Reply To: Another scholarship???

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball Another scholarship??? Reply To: Another scholarship???

#5640
Bison137
Bison137
Participant

Quote: “I don’t think it is all that complicated. No school is going to bind him to his LOI if the coach is gone that recruited him. After all, the player just wouldn’t show up come August. They can’t force him to go there. So, he will certainly be free to go elsewhere. It sounds like there is no way this kid is showing up in Pittsburgh to play for Duquesne.”

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While I agree it is likely that he will eventually get a release if the new coach fails to convince him to stay, it is not quite as automatic as you imply. There have been a number of cases in the past decade where D1 programs refused to release a player from his LOI. If that were to happen, he obviously can refuse to show up. But then what? No other school is allowed to give him a scholarship at that point – so he can either pay his own way to another school for a year or simply not go to college. However if he does not go to college for a year, he still will have to sit a year when he does enroll somewhere else. Also in either case, he will lose a year of eligibility – which is a big deal for most players. Thus it is a very tough choice if the school won’t give a release – and most players in that situation end up going where they signed.