Pope told him that his schollie would be in limbo as he looked for a specific sort of recruit. And that the schollie would be used on a quality enough recruit of that desired type.

That way Lowell & Pope could both save face by claiming that he did not in fact lose his scholarship. And Lowell — unlike Emery — saw the plain writing on the wall & moved on immediately — rather than wait around for the inevitable disappointment to be set in stone.

It happens all the time at other schools as well. Rose didn't work that way, but if you really want a competitive program — there's really no other way to do it in the present times.

Honestly, the way things worked out, I think Pope would've honored Lowell's schollie when Mahorcic chose not to sign with us. But Lowell's choice to roll his dice in the Portal gave Pope the liberty to hold out a little longer — & land us Knight.