NCAA v Fedor - Free Fedor

[SeattleJay]

I think many of us were surprised by the fact that the NCAA is still reluctant to grant Fedor eligibility. We were surprised for some of the following reasons:
1. He was allowed to play last year after several months of delay. That seemed like plenty of time to make a decision.
2. There are many International players playing at other schools and while I haven’t done a deep dive on this, it appears that several have played at the professional level.
3. In case some think me naive, I know that the NCAA is very messed up and has a LOT of issues. However, this is SOOO inconsistent that it invites further ridicule of the NCAA.

I start this thread knowing that this is largely a private matter between the NCAA and Fedor which means that news will be hard to come by. With that said, it would be good to share what little we can discern. In addition, if there is something that we can do as a fan base, it would be useful to know. For example, I think Kentucky put up a billboard next to NCAA headquarters a year or two and magically their player was approved.

PS I know there are a lot of important problems in the world today and this is not life or death: but, it is Bluejay basketball. Go Jays!

[D Jay Fan]

There's an article in the Athletic about International players. We have the only problem recruit in Fedor, it seems. Here is the paragraph on Fedor

The new challenge: How to determine how much college eligibility these players have. The current guide is that a player’s year in school is determined by his graduation date. Once a prospect overseas graduates high school, he has a gap year and then he must start studying as his eligibility clock begins. Creighton’s Fedor Zugic, for instance, joined the Jays last year as a 21-year-old and was ruled a college senior because he had more than one gap year due to some commitments with his national team; he has filed for another year of eligibility.

[SeattleJay]

There's an article in the Athletic about International players. We have the only problem recruit in Fedor, it seems. Here is the paragraph on Fedor

The new challenge: How to determine how much college eligibility these players have. The current guide is that a player’s year in school is determined by his graduation date. Once a prospect overseas graduates high school, he has a gap year and then he must start studying as his eligibility clock begins. Creighton’s Fedor Zugic, for instance, joined the Jays last year as a 21-year-old and was ruled a college senior because he had more than one gap year due to some commitments with his national team; he has filed for another year of eligibility.

Thanks for the update!

[SeattleJay]

Athletic article on foreign players:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/635598 ... l-players/

Coach Mac is quoted. Fedor is mentioned. The big point of the article is that international players are coming over in greater numbers than ever. The sub point is that the NCAA is having a hard time determining who is a “professional” and therefore allowing eligibility. Coach Painter makes the point that basically all college players are professionals now and that these rules should be changed.

[TrueBlueJay]

NCAA is a joke - who is a professional and who isn’t? Laughable.

[SeattleJay]

NM

[Jaysker12]

NCAA is a joke - who is a professional and who isn’t? Laughable.

I think the differentiating factor between Fedor and other eligible Euro players, is that Fedor has been a pro for longer.

[UncleBillyJ]

NCAA is a joke - who is a professional and who isn’t? Laughable.

I think the differentiating factor between Fedor and other eligible Euro players, is that Fedor has been a pro for longer.

That would make sense if Oklahoma State didn't just get a player that started playing at pro at 14 in 2017. Almost an identical situation, and he seems to be eligible with no issues.

[Jaysker12]

NCAA is a joke - who is a professional and who isn’t? Laughable.

I think the differentiating factor between Fedor and other eligible Euro players, is that Fedor has been a pro for longer.

That would make sense if Oklahoma State didn't just get a player that started playing at pro at 14 in 2017. Almost an identical situation, and he seems to be eligible with no issues.

Then yeah idk. His lawyer must suck eggs

[WBR Tom]

The OSU kid hasn't officially been cleared yet. He might end up with only 1-2 years of eligibility, too, when all is said and done.

The article linked above from The Athletic says the NCAA's current guide for determining eligibility is to take the year a kid graduates HS, add a gap year, and then start the clock -- meaning you get five calendar years from when you graduate HS to complete your U.S. college eligibility. Fedor had four calendar years before he enrolled, thus he was deemed a senior. But of course, because the NCAA is a joke, that interpretation of the rule wasn't made clear before he took the floor last December.