 Scott DochtermanI'm originally from Burlington, and I'm a 1997 Western Illinois University graduate. I've worked in Burlington, Muscatine, Fort Dodge and [...] |
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Jarrod Uthoff to leave Wisconsin, disputes restrictions on scholarship release
AAU coach says Uthoff would consider playing junior-college basketball for a season
Jarrod Uthoff
IOWA CITY — Former Cedar Rapids Jefferson basketball standout Jarrod Uthoff has asked for his scholarship release from Wisconsin, Uthoff’s AAU Coach Jamie Johnson said Thursday night.
But the school has placed heavy restrictions on Uthoff on where he can attend his next college, and the 6-foot-8 forward plans to appeal those restrictions. Johnson, the executive director for the Iowa Barnstormers, said Wisconsin wanted to restrict Uthoff from accepting a scholarship from multiple schools in several conferences.
Johnson said it was Uthoff’s decision to ask for his scholarship release.
“He told me, ‘I still like it here. It’s a good program,’” Johnson said. “He said, ‘As much as I still like it here, I want to go to a place that’s a better fit for me.’”
Uthoff was named Iowa’s Mr. Basketball and was The Gazette’s boys’ basketball player of the year following the 2011 season. He led the state in scoring at 26.2 points per game. He shot 55 percent from the floor and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line. He also averaged 11.2 rebounds a game, third-most in Class 4A.
He had the option to play right away for Wisconsin but instead chose to red-shirt this season. Before the season Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan touted Uthoff as a fast learner.
“He’s picked up things sort of the way Josh Gasser did last year (as a freshman),” Ryan said at Big Ten Media Day last fall. “Some guys it might be after a year; some guys after two years. But he’s grasped our concepts as fast as anybody that we’ve had.”
Wisconsin assistant Gary Close targeted Uthoff during the recruiting process. Johnson said he recently spoke with Close, who said the Wisconsin staff was pleased with Uthoff’s progress. Close is a former Iowa assistant and Iowa City Regina head coach.
Uthoff picked Wisconsin over Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Butler. According to Big Ten rules, Uthoff cannot earn a scholarship from a league school and must sit out one year before playing for another Division I institution. Johnson said Uthoff would consider playing junior-college basketball for a season.
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Way to go Wisky trying to place restrictions on student athletes leaving or decommitting from their program….anyone remember a kid named Brust. Seems the badgers wanted the rules bent for that kid to get into the fold, but want Jarrod to jump through hoops to leave. Hope he can go where he wants without Whisky dictating the terms.
Perhaps Brust’s reason for the transfer request was based on your changing coaches like dirty socks. Fighting a students/athlete request to transfer when there is a coaching change is a bit different than changing schools because you are homesick or not getting enough playing time. Nice try.
You’re so right David, because “fighting” a kid’s transfer due to homesickness or lack of playing time is much more admirable.
Hey Scott, how about an expose on the AAU? A brutally honest one. Your readers would come away with ….. not a perception , but the truth concerning this organization and it’s insidious, unregulated role in College athletics and influence on parents.
http://www.csncalifornia.com/04/14/11/bTompkinsb-College-hoops-recruiting-mask/landing_tompkins.html?blockID=504313
You should read George Dohrmann’s “Play their Hearts Out.”
Thank you Micheal, I just read a an overview and I will be reading that book next.
Funny..Wisconsin has no problem going out and finding quarterbacks to get to transfer into their athletics program…but apparently won’t let athletes transfer out of their program…
What Wisky is too foolish to realize is that if they dont let Uthoff leave without restrictions..its going to put a huge dent in their future recruiting. AAU coaches and HS coaches pay attention to this stuff.
The minute a school gets a bad reputation for treating kids the wrong way…the gravy train of recruits comes to a sudden halt…
Those quarterbacks and this are completely different situations with different rules. Plenty of schools place restrictions, I don’t think this is really going to drive anyone away.
The young man can’t go to any Big10 school and be on scholarship. Why is Ryan being difficult? He doesn’t seem to have any qualms taking transfers from other programs. It just strikes me as being short sighted and childish.
I have trouble believing this! Wisconsin? How dirty is it to pick up transfers and recruits from other schools yet not allow a kid to transfer from your college without placing a bunch of restrictions? Bad stuff.
Get a grip folks. Wisconsin Basketball would love to have Mr. Uthoff continue with the program, have been extremely pleased with him to date, and are as surprised as anyone that he has chosen to leave. The B1G conference rules apply the restrictions on transfers to other conference schools, not Bo Ryan and Wisconsin! Wisconsin added 2 schools to Uthoff’s restrictions: Iowa State and Marquette. Just like Ben Brust, Mr. Uthoff is within his rights to challenge those restrictions and appeal to the conference to have them waived. Despite Ben Brust’s experience, those appeals are rarely won. Everyone at Wisconsin wishes him the very best wherever he may land at this point.