Chris Gradnigo Granted Transfer Release by UL

[Parrott]

To answer cajunfan32, yes, that's the Brandon Reed from Arkansas State that is the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.

Boomer, almost all of those UNO kids were recruited there by ex-Cajun coach Nate Dixon. They would have been interested in UL if Dixon had been retained, but the situation didn't work out that way.

If you recall, Devin McDonald nearly ended up with the Cajuns a few years ago when Steadman was still here. Carl Blair almost got out of going to UNO last year to join the Cajuns but decided to stick with UNO.

[J-Town Cajun]

UL lost a guard to to SLU a couple of years ago and I think he was one of the leading scorers last season.

[Parrott]

Yes, forgot about G Damon Forrest. Left the Cajuns after one game in 2007-08. Averaged 9.1 points per game at Southeastern Louisiana in 2008-09 and 11.1 points in 2009-10.

[Just1More]

I'm always looking for the meaning behind facts that people pile up. Does the SBC lose transfers (UNO doesn't count) at a higher rate than other mid-major conferences? Do transfers often coincide with coaching changes... including assistants?

As for Marlin, I expect him to recruit quite well in time. I also believe we should be the target for a couple of solid transfers in the not too distant future.

As for Gradnigo, I always thought that his lack of defensive hustle and the pout on his face was from playing under Coach Lee's program. I know for a kid like Gradnigo, he's thinking in terms of showcasing some NBA highlight moments in his final "at-bats".

It is a bummer to lose him, if he had it in him to produce under Marlin. But, if he's just thinking about "Gradnigo the Pro", and he does not see where he can optimize that "view" at UL, then Marlin and the rest of us are probably... as hard as some believe it... better off with the separation.

I'm not stupid... I know we could have used an "inspired Gradnigo".

[zephyr]

_ I'm always looking for the meaning behind facts that people pile up. Does the SBC lose transfers (UNO doesn't count) at a higher rate than other mid-major conferences? Do transfers often coincide with coaching changes... including assistants?

As for Marlin, I expect him to recruit quite well in time. I also believe we should be the target for a couple of solid transfers in the not too distant future.

As for Gradnigo, I always thought that his lack of defensive hustle and the pout on his face was from playing under Coach Lee's program. I know for a kid like Gradnigo, he's thinking in terms of showcasing some NBA highlight moments in his final "at-bats".

It is a bummer to lose him, if he had it in him to produce under Marlin. But, if he's just thinking about "Gradnigo the Pro", and he does not see where he can optimize that "view" at UL, then Marlin and the rest of us are probably... as hard as some believe it... better off with the separation.

I'm not stupid... I know we could have used an "inspired Gradnigo". _

I think that college basketball has a large amount of transfers on a yearly basis, regardless of the leagues. I have no idea how one would find stats to support it either way but I would assume that there is quite a bit of movement and that UL or any SBC team is not much different from other conferences. I do think that coaching changes play a large role in the transfer rate as these players are recruited and interact much more intimately with their coach than football players do. Everything that the coach does affects these players when recruited and playing within that program and when a change is made, too many things don't carry over from one coach to the next which makes it hard for kids to stay.

As far as Gradnigo goes, I still wonder whether we'd be better off with him because we knew he was going to be good for at least 16 points or so per game which is now going to have to fall to lots of different people.

[BirdofParadise]

_ Mike, I know APR (multi-year and yearly) was an issue in the past. I wrote a series of stories that looked into the issue. The multi-year APR won't be a concern with the most recent scores.

But it might not have been an issue with Gradnigo, even during the historical-penalty years, if he met the following criteria to receive an APR waiver when he left:

*Have at least a 2.6 cumulative GPA.
*Be eligible and earn "E" in the last term at their institution.
*Transfer immediately to another four-year school. Documentation is required.
*The committee will develop criteria for considering adjustments for students with less than a 2.6 GPA who meet all of the other defined criteria.

The Cajuns weren't penalized when Elijah Millsap transferred to UAB after he met the mentioned criteria. He was a "1-for-1" instead of a "1-for-2" (leave early or ineligible) or "0-for-2" (leave early and ineligible) in his last term at UL, so there was no penalty for the program. _

Excellent explanation about the APR waiver.

Gradnigo did not have anything close to a 2.6, however.

[Parrott]

That I have also heard. But there is a chance of getting a waiver even with a sub-2.6 GPA.


igeaux.mobi

[cajun4life]

I would have rather kept Milsaps instead of Gradnigo IMO.

[Parrott]

I've been told Gradnigo has been unable to get accepted at Tulane and will likely end up at Coastal Carolina.

The connection appears to be Coastal Carolina assistant Gus Hauser, a former ULM assistant.

igeaux.mobi

[zephyr]

_ I've been told Gradnigo has been unable to get accepted at Tulane and will likely end up at Coastal Carolina.

The connection appears to be Coastal Carolina assistant Gus Hauser, a former ULM assistant.

igeaux.mobi _

Can't say I feel sorry for him. Have fun in Carolina.

BTW, what happened to all of his "choices" such as LSU, Tech etc.. We know what's happening to with Tulane but I find it funny that all of his options are no longer options.

[Parrott]

Remember, those were schools HE was interested in. He just didn't have the grades to get in Tulane.

Louisiana Tech used its last scholarship on Red River F Cordarius Johnson, a former Cajun target who was going to prep school.

igeaux.mobi

[cajunfan32]

I'm not surprised. Not too many teams are interested in signing a player who can only come in and play one year.