(05-07-2017 09:34 PM)utahowl Wrote:  I believe in reality all athletic scholarships are year to year. But it is considered very poor form to cut a kid because they aren't going to be a star or starter. I got to Utah during the Rick Majerus days. A great coach but he would run kids off if they didn't cut it. Telling them I'll work your butt off in practice but you will never see the court.
Can't remember his name but I'm pretty sure Bailiff offered a scholarship to a football lineman who then had a heart condition and could never play. Bailiff honored the scholarship until the kid could become a student assistant or something like that. Certainly in basketball you will know early on if you will play or warm the pine but the number of transfers is out of control especially using a mid-major or lower tier school to audition for the big boys. Verbal commits is the best source of up to date transfers and some of these players have been to 3 even 4 schools. Are they students? Maybe the system is just a farce.

One of my roommates at Rice was an O-lineman, who happened to suffer a severe knee injury during his last game in high school. Alborn had recruited him and refused to pull the invitation and offered scholarship.

My roommates knee deteriorated significantly during his freshman year, and in Brown's first year they sidelined him with the expectation of never playing him. Brown reiterated to him that no matter what Rice and the coaching staff would honor their commitment to him.

They later reached an understanding where he took a position in the strength training area that 'paid' for his tuition and board, and only then did they 'free up' the scholarship slot. But the athletic department made absolutely sure that my friend (and by then ex-roommate) was provided for and never left in the lurch.

Really awesome commitment by the Rice administration and coaching staff to the situation. I was singularly impressed by that, and still am 30+ odd years later.