Craziness..NJ HS Baseball players allowed to return to play another year after graduating

I understand the sentiment behind this (my son just missed his HS senior baseball season), but yeah, this bill seems misguided.  Do NJ community colleges not offer sports (even club or intramural)?  

My guess is not very many people will try this.  But for those who do, it's hard to see the equity in letting them return for HS sports by taking a roster spot from a younger player.  And creating that situation for the next three seasons is especially over the top.

People lose seasons (and athletic careers) every year due to injury.  My oldest went through three orthopedic surgeries, so I have watched someone I care about forced off the field repeatedly and then permanently.  In 2020, everyone lost the chance to play spring sports--it's a shame, but trying to fix the problem just creates inequities that extend into future years.

In an amazing coincidence one of the primary political sponsors of this bill has a relative who will likely benefit from it next year. 

Will the schools be required to give them a spot? After seeing the mess it has caused the NCAA, I’m surprised anyone would think this is a good idea

I exchanged emails with a friend who teaches at a New Jersey community college.  He said that yes, they do have sports teams, but pointed out that their rules only permit full-time students to participate.  It looks as if this new law only permits students who enroll part-time in CC classes to play for their HS team.  And those who were seniors in 2020 are excluded--only the classes of 2021 and '22 are covered (which seems very strange).  K9's suggestion that this benefits a bill sponsor's family member makes as much sense as any explanation I can think of.   

Mercer CC, Rowan Gloucester, and Cumberland CC are all programs competing for a national championship every year in baseball. They're good, with plenty of P5 4-2-4 guys, and some pro guys depending on the year. If I'm correct, Rowan beat Cumberland in the national championship game last year. 

I think going back as a college student and playing HS baseball would be pretty pathetic. IMO it's much much different from a post grad year. How wild would it be if you took this route and got cut from the HS varsity team 

Good lord, who would want to go back to HS after they graduate?

@Smitty28 posted:

Good lord, who would want to go back to HS after they graduate?

It would maybe make sense for guys who are not physically maxed out instead of a juco year.

For most players of course it would not make sense but if you are maybe young for the class and weigh like 160 at 6"3 it could make sense to use that year to gain 20 pounds and 4 mph and become a D1 prospect.

Just yesterday heard of a local kid who is going to take that option...bit of a late bloomer who has had D1 conversations but no offers.  I'm told he is not wild about playing with high school kids for another year, but looks at it as a way of extending his recruiting window without burning a year of eligibility by playing at a JC.  Also will earn some college credits.

Unless the rules have changed thenJuCo kid can’t take more than two courses a semester or the five to play four clock starts ticking. My son considered this when he was injured during recruiting season. He just wouldn’t have been playing high school ball. He was recruited in August for that college year after proving he was rehabbed and healthy. 

@PABaseball posted:

Mercer CC, Rowan Gloucester, and Cumberland CC are all programs competing for a national championship every year in baseball. They're good, with plenty of P5 4-2-4 guys, and some pro guys depending on the year. If I'm correct, Rowan beat Cumberland in the national championship game last year. 

I think going back as a college student and playing HS baseball would be pretty pathetic. IMO it's much much different from a post grad year. How wild would it be if you took this route and got cut from the HS varsity team 

 

There are 5 d2 and 10 d3.

The schools that have success placing players at 4 yr schools are:

D2 - Mercer CC , Lackawanna (PA)

D3 -  Gloucester (Rowan of SJ), Cumberland (Rowan of SJ-Cumberland), Brookdale, Morris CC and Bergen CC