Beginning in 2016, the National Collegiate Athletic Association raised its minimum GPA to 2.3. As it stands now, the minimum is 2.0 GPA for an athlete to play in NCAA-sanctioned contests when they arrive on campus.
Of course this move by the NCAA will potentially hinder many student athletes from playing at the college level. The NCAA estimates that 35.2 percent of the student athletes that suited up for football programs in the 2009-10 season would not have been eligible had these standards been in place.
The NCAA did say that scholarships could still be given to students with a 2.0 GPA in core classes as it stands and this means they can participate in practices but not the games.
Does this mean the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association will be following suit?
According to Assistant Director Donnie Nelson, not anytime soon.
He said the mission of the NCAA and the NIAA is totally different.
“As it stands, we will not change the 2.0 standard because our mission is not to prepare athletes to play at a college level, rather our mission is to provide students with an experience of playing a sport,” he said.
Contact Sports Editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com