The good news Russ Pennell received a few months ago was made public Wednesday.
"It changes everything for us," the Central Arkansas men's basketball coach said. "It gives us a goal."
Previously, the Bears hadn't had much for which to strive. They were banned from playing in the postseason the past two seasons because of low Academic Progress Rate scores. Next year, for the first time since Pennell was hired in March 2014, UCA will have a shot at postseason play.
The NCAA made APR scores for the 2014-2015 academic year public Wednesday. Those scores track retention in athletic programs over a four-year span. UCA's four-year average for men's basketball is 873, well below the NCAA's required benchmark of 930 to avoid a penalty.
Nonetheless, Athletic Director Brad Teague said UCA applied for and was granted a waiver by the NCAA in December, and a postseason ban and reduction in games were scrapped based on the team's improved GPA and single-year score of 1,000 in 2014-2015.
UCA will play a full regular-season schedule in 2016-2017 and is eligible for the Southland Conference Tournament. UCA was under a practice time restriction last year, but it also can get that waived for the 2016-2017 if its single-year score for 2015-2016 is over 950, which Teague expects. The school will learn that score in September but will not be allowed to announce it until April 2017.
It provides a fresh start for a program that has played the past two seasons under different circumstances than its Southland Conference opponents.
"Russ is disappointed about the number of wins," Teague said. "But, this is the type of success we needed first. More wins are coming. Our fans and our administration and our whole Central Arkansas program is pleased with what they've done."
It comes after two years of losing records -- the Bears are 9-48 overall -- that followed a reboot in spring 2014. Pennell was hired in March 2014 after three losing seasons under Corliss Williamson, who is now an assistant with the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Teague feared academics were so bad that UCA did not renew scholarships for 11 players, knowing APR penalties were on the horizon.
"It's definitely a relief that the plan did work," Teague said.
It wasn't easy for Pennell, who spent his first two years redshirting players who could have made a difference to ensure they had eligibility for seasons with more at stake.
Derreck Brooks, Justin Foreman and Jeff Lowery were all redshirted in 2014-2015, Pennell's first season. This year, Brooks and Foreman started every game while averaging 12.1 and 11.2 points respectively. Lowery started 11 games and averaged 24 minutes.
This year, guard Thatch Unruh and forwards Ethan Lee and Otas Iyekekpolor were redshirted after playing the season before.
"The first two years, I've never had my best players on the floor," Pennell said. "We still have a ways to go, but we'll have a whole lot more bullets in the gun."
Pennell didn't have any players leave his team after the 2014-2015, but guard Boo Milligan is transferring this year. Milligan's exit will have little effect on UCA's APR because of his positive academic standing, Pennell said.
"We've got the whole ball of wax now," he said. "I almost feel like next year is Year 1."
Arkansas-Pine Bluff's four-year score in football was 923, and 873 in men's golf. Athletic Director Lonza Hardy said both teams got exemptions from penalties based on its status as a limited resource school. UAPB football's score of 923 was an improvement from 916 last year and 882 the year before when it was banned from the postseason.
Hardy credits the improvement to more emphasis placed on staff members with experience in compliance and in academic support.
"The key thing is it's improving each year," he said.
Sports on 04/21/2016