moMo transferring

[Lefty]

Someone inside the athletic department told me not too long ago that there was a chance Momo might be the one guard who was not coming back and I didn't really believe him, but this news that he is leaving does not come as a surprise. I guess he saw his time diminishing with Turner, a true point guard coming in, plus the development of Mayes.

Momo was not a true point guard but he sure brought some excitement. The game I will remember him most was the triple overtime win at Cal.

http://gary-parrish.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6271764/29355811

 

[ozzfloyd]

Apparently he has an ill grandmother and wanted to be closer. I've seen it reported that he may be headed to St. Johns and will likely petition the NCAA to play right away due to family illness. Thanks Momo, good luck to you!

 

[Russ Smith]

One of the guys on BRO called this weeks ago said he knew that Momo and Miller had clashed all year and he was gone. It'll be interesting to see, if he ends up at Dayton you know that's not true, if he ends up back home it's more likely true.

They sure better hope the Clearinghouse decides Turner's grades from QEA are worth the paper they're printed on. That Daily News article sure made it seem like the NCAA was watching that school closely.

Assuming Turner qualifies they'll be ok, he won't be as good defensively as Momo right away but he's a true PG. IF Turner doesn't qualify UA going to miss Momo.

 

[Lefty]

http://zagsblog.com/

Arizona point guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones announced Monday that he will transfer to another school. He has not yet made a decision on which school he will attend.

Jones, a 6-foot, 196-pound guard from Harlem, N.Y., averaged 9.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 38 appearances (all starts) in his recently completed sophomore season.

“I would like to thank my coaches, my teammates and all of the U of A fans for making my two years at Arizona very special,” said Jones. “After much thought, I have decided to pursue my goals at a school closer to home. My desire to be closer to my family, and in particular my grandmother, is the reason I am transferring. I want it to be known that I love this program, my coaches and teammates. I appreciate everyone for supporting me through this tough time.”

The itinerant Jones previously decommitted from Louisville, Virginia Tech and USC after attending Rice High School, American Christian (Pa.) and Oak Hill Academy (Va.)

In his two-year career at Arizona, Jones appeared in 68 games (39 starts), helping the Cats amass a 46-23 (.667) record. Along the way, Arizona won a Pac-10 regular-season championship and advanced to the 2011 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

He posted career averages of 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 41.8 percent from the field (208-of-498). Jones notched improvement in nearly every statistical category in 2010-11.

“This spring MoMo expressed to me his desire to be closer to home while continuing his life as a student-athlete,” said Arizona head coach Sean Miller.

“After considering this for several weeks this spring, he’s decided to leave our program. He did a great job in his two years here and helped us win a Pac-10 championship this past season. We wish him great success in the future.”

Jones leaves the program in good academic standing.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Loved his fire and he singlehandedly won us at least 3 games off the top of my head. Gonna miss him but Ill alway cheer for him.

Not worried about Josiah qualifying and neither are most of the people that seem to know these types of things. This makes it even more certain IMO or this wouldn't have gone down this way.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I wish him the best but he would've been a problem when he lost his starting spot in August.

 

[Renz]

QEA has been an accredited charter school for 18 years. There's nothing in that Daily News article to suggest that players there won't be qualified to attend college. It's all supposition and innuendo. If anything, that article paints QEA in a positive academic light.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...raising_ncaa_eyebrows_over_schools_quali.html

Would Turner's family have sent him there if they weren't certain that he would be certified to play at UA? By every account I've read, grades weren't the reason he left Sacramento anyway.

 

[TJ]

I was hoping he would come back and slide to the 2. It makes all the sense in the world seeing as the back court is getting cramped with the arrival of Josiah and NJ, emergence of Mayes and Fogg being the senior leader.

The team doesnt get better with his departure, but I think with the depth at guard, there won't be any setbacks barring injury

 

[Russ Smith]

QEA has been an accredited charter school for 18 years. There's nothing in that Daily News article to suggest that players there won't be qualified to attend college. It's all supposition and innuendo. If anything, that article paints QEA in a positive academic light.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...raising_ncaa_eyebrows_over_schools_quali.html

Would Turner's family have sent him there if they weren't certain that he would be certified to play at UA? By every account I've read, grades weren't the reason he left Sacramento anyway.

QEA was accredited for 18 years but not as a HS Renz. they stopped at 10th grade most of that time. They added 11th and 12 grade and then the coach convinced them to add the basketball program. this is the 3rd or 4th year of the program.

If you read that article it very clearly states the following:


"We're working with Quality Education Academy on their list of NCAA-approved core courses," NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne told the Daily News in an email. "In the interim, prospective student-athletes from the school will have their academic records looked at on a case-by-case basis when it comes to initial eligibility."

that doesn't mean he won't qualify but it's quite clear they ARE in fact looking at the school to see if they're going to continue to accept transcripts from it.

same exact thing happened to American Christian(Tyreke Evans, Momo Jones for one year) and that school completely disbanded.

there are examples of schools who did what QEA is trying to do and made it work like Findlay etc. But there are several examples of schools who are now shut down.

