HOUSTON – The HBU men's basketball program has received notice from the NCAA's Committee on Academic Performance that it will not be permitted to participate in 2014-15 postseason tournaments after falling below NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) standards, and appeals of the postseason ban were denied, Director of Athletics Steve Moniaci announced Thursday.
 
"While our men's basketball program has achieved a very laudable graduation rate, we did not do an adequate job of monitoring those who, for whatever reason, were no longer actively competing on our roster," Moniaci said. "We respect the committee's decision and have put measures in place in order to prevent this from happening again. We are proud of our men's basketball student-athletes and how they are dealing with an unfortunate situation not of their making."
 
The HBU men's basketball program has a graduation rate of 82 percent during the past four-year period, but has an APR score of 913, which is below the 930 score required to participate in postseason tournaments. This is the first year the threshold increased from 900 to 930. In calculating the team's score, six of the eight deductions within the four years covered by this metric were from cases of student-athletes who had exhausted their eligibility and were no longer competing at HBU. No points were deducted from the program's current student-athletes, who are all in good academic standing.
 
"The NCAA's stated intention of the minimum APR score is to be a reflection of a 50-percent graduation, and the current national average graduation rate in men's basketball is 70 percent," HBU head men's basketball coach Ron Cottrell said. "As our program far exceeds these benchmarks, our situation is a prime example that the APR measurement, as it is currently structured, is not always a true reflection of academic success.
 
"We have always been diligent in making sure our young men adhere to a high standard of academics and we have succeeded at a high level. That is why this judgment and punishment are particularly distressing to me as the vast majority of our young men leave HBU with a degree and become productive members of their communities. It is my hope that the NCAA will reevaluate some of the criteria that make up the APR, so no other institutions fall into the situation of being penalized when they are graduating their student-athletes at a high rate, as we are in our basketball program."
 
In a projection of future APR scores, the men's basketball program fully expects to be eligible for 2015-16 postseason tournaments.
 
"In conclusion, I cannot stress enough how proud I am of the young men who have represented our university in the past and who are currently wearing the orange and blue of HBU," Cottrell said.
 
The NCAA holds Division I institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through the APR, a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete, each term. Beginning with the 2014-15 championships, teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 940 average over the most recent two years to participate in championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships.
 
APR is calculated with each student-athlete receiving athletically-related financial aid earning one retention point for staying in school and one eligibility point for being academically eligible each semester. The team's total points are divided by points possible, then multiplied by one thousand to equal the team's APR score. A perfect APR score, therefore, is 1000.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is HBU ineligible for?
The penalty involves postseason championship tournaments only. The team is still eligible for the 2014-15 regular-season Southland Conference championship.
 
Is this related to one particular season?
No. The APR scores cover a rolling four-year window. The penalty today would cover the team's academic performance from 2009-10 through 2012-13.
 
How does a team lose points?
Teams lose points for two reasons. If a scholarship player leaves at the end of a semester and does not have a 2.6 GPA or better, or if a scholarship player is not academically eligible at the end of a semester.
 
How can a program lose points on student-athletes who are no longer participating?
If a student-athlete transfers to a school that is not a four-year institution or chooses not to attend school altogether. A student-athlete transfers with less than a 2.6 GPA, but then graduates. A student-athlete no longer participating on the team, while still pursuing a degree, fails to meet NCAA academic progress standards.
 
Will this impact other sports at HBU?
No. Each team has its own APR score and no other programs are affected by this penalty.
 
When will the length of the penalty be over?
The penalty is for one year, the 2014-15 season. It affects no other year, as long as the APR score is back over the minimum threshold or the program meets certain improvement requirements. All signs point to this being the case.
 
What is APR?
The APR is a measure used by the NCAA to determine whether or not players from any particular team are in good academic standing.
 
How is it calculated each season?
The APR score is calculated using a combination of retention of student-athletes and their academic eligibility each season.
 
What is the highest score possible?
A perfect APR score would be 1000.