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... ***************************************************** ,-******-, * Dave Hendrickson "Robo" [log in to unmask] * *' ## '* * A Hockey Polygamist and Get-A-Lifer * *## ___##___ ##* * GO BROONS!!! Go Red Wings!! Go LA Kings! * * ##| ___ \## * * GO UMASS-LOWELL!!! Go Maine!! Go BU! * * | |___) | * * --------------------------------------------------* *######| ___ <######* * Although I can't remember ever having an original * * | |___) | * * thought, and am certainly parroting someone who * * ##|________/## * * actually has a brain, these opinions are mine, * *## ## ##* * not Hewlett-Packard's. * *, ## ,* ***************************************************** '-*******-'