Jackson Simmons to UNC

[mattman91]

Yeah, never heard of him huh? Roy offered this North Carolina native an opportunity to be an invited walk-on. Simmons, a 6'7 forward from Sylva, NC is a rising senior and had offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Wofford, Davidson, Western Carolina, Elon, William and Mary, and Old Dominian.

My question is why? Why would 'ole Roy waste his time with a player of his talent level? I mean, yeah Coach K made a similar move recently with Lee Melchionni, but Lee was a high caliber player.

http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/993388.html

[G man]

Yeah, never heard of him huh? Roy offered this North Carolina native an opportunity to be an invited walk-on. Simmons, a 6'7 forward from Sylva, NC is a rising senior and had offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Wofford, Davidson, Western Carolina, Elon, William and Mary, and Old Dominian.

My question is why? Why would 'ole Roy waste his time with a player of his talent level? I mean, yeah Coach K made a similar move recently with Lee Melchionni, but Lee was a high caliber player.

http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/993388.html

Emergency help on the front line and a body to pound on in practice. That is the only thing I can think of.

[Duvall]

Yeah, never heard of him huh? Roy offered this North Carolina native an opportunity to be an invited walk-on. Simmons, a 6'7 forward from Sylva, NC is a rising senior and had offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Wofford, Davidson, Western Carolina, Elon, William and Mary, and Old Dominian.

My question is why? Why would 'ole Roy waste his time with a player of his talent level? I mean, yeah Coach K made a similar move recently with Lee Melchionni, but Lee was a high caliber player.

http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/993388.html

Roy needs bodies, especially forwards and centers, and this one won't cost UNC a scholarship. A guy with offers from schools like Charlotte and Davidson is well worth a walk-on spot.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Emergency help on the front line and a body to pound on in practice. That is the only thing I can think of.
A year off before he plays, so the emergency scenario doesn't fit. It is a strange offer..but he will be a walk on so no scholarship burned. Maybe he owed someone in his family a favor.
"Hey Roy...remember that time I washed that stuff off the bottom of your bus? Well I have this kid who plays a bit of ball..."

[mattman91]

Todd Zafirovski > Jackson Simmons.

[mattman91]

Oh by the way, didnt Todd Zafirovski have d1 offers such as North Eastern and Valpo?

Edit: http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/lfa.html he was being "looked at" by NE, Valpo, and Penn.

[Lord Ash]

I think he sounds like a GREAT pickup.

First off, he has some height... 6'7, and who knows if he will be an inch or two taller when he arrives.

Second, he has a LOT of heart... apparently he is a real "worker" who has always loved Carolina, and sometimes it is really good to have that sort of guy around to rub off on the others.

Third, he is decently talented.

Put all that together, AND avoid using a scholarship, and why WOULDN'T you do it?

I have a feeling that he will contribute at least a bit to the team possibly his junior, and likely his senior, year. Even if he doesn't, it is a motivated "Rudy" type of kid for the practice squad!

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy...!

[Devilsfan]

OH NO! Not Jackson Simmons.

[OldPhiKap]

Practice players are an important part of a team, and if the kid has always dreamed of being a Heel, more power to him. Our walk-ons have been some of my favorite players.




(And by "more power to him," I mean "sorry that you are delusional but I hope the experience is everything you hope it is." But if this is your dream I hope you enjoy it.)

[silverbax]

I think he sounds like a GREAT pickup.

who has always loved Carolina,


Actually, he says he grew up a Duke fan....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--1xIQRBjrM

[camion]

I think we should counter by offering him a walk-on spot also.


Just to show Roy that two can play at that game. :D

[burnspbesq]

I think we should counter by offering him a walk-on spot also.


Just to show Roy that two can play at that game. :D

Which provides an opportunity to ask a question I have always wondered about: can walk-ons who show need through the normal financial aid process be given need-based financial aid without running afoul of the NCAA? Or is Duke restricted to only having walk-ons that can pay the entire $50K-plus per year?

[Bluedog]

Which provides an opportunity to ask a question I have always wondered about: can walk-ons who show need through the normal financial aid process be given need-based financial aid without running afoul of the NCAA? Or is Duke restricted to only having walk-ons that can pay the entire $50K-plus per year?

If you are a recruited athlete, receiving financial aid does count against the scholarship limits. So, you are correct that if Simmons received need-based financial aid from UNC, he'd count against the limit of 13. Thus, teams can only recruit walk-ons that can pay full freight.

However, it's a different situation for a non-recruited walk-on. For example, Steve Johnson. He was never contacted by Duke in high school and coaches showed no interest in him. He was admitted to Duke based on his academic credentials and could have applied for financial aid if he needed it (by the way, I obviously have no idea if he did or not). Duke held open tryouts and Steve made the team as a walk-on. As far as I know, he'd get to keep his previously determined financial aid offer regardless of the fact that he made the basketball team as a walk-on.

That is to say, there is a distinction between a recruited walk-on and a non-recruited walk-on in the eyes of the NCAA. It does seem kinda silly, but I guess it also makes sense. There are too many players who would get full rides to schools like Duke based on financial need. That's how Harvard has been recruited pretty successfully now - they obviously don't offer any athletic scholarships, but basically give significant scholarships to the team based on financial need.

[fgb]

this would make it nearly impossible for k to do the same thing; it's one thing to ask an in-state recruit to foot his own bill at unc; quite another to ask him to do the same thing at duke.