Farewell Vantz

Here's an article about Coach Singletary leaving UH and the effect he's had on the Hawaii players and coaching staff.

And Stephen Tsai has an article about the NCAA's stupid APR, which penalizes a team if a student decides to transfer, even if he's in good academic standing.

The NCAA created a formula — the Academic Progress Rate (APR) — that awards points for each semester a player remains at a school and in good academic standing during a two-year period. For instance, each semester a player remains at his school and remains eligible (or graduates), he earns two points. A player who is academically eligible but transfers or leaves early to pursue a professional career, receives one point. An ineligible player who leaves earns no points.

How is it the school's fault if a player decides to transfer or turn pro?

Seven of the 18 recruits who signed with UH in February 2004 are no longer with the team. UH signed three quarterbacks that year. One transferred because he wanted more playing time and another enrolled in a junior college to better assist him with a medical problem. Also, defensive lineman Abu Ma'afala transferred to California in the summer of 2004, and brothers Mike Bass and Ray Bass transferred at the end of the season.

"I recruit a lot of quarterbacks, and I recruit certain positions, and when guys get frustrated and they're not playing, I try to get them scholarships at other schools," Jones said. "I've called other coaches around the country. Like Michael Bass is at Montana (State). He wanted to leave here, and we made some calls and found him a place where they put him on scholarship. That's happened a bunch of times. Now those things are going to come back to haunt you. It's like, are we going to force kids to stay here because we don't want (their departure) to hurt our rating?"