(05-05-2015 03:28 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote: (05-05-2015 01:01 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote: (05-05-2015 12:44 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote: He played a year or so, no?
walk-on
Yep. Seems like he was a student manager or video or something as well.
Bernard was indeed a walk-on, who worked his way into the rotation, and even started some games if I remember correctly.
The scholarship situation for a lot of walk-on players is hardly certain. Some earn their way into a scholarship, but a lot of times they are really waiting for something unexpected like another player leaving the program unexpectedly for a scholarship to open up. It's a numbers thing the the cold, business reality of recruiting to fill needs.
I worked with Bernard on campus. A scholarship was available in MBB, and so it was given to Bernard, but then revoked the following year. Which happens all the time. Situations happen where coaches find themselves with a scholarship to give, they award it to a walk-on, and then revoke it the following year in order to sign another recruit.
Except in Bernard's case, Stan Joplin never bothered to tell him that he wasn't getting a scholarship the following year. Coach had ample opportunity to man up and tell him face to face (for example, when they'd see each other during spring conditioning.) But instead he sent him a non-renewal letter. To Bernard's home address. In Cleveland. Before Spring classes were out.
I generally have positive things to say about Coach Jopin. But he pussed out with Bernard in my book. Fine. Send the NCAA-required non-renewal letter. But talk to the player, as a man would, BEFORE his parents get the disappointing news in the mail.
Contrast that with Gary Pinkel, who called a transfer walk-on player I knew into his office to let him know he was getting a football scholarship for the Spring, but in no uncertain terms explained that he would not have that scholarship the following year. Because recruiting.
Big congratulations to Bernard on his new job. I've kept in touch with him, sporadically, over the years and figured it was just a matter of when this sort of opportunity came this way, not if.