JILL MARICICH/Arizona Daily Wildcat Women's basketball freshman Shawntinice Polk has been ruled a full qualifier this year after starting last spring a partial qualifier.

Basketball program hopes recruit can win appeal of partial qualifier status

After being classified as a partial qualifier, freshman men's basketball player Chris Rodgers hopes to follow the path of women's basketball freshman Shawntinice Polk and gain full eligibility.

Rodgers has appealed his status, citing a learning disability. If he loses his appeal and has to sit out his freshman year he can regain his fourth year of eligibility only if he graduates in four years like former Wildcat football player and partial qualifier Joe Salave'a, currently a Tennessee Titan, who was one of the first to regain his lost year shortly after the NCAA passed it in 1997.

Partial qualifiers are student athletes who don't have a high-enough GPA or SAT score to correspond with the other part of that equation. The scale ranges from needing a 1,010 SAT score for 2.0 GPA to an 820 requirement for a GPA of 2.5. They also must sit out their first year, only able to practice, and they lose a year of eligibility.

In the last month there has been speculation that Rodgers, after not scoring a SAT score high enough to be immediately eligible, would break free of his commitment to play at UA and attend a junior college; but he did in fact enroll.

"(Rodgers) had personal struggles during the summer and explored all his options," said men's basketball associate head coach Jim Rosborough.

"We make an exception every now and then for partial qualifiers," said UA director of athletics Jim Livengood. "It is not a hard and fast rule, but if we just cater to student athletes' athletic needs, we are failing them."

At Wilson High School in Portland, Ore., Rodgers' high school GPA was 3.0 and has just missed the necessary score to become eligible, reports stated.

Rosborough expects the decision on Rodgers to come sometime in the next two to two-and-a-half weeks.

Since Rodgers is a freshman, he is unavailable for comment until Media Day.

The Pacific10 Conference allows its member schools to have four partial qualifiers a year ÷ two female and two male. Livengood estimates student athletes coming into UA bring an average a GPA of 3.38.

"It really is more of an individual thing. Full qualifiers have more of a chance to succeed," Livengood said. "It is very, very rare for us to take a partial qualifier."

If the appeal filed by Rodgers, a 6-foot-4 combo guard, is approved, he fits into an already crowded backcourt with senior John R. Wood Award player of the year candidate Jason Gardner, sophomore second team Basketball News All freshman Salim Stoudamire, sophomore Will Bynum and freshman McDonald's All American Hassan Adams.

Player Profile Name: Shawntinice Polk Height: 6'5 Position: center Year: redshirt freshmen Hometown: Hanford, Calif. High school: Hanford High School Accolades: Member of WomensCollegeHoops.com Top 21 Freshmen of Impact for 2002-03 list. USA Today, Parade, WBCA and Nike All-American as a high schooler. Offered a spot on the USA basketball team after senior year of high school.

The cases of Rodgers and Polk, who was initially a partial qualifier last year are different, Rosborough said.

"Their cases are way different. (Rodgers) has already qualified to go to school here," Rosborough said.

Last year Polk was initially classified as a partial qualifier after headlining the women's basketball recruiting class. She has since been ruled a full qualifier.

Polk, a 6-foot-5 center, enrolled at UA for the spring semester of last year after attending a junior college and would have had to sit out until after this semester's final exams without a successful appeal and not have a full four seasons to play.

"With her talent and worth ethic, the sky's the limit. She is potentially the greatest player to ever play here," said associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Denise Dove Ianello. "She has shown so far she can put in the time and work to be successful."

Polk, who Dove Ianello dubs a "Female Shaquille O'Neal," while practicing with the team, cheering from the sidelines at home games and taking classes, has impressed coaches and earned a 3.3 GPA during the 2002 spring semester and over the summer.

"'Polkey" has done an outstanding job and I couldn't be prouder," UA women's basketball head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "I do think it was good for her to sit out. It gave her a chance to acclimate herself to college academically and emotionally."

As the NCAA looks to amend its standards, there has been talk to devalue the SAT or eliminate it all together from the eligibility process, because it is considered to be discriminatory against minorities.

On July 30, the 90-day discussion period ended for proposals and comments for NCAA members. The board will vote on the matter in October.

"I never really felt that the SAT was that fair of judge of academic success, but that is what we use in this country," Rosborough said.

Polk, from Hanford (Calif.) High School, was named to numerous All-American teams like USA Today, Parade and Nike as a high school senior in 2000-01, credits the UA for her early success.

"Basically they have a lot of resources here at the UA," Polk said. "Tutors helped me with time management coaches gave me advice."

The Athletic Department gives student athletes academic support through C.A.T.S., Commitment to an Athlete's Total Success.

"We provide a whole number of resources for student athletes under the umbrella of C.A.T.S.," Livengood said. "The university provides advising and the department provides counseling in terms of adjusting to college and tutors."

After losing LaKeisha Taylor and Elizabeth Pickney to the WNBA after the 2002 season, Bonvicini said she hopes Polk's early academic success will translate into front court help.

"I think there is a correlation between success in the classroom and success on the court," Bonvicini said.

Ultimately, student athletes' success is up to the individual, but newcomers are entering UA better prepared, Livengood said.

"College has been hard, but not as hard as I thought," said Polk. "I was scared of the big campus, but adjusting has been easy."

As far as when recruiters can tell if a student athlete will be eligible, Dove Ianello says the determination can be made during their first half of high school.

"Sometimes we know right away if an athlete will be eligible, we get the transcript their sophomore year and see if their grades are where we want them to be at that point," Dove Ianello said.