Semi OT: Serb UCLA BB player serving suspension

[BearClause]

uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/110706aab.html

I know this isn't volleyball, but it sort of gets to the heart of some of the discussion we've had about the NCAA's "amateurism" rules. I was under the impression that the NCAA no longer accepted that a player from a "pro team" (one that includes paid players) who never got paid a salary would be able to regain eligibility. Apparently the NCAA is allowing Nikola Dragovic to serve a 10-game suspension before becoming eligible to play. Those 10 games were equivalent to the number of games he played in for his Serbian club team.

[Mr. Wednesday]

This actually shouldn't be surprising, as the NCAA regularly reinstates hockey players who have a brief flirtation with Major Junior, albeit at the cost of a year-long suspension.

[BearClause]

I was thinking back to 2001, when Cal's Amit Tamir served an 8-game suspension for playing in a "First Tier" league in Israel while serving in the IDF. Back then, it was noted that he played well over 30 games (I forgot the exact number) but that the NCAA Reinstatement Committee instututed a one-time 1 NCAA game for every four "pro league" games penalty with a cap of an 8 game penalty. The news reports at the time seemed to indicate that the NCAA wanted to close off this punishment and reinstatement scheme permanently (it's not a specific NCAA rule but a committee policy). It was unusual because in previous years it was considered a 1-to-1 penalty for each "pro league" game played.