Jon Solomon from al.com writes that there’s discrepancies in Bledsoe’s transcripts and he somehow managed to take Algebra 3 before Algebra 2. How did that happen? The results of the investigation into Eric Bledsoe’s grades, initiated by Birmingham City Schools, should be released sometime this week.
I’ve been a little worried about the entire “Eric Bledsoe situation” ever since the school system decided to hire a third party to conduct an investigation. You’re not going to invite a third party into your organization unless you know there’s a good possibility you could be seen as trying to bring down one of your own kids.
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It seems there’s two issues that are of a real concern for CAT fans….
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[*]Grade discrepancies on Bledsoe’s transcripts
[*]Taking Algebra 3 before Algebra 2
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Here’s an except from al.com…
[QUOTE]Bledsoe’s four-year transcript shows he made an A in Algebra 3 in night school as a senior by receiving a 90 during each of the two sessions. However, a grade report from those night sessions showed Bledsoe was recorded as making a C average, with a low C recorded in the first session and a low B recorded in the second. By receiving an A in Algebra 3, Bledsoe barely qualified for initial eligibility in college, based on the standardized test score his former coach said Bledsoe made.
The NCAA determines a player’s eligibility through a sliding scale based on grade-point average in 16 core classes and an ACT or SAT score.
Former Parker coach Maurice Ford was quoted in a New York Times story in May as saying Bledsoe’s sum ACT score was a 69. That meant Bledsoe needed to jump from a 1.75 core GPA in almost three years at Hayes High School to a 2.475 by the end of his high school career at Parker, his transcript shows.
Bledsoe ended with a 2.5 core GPA, according to his transcript, making him eligible for a one-and-done season at Kentucky. Bledsoe flourished as a freshman on the court, and his success story continued with his first-round selection in the NBA Draft in June.
If Bledsoe had received a C in Algebra 3, as was recorded in the grade report, his core GPA would have been 2.375, according to his transcript. Even a B in the class would have left Bledsoe short of qualifying, at 2.4375.[/QUOTE]Solomon also gives UK fans a ray of hope by showing the other side of the story (Pete Thamel please take notes). It seems one teacher says they have the wrong transcripts.
However, if you documented the wrong grade, I would be be saying the same thing. I’m not saying Larry Webster did, I’m just pointing out that it’s hard to sort out what you can actually believe until we see the final report from Birmingham City Schools.
Here’s what Bledsoe’s Algebra 3 teacher had to say…
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In a telephone conversation with The Birmingham News, the Algebra 3 teacher, Larry Webster, said the final course grade recorded on the night-school grade report is wrong. “You’ve got the wrong grade. There are two of those printout sheets. I already talked to the (school) board attorney.”[/QUOTE]
Hmm… that gives us some hope, but at this point, I’m still feeling sick at my stomach.
Now what about Bledsoe taking Algebra 3 before Algebra 2…
I have no idea if he’s actually allowed or even capable of accomplishing that feat but I can’t really think of anyone who could. Especially considering where Bledsoe started from. I mean seriously, It’s not like he has a history of taking AP classes.
However, if you look at the entire situation, I would understand where the school system my let him take Algebra 3 first if it was not going to be offered in the semester Bledsoe would need it. If that was the case, he would have needed to take Algebra 3 when he did.
Here’s what the al.com article had to say about Bledsoe’s journey through Algebra..
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Asked whether it is common for students to take Algebra 2 and 3 out of sequence, Martin responded: “It isn’t normal for a person to do that or be allowed to do that. Had I looked at his transcript, I wouldn’t have allowed him to do that. By the time he got to us, I guess what we had to do …”
Martin paused before continuing: “Well, I ain’t even going there with that. I’m going to my grave with that.”[/QUOTE]There you have it.. I’m not sure how to react at this point, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a little worried. We’ll have to wait for the final report and then I’m sure the NCAA we’ll at least have a statement.
So now I ask you the reader… What do you guys think about this? Should we be worried? Will we have to repeat UK2K?
Leave a comment below or give us a call on the NOB Fan Hotline at 859.379.9219 and tell us what you think.
You can [URL=”http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/09/records_differed_on_bledsoes_p.html”]read the entire al.com article here…[/URL]
