Frank Mason going to Prep School

[tu_fan]

It was announced yesterday. No shock, but a huge loss for Towson nonetheless. Petersburgh HS really needs to step and help prepare these kids for the next level. It's a shame - in my opinion was the best player in the state of Virginia for each of the last 2 years.

Hopefully we still have a shot a Frank down the road.

[B More]

Color me thoroughly shocked...

[JoshuaTU]

Even with an academic exemption this kid still cant get into Towson? We need to improve our APR and having kids that cant preform academically doesnt help.

[TUMarketing]

This has no impact on the APR whatsoever. The fact that Mason is going to prep school is something that would actually help him become better prepared to be in college, which in the end helps the APR score once he arrives on campus.

Also, "academic exceptions" would be contrary to the effort of improving the APR score. Since 2011 fall when the new academic policies were put into action every men's basketball prospective student-athlete passes through a campus committee. That was extended to the women's team this spring.

It should also be mentioned that the men's basketball team had back to back semesters of 2.8 GPA and will post the highest APR score out of the last 6 years for the 2011-12 academic year. All of the four incoming freshman (Marshall, Parker, Hairston, Alston) have fully qualified academically. Guthrie will join the team in the fall semester. Dixon is already a graduate of Providence and Polk is a graduate of Towson with better than a 3.0 GPA.

Anyone who would take a backside shot at the academic side of the current men's basketball program (B More) is simply being a malcontent with no knowledge of the facts.

[JoshuaTU]

I should of started a new paragraph... My first sentence expressed surprise that he couldn't get in even with an exception. The APR sentence was stating how it wouldn't help the APR if we had more students that weren't prepared academically for a university, totally separate.

Its unfortunate we lost a potential student athlete to academic issues at the high school level.

[B More]

Anyone who would take a backside shot at the academic side of the current men's basketball program (B More) is simply being a malcontent with no knowledge of the facts.

First of all, this is just a classic case of deflecting: make it about B More being a jerk so we can distract people from remembering that both highly-touted Kelvin Amayo and Frank Mason failed to qualify.

As for this talk that I don't know any of the facts, 90% of what I am told (by connections at Towson and elsewhere) doesn't end up on here and some of that includes being asked to leak information. However, since you brought it up I have been told that "this is just the beginning." I am waiting to hear what that means specifically, but I imagine it's not a bunch of good news.

[TUTigers]

Unfortunately we live in a world where a lot of the best athletes get hand outs and academics takes a back seat. It really is a shame because these kids are living in fantasy land. If they don't make the NBA they need grades to fall back on and our schools aren't doing a good job of teaching them that lesson.

[GoTigers]

First of all, this is just a classic case of deflecting: make it about B More being a jerk so we can distract people from remembering that both highly-touted Kelvin Amayo and Frank Mason failed to qualify.

As for this talk that I don't know any of the facts, 90% of what I am told (by connections at Towson and elsewhere) doesn't end up on here and some of that includes being asked to leak information. However, since you brought it up I have been told that "this is just the beginning." I am waiting to hear what that means specifically, but I imagine it's not a bunch of good news.

So, you mean that our AD and MBB Coach are not doing a good enough job? The previous AD and MBB Coach did or would do a better job? Amayo will be playing at Marshall this year right?

[andy7171]

I don't understand how these players failing to meet Towson academic standards is the AD or Skerry's fault.

[Towson Tooter]

Maybe we should check if a kids grades meets the academic standards of the university before we offer in the future