, Homer could offer to pay for his final year and it wouldn't matter. Note that the official release was careful to point out that he wasn't playing this year and that he wouldn't seek to play next year.

A common misconception is that a scholarship player can become a "walk-on", receive other financial aid (academic, need-based, etc.) and not count toward the 13 limit. Not true. Butler's Andrew Smith could attend Butler for free since one of his parents works there, but as a "recruited athlete" he would count toward Butler's 13 limit no matter which department was actually paying his way.

agibson · September 01, 2011, 05:20:15 PM

Right: I suspect that, as you say, Homer (or whoever) could just pay his tuition privately. That would seem a little funny, but I don't immediately see any problem. (Unless, if you're nervous about kicking a player off the team, you're also going to be nervous about kicking him off gently by paying his way.)

I'd be at least a little uneasy if a (former) basketball player received privileged access to scarce university funds. But, it's not _that_ different from having basketball scholarships in the first place.

agibson · September 01, 2011, 05:22:32 PM

Quote from: vu72 on September 01, 2011, 03:32:42 PM
As Fernandez has been announced as a member now,

Right, sorry - I'd missed that. I'm so last week!

Witt gone

sectionee