Hollins Take On The APR Report And What This Means For HBCUs

Lastest NCAA Division I rankings leave plenty of room for improvement, especially for mens teams

By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.

Now that the NCAA has released this years Academic Progress Rate or APR report, we once again find some Division One HBCU athletic programs struggling to stay afloat in this most crucial area of athletic operations.

Those struggling with compliance have flirted with the median score of 925, the sign of a relatively sound program or the redline mark of 900, which would be equivalent to a Last Gas For 50 Miles sign, meaning a forbidden zone is just ahead.

Of the 22 HBCUs which fielded a Division One football team (FCS) squad, including schools from the MEAC (9), SWAC (10) and Independents (3, counting Tennessee State), 17 of those programs were at least above the 900 redline, yet just six (6) met or surpassed the 925 median score.

In mens basketball, just 12 of the 24 (MEAC has two non-football members) Division I HBCUs hit or rose above the redline of 900, but just three (3) of the 24 met or surpassed the median 925 score.

In stark contrast, womens basketball had all 24 schools above the 900 redline and 17 of them above, and in many cases beyond the 925 median score.

Since the APR measures the academic performance of each sport based on graduation rate, academic progress towards a degree and retention of student-athletes within the program over a five-year period, in this years case, ending with the 2009-10 school year, paints a picture of how well each sports student-athletes are doing in the classroom.

And those figures above reflect a real thin ice situation for at least 12 teams in football and mens basketball which will lose athletic scholarships via NCAA sanctions for the coming 2011-2012 school year.

For three of those 12 Grambling (La.) State (mens basketball), Jackson (Miss.) State (football) and Southern University at Baton Rouge (football, mens basketball) they will be hit with postseason competition bans for 2011-2012 by the NCAA, which could also affect their participation in the conference championship game in football and the conference basketball tournament.

Worse yet, the chance of losing NCAA Division One status for the entire athletic program for any or all three schools, if those scores dont hit 900 or above in next springs APR report, remains a remote, but a real possibility.

Losing accreditation for your athletic program wouldnt be the death penalty, but it could mean that any competition against those schools would not count at all it would be worse than the probationary status that new Division One members such as North Carolina Central and Savannah State have endured during their waiting periods.

And for the SWAC, the potential loss of three of its most storied athletic programs Grambling, Jackson State and Southern, while a long way from happening has fueled a fire at all three schools to make the needed changes to avert the ultimate heartbreak.

But this latest report card should serve as a wake-up call for all HBCUs to redouble their efforts to get their houses in order and to invest more heavily in their academic support and NCAA rules compliance staff because that will be the best way to help insure that ideal balance of academic success and competitive success.

A true win-win.

Alvin Hollins, Jr. is the former sports information director at Florida A&M University. He began his career in Louisiana after graduating from Southern University. With over 30 years of experience in HBCU athletics, Hollins provides HBCUSportsOnline.com with unique perspectives from the inside.

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