Dee Liles

dismissed from the Maryland women’s basketball team because of academic reasons, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject. She will remain at school on scholarship through the end of the fall semester on the condition that she attends classes, the source said.

The athletic department released a statement saying that Liles is no longer with the program.

“We enjoyed having Dee as part of the Maryland basketball program,” Coach Brenda Frese said in the release. “We wish her all the best in the future.”

Liles is the third player to leave the program this off-season; guard Marah Strickland and reserve forward Drey Mingo transferred to South Carolina and Purdue, respectively.

With the loss of Liles and Strickland, and the graduation of Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman, Maryland has just one returning starter: sophomore center Lynetta Kizer, an All-Met from Potomac (Va.) who was named ACC freshman of the year. Kizer is the only player left who averaged more than six points a game last season.

Sophomores Anjale Barrett, Kim Rodgers and Yemi Oyefuwa are the only other players on the roster who played for the Terrapins last season. Maryland also has five freshmen and a senior transfer from Illinois on its roster.  How things have changed in College Park since cutting down the nets in 2006.

Liles, who started 35 games, averaged 10.6 points and led the Terrapins (31-5) in rebounding (9), blocked shots (1.7) and field goal percentage (52.1). When she joined the team, Frese described her as “by far the most athletic forward we’ve ever had.”

Liles was a force on the offensive glass.  A void that Kizer and others will need to fill.  This team will look drastically different than previous Maryland teams.  There will be plenty of playing time and opportunity for everyone.

She was an All-Met at Riverdale Baptist in 2006 and committed to the Terrapins in high school but did not qualify academically. Liles then spent two seasons as Gulf Coast (Fla.) Community College and was named the national junior college player of the year before transferring to Maryland.

NCAA President Myles Brand, the first university president to serve as the Association’s chief executive and a champion of academic reform, fiscal responsibility and student-athlete well-being, died Wednesday from pancreatic cancer.   Dr. Brand was a tremendous leader who always had the best interest of student-athletes in his mind and one who did a valuable job of steering the entire body in a very positive way.  My family and I extend our deepest condolences to Myles Brand’s family – our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.

It would benefit you a great deal to read the legacy of Dr. Brand from the NCAA website.

OTHER LINKS:

Myles Brand, NCAA president, dies By Marcus K. Garner  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The NCAA Board of Directors is evaluating a proposal that would require incoming first-year basketball student-athletes in need of academic help to take six credit hours in summer school and pass three hours in order to be able to eligible in the Fall according to the Associated Press.

The Basketball Academic Enhancement Group (BAEG) also recommended allowing players that take summer classes to participate in eight hours per week of athletic activities. Those student-athletes, as well as other players who opt for classes in the summer even if they are making sufficient academic progress, may participate in up to eight hours per week in athletically related activities, including two in skill instruction.

Individual schools would be required to set the criteria and assess the student-athletes ability to perform in the classroom.  The development of this proposal occurred over the past year, approved in April, it will continue to develop over the next few months.

Most top conference Division I programs now subtly “require” their basketball student-athletes to attend a session of summer school together.  The current NCAA policy states you can not “require” summer school or participation in conditioning, weight-training and pick-up games.  Summer school is usually based on an institutions ability to fund the programand the academic needs of the student-athletes.  Normally, the highest level teams use this time for team building.  It is a tremendous opportunity for the entire team to come together in a lesser academic load period of time, focus on two courses, workout together and bond for the coming season.

The NCAA’s proposal of requiring this puts the priority on the student-athletes academic performance and the institutions support of that academic performance.  The accountability that comes with requiring institutions to follow through on their academic assessment of prospects supports that. If the review reveals that students would be subject to academic challenges without the summer head start, then BAEG members say the school is obligated to put those students in a position to succeed academically.

“It (this proposal) also sends the message that this is how strongly our group feels that this program will benefit student-athletes who otherwise might become academic casualties,” said BAEG Chair and UCLA Athletics Director Dan Guerrero.  

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero

 “Many schools already apply a similar approach for their incoming freshmen, and the data show the desired results.” NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee for 2009-2010. Guerrero will replace current chairman Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, Sept. 1, 2009.