Side note, Ikenna Iroegbu is the latest Sac kid to announce he's leaving, transfering to Oak Hill for his junior year. Too bad the contact I have in Sac(the one who told me Turner was decommitting from ASU way back when) is one of the coaches(not varsity) at Franklin HS where Iroegbu was. I was looking forward to getting his input on the kid who both UA and UCLA are recruiting. Bad trend for Sacramento many of the top kids in recent years have wound up at prepschools. Simpkins, the kid at Louisville, Turner and now Iroegbu.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

If Miller thought for one second that Turner might not qualify he would not have let Momo go.

 

[Russ Smith]

If Miller thought for one second that Turner might not qualify he would not have let Momo go.

totally agree but Miller has no idea and no control on what the Clearinghouse will rule on QEA.

My guess is he'll qualify, he's been there one semester the impact on his GPA wouldn't be that big so as long as the NCAA doesn't just say the classes don't count, he's probably OK. But the only way Miller knows now is if the NCAA has made a ruling on QEA since that article came out and notified schools of their ruling. We obviously have no way of knowing if that's true.

Pointer is much more at risk, he's been there longer than Turner.

It sounds like Momo is applying for a waiver due to his grandmothers help so he can be cleared to play right away, and St Johns is thought to be his favorite because his first HS coach is director of Basketball OPS there now.

 

[Renz]

QEA was accredited for 18 years but not as a HS Renz. they stopped at 10th grade most of that time. They added 11th and 12 grade and then the coach convinced them to add the basketball program. this is the 3rd or 4th year of the program.

True, but my point is that QEA has been an accredited school for a long time and isn't some fly-by-night institution that just opened recently and caters only to athletes. That clearly isn't the case.

If you read that article it very clearly states the following:


"We're working with Quality Education Academy on their list of NCAA-approved core courses," NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne told the Daily News in an email. "In the interim, prospective student-athletes from the school will have their academic records looked at on a case-by-case basis when it comes to initial eligibility."

that doesn't mean he won't qualify but it's quite clear they ARE in fact looking at the school to see if they're going to continue to accept transcripts from it.

People are audited by the IRS all the time. Doesn't mean that they are cheating on their taxes.

It seems to me that a lot of people are making assumptions about QEA without having any evidence to back them up.

 

[Russ Smith]

True, but my point is that QEA has been an accredited school for a long time and isn't some fly-by-night institution that just opened recently and caters only to athletes. That clearly isn't the case.



People are audited by the IRS all the time. Doesn't mean that they are cheating on their taxes.

It seems to me that a lot of people are making assumptions about QEA without having any evidence to back them up.

I still don't get your first point the school Turner is attending is NOT the same school that was accredited for 18 years. It has the same principal but the school he's attending has existed for IIRC 3 years and had 2 graduating classes, most of which was basketball players.


I agree the IRS audits people all the time and the NCAA took a long look at a bunch of prepschools 3-4 years ago and very few of them had any issues meeting the NCAA criteria. QEA that Turner is at didn't exist then, the NCAA wasn't looking at it because it wasn't a school that went through 12th grade.

You're saying people are assuming the worst of QEA and I'm saying UA fans are assuming the best, and we all have the same information on the school.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

totally agree but Miller has no idea and no control on what the Clearinghouse will rule on QEA.

My guess is he'll qualify, he's been there one semester the impact on his GPA wouldn't be that big so as long as the NCAA doesn't just say the classes don't count, he's probably OK. But the only way Miller knows now is if the NCAA has made a ruling on QEA since that article came out and notified schools of their ruling. We obviously have no way of knowing if that's true.

My take is this: Sean Miller is a very bright guy and is just as connected as any college bball coach in the country. There's no way he would've pulled the strings and gotten Josiah at QEA if he thought there was going to be a risk.

 

[Russ Smith]

http://articles.nydailynews.com/201...daily-news-sports-writer-ncaa-title-evaluator


Congratulations to Daily News sports writer Kevin Armstrong, who recently won first place in the United States Basketball Writers Association magazine-length feature story category for a profile on Forest Hills-based talent evaluator Tom Konchalski.

Armstrong, 27, also won the "Rising Star" award, given annually to the USBWA "member under-30" who shows the most promise as a journalist.



that's the guy who wrote the story on QEA that people seem convinced is totally incorrect.

 

[Renz]

http://articles.nydailynews.com/201...daily-news-sports-writer-ncaa-title-evaluator

Congratulations to Daily News sports writer Kevin Armstrong, who recently won first place in the United States Basketball Writers Association magazine-length feature story category for a profile on Forest Hills-based talent evaluator Tom Konchalski.

Armstrong, 27, also won the "Rising Star" award, given annually to the USBWA "member under-30" who shows the most promise as a journalist.

That's the guy who wrote the story on QEA that people seem convinced is totally incorrect.

LOL. Well, that settles it. I guess QEA is dirty. Even though, like I already stated, there is NO evidence in that Daily News article to suggest that QEA isn't on the level.

No one is saying that article is incorrect. It doesn't make any specific accusations that need refuting, just suspicions that aren't backed up by facts other than "the NCAA is working with QEA". Quite the damning exposé.

