Correct if I'm wrong here but we might have one more ride to give as Tao Xu has a grant in aid which is not a school sponsored scholarship. Grant in aid is typically provided by government and not paid for by institution.
If you read USF press release, there is no mention of "scholarship" for Tao Xu. Regardless, Tao is getting a free ride but wont be paid by USF scholarship which leaves us with one more free ride. Am I right here?
What is ‘countable' aid? Every sport is given a scholarship limit by the NCAA, and there are several instances in which an athlete's financial aid can ‘count' against that limit. An athlete's aid counts against the team's total scholarship limit if: He/she receives grant-in-aid from the athletic team. He/she receives outside aid for which athletics was a major criterion and the awarding individual is a booster of BYU Athletics or the awarding individual restricts the college choice of the recipient. He/she receives an institutional scholarship that is not solely based on academics. He/she receives education expenses from an Olympic committee or national governing body. NOTE There are exceptions when the aid listed above wouldn't count against a team, such as when an athlete is considered medically unable to participate; however, in most cases these rules hold true.
What is ‘non-countable' aid?
Federal financial aid, such as Pell, SMART and ACG grants, along with federal (Stafford) loans, do not count against a team's limit. Institutional scholarships (i.e., awarded by the BYU Scholarship Office or individual colleges/departments) that are solely based on academics. Parent-tuition benefits, available to children of BYU employees, have the potential to count until the parent has been employed at BYU for 5 years, depending on whether the athlete is receiving aid from his/her athletic team. Awards from outside organizations, such as a local Elks club or a corporation, even if they are based on athletics in any degree are considered non-countable as long as the individual donating the aid is not a booster and they do not restrict the choice of institution for the recipient. Given the various circumstances and exceptions, it is important that athletes accurately report all sources of financial aid.
Can ‘non-countable' aid ever become ‘countable' aid?
In a word, yes. There are times when aid that normally wouldn't count – such as a scholarship from a department – will count because an athlete is receiving aid from the team. Again, a number of factors are included in determining the ‘countability' of any type of aid, so coaches & athletes should always check with the Compliance Office before assuming that any kind of aid will or will not count.
Originally we thought Xu was going to reclassify and spend a year in prep school, but Dons head coach Rex Walters has to be happy about this one, because we're talking about a big man who competes, fights for position, runs the court, rebounds, and blocks shots, and scores around the basket. He also is surprisingly agile and fluid, has good hands, and can step out and hit the 15-foot jumper, which should make him the perfect complement to 6'8 Matt Christiansen from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGinnes) OK, who is a solid post player that averaged a double-double and was ranked as the #2 senior in the state this past season.
