Wayne's post about Maine's impressive recruits has left me with a couple
questions, a couple of them general and a couple specific to the Black Bears.
 
1.  How does a team allocate scholarships when players such as the Ferraro
twins remain in limbo?  Does the team allocate a full scholarship for iffy
players and tell recruits that they will get partial scholarships if the
veteran player stays but will get full ones if the other player leaves?  How
much does this put a team at a competitive disadvantage in recruiting?
 
2.  Reference was made to a player as being a "recruited walkon."  At first
glance this might appear to be an oxymoron, but if the NC$$ cap is 18
scholarships then it seems that there are a lot more players who are paying
their own way or at least splitting a scholarship than the casual fan might
expect.  Is it typical for teams to tell a player that they don't have
scholarships slots available for him, but that if he comes and pays his own
way he has a near-guaranteed spot on the team?  And that in future years if he
pans out, he might get some scholarship consideration then?  I think of BU's
4 seniors this past year who were all walkons as well as Mike Grier from BU
who was also a walkon.  If a kid is really intent on playing Division 1
hockey but is "on the bubble" and doesn't get scholarship offers, are there
typically "recruited walkon" spots that make sense for him to consider?  And
are there problems with coaches promising more no-scholarship spots on the team
than spots are truly available only to renege after the kid has enrolled and
spent a year of his life at the school.  Any ideas on whether the kid would
have been better off to go to a sure Division 3 roster spot?
 
3.  Speaking of Division 3, could a player prove his worth with a year at
Division 3 and then seek to transfer, or is the one-year sitout rule true
for all divisions and not just within Division 1?
 
4.  One of the players listed was 16-year old Tony Tempestilli.  Are there any
current plans to redshirt him the first year?
 
5.  Is the Jamie Thompson who is returning the same Jamie Thompson that played
high school at St. John's Prep?
 
Thanks in advance for any info on these issues.
 
I'd originally expected BU to run away with first place in Hockey East next
year.  I'm wondering now if perhaps Maine might give them a real run for their
money.  Already looking forward to next year...
 
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