The fact that Armstrong's article is the only "evidence" that people are offering up against QEA makes me even more convinced that there will be no problems with QEA's academics.

 

[Russ Smith]

LOL. Well, that settles it. I guess QEA is dirty. Even though, like I already stated, there is NO evidence in that Daily News article to suggest that QEA isn't on the level.

No one is saying that article is incorrect. It doesn't make any specific accusations that need refuting, just suspicions that aren't backed up by facts other than "the NCAA is working with QEA". Quite the damning exposé.

The fact that Armstrong's article is the only "evidence" that people are offering up against QEA makes me even more convinced that there will be no problems with QEA's academics.

Who said it settled it? I was just giving a little background on the author since so many UA sites have labelled the guy a complete hack. One site has a whole thread on how he's obviously racist because everyone in the story he's talking about is black.

 

[Renz]

Who said it settled it? I was just giving a little background on the author since so many UA sites have labelled the guy a complete hack. One site has a whole thread on how he's obviously racist because everyone in the story he's talking about is black.

That's dumb. I don't think Armstrong has any sort of agenda. I just see QEA as a non-story until some actual wrongdoing is uncovered.

 

[Russ Smith]

as expected he's going to St Johns. Man Lavin is going to have to have nametags for players next year, someone on BRO said they will have 10 new players.

 

[Russ Smith]

Interestnig from Andy Katz.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...andy/id/6569970/news-notes-nba-pre-draft-camp

Last story. Says Momo lied to UA and they will not cooperate with his attempt to get a waiver. He told them he was going pro in Europe, then later says my grandmother is sick I'm going home. UA says he didn't follow the correct process and they will not sign off on any waiver request.

I don't know who Katz' source is hopefully not the same one that like everyone else had Miller working for Maryland by now, but if true interesting.

 

[Renz]

Interestnig from Andy Katz.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...andy/id/6569970/news-notes-nba-pre-draft-camp

Last story. Says Momo lied to UA and they will not cooperate with his attempt to get a waiver. He told them he was going pro in Europe, then later says my grandmother is sick I'm going home. UA says he didn't follow the correct process and they will not sign off on any waiver request.

Wow, that's weird. If true, I think it makes it much more plausible that Momo is leaving because he was going to lose playing time next season.

 

[overseascardfan]

Interestnig from Andy Katz.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...andy/id/6569970/news-notes-nba-pre-draft-camp

Last story. Says Momo lied to UA and they will not cooperate with his attempt to get a waiver. He told them he was going pro in Europe, then later says my grandmother is sick I'm going home. UA says he didn't follow the correct process and they will not sign off on any waiver request.

I don't know who Katz' source is hopefully not the same one that like everyone else had Miller working for Maryland by now, but if true interesting.

I am wondering why he would have to lie. Why not just approach Sean and say "Hey, Jordin is coming back & Josiah is coming in, I am worried about playing time, I am going to play pro ball in Europe." What was Miller going to say "No, now go sit on the bench." I am sure Miller woud have been supportive and realize that it would help with the schollie issue. Unless he wanted to play somewhere else and didn't want to sit out after the overseas pro thing fell through and said hey my grandma's sick, let me get a waiver.

 

[Russ Smith]

I am wondering why he would have to lie. Why not just approach Sean and say "Hey, Jordin is coming back & Josiah is coming in, I am worried about playing time, I am going to play pro ball in Europe." What was Miller going to say "No, now go sit on the bench." I am sure Miller woud have been supportive and realize that it would help with the schollie issue. Unless he wanted to play somewhere else and didn't want to sit out after the overseas pro thing fell through and said hey my grandma's sick, let me get a waiver.

Yeah that makes sense and someone else pointed out Book is his godfather so the idea UA is going to refuse to sign the waiver is interesting.

as I said, Katz was wrong about maryland maybe he's wrong about this.

And Momo's handlers are denying St Johns is official apparently UCONN is possible too.

I think part of it was everyone assumed Lavender was going so maybe Momo saying I'm going to Europe solved that. then all of a sudden he says no I want to transfer and i'm asking for a waiver, Miller felt misled but it does seem odd it solved a problem for Miller.

 

[Mr. Boldin]

If Momo gets his waiver declined, I seriously doubt its because of Miller.

 

[Russ Smith]

If Momo gets his waiver declined, I seriously doubt its because of Miller.

Well there's several parts to it. Player transfers and applies for waiver. Previous school gets waiver request and signs it. THen request goes to NCAA.

For example when Stepheson went to USC they kept reporting the NCAA hadn't ruled yet and then the LA Times said that's because USC hadn't sent the waiver request to UNC for signature. UNC finally got it, signed, and then the NCAA denied the waiver saying it didn't meet their criteria.

So in this case UA could approve it as UNC did, and it could still get denied. Or UA could not approve it and send it to the NCAA and it could get denied.
I believe there is even the option of UA not approving it but the NCAA still approving if if they think there is merit, but it would seem unlikely that they would do so if UA didn't sign off.

None of them make any sense. UCLA booted Bobo Morgan for behavior, they announced it as a transfer, he then filed an appeal, UCLA signed it, and the nCAA granted it. Everyone was amazed because it was common knowledge he was asked to leave.