THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504230148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: YOUR RESPONSE ON: ATHLETICS AND ACADEMICS
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
When the five best high school basketball players in South Hampton Roads failed recently to meet minimum academic requirements for college athletics, it seemed clear to us at The Virginian-Pilot that this was more than just a sports story.
The disturbing news challenged us to think about the way we look at education, at sports and in a broader sense, ourselves.
When we asked you last Sunday to talk to us about it, several of you felt that same challenge.
``I think society in general has failed our young kids,'' said Raymond Davis of Norfolk. ``We should be teaching our students discipline and the value of an education when they are in elementary school.
``Too many of our students . . . see sports as the only way to success. They go through elementary and middle school without knowing even the basics of math and English. If the value of academics is not stressed in their formative years, the cycle will continue.''
Adds W.C. Harmon of Norfolk, ``Kids used to do their classwork so that they could participate in sports. Now in many cases they don't care. What has been the defining element? Money!!
``As television increasingly dominates sports past the high school level . prospect?' If not, who cares if he lives or dies?''
Is too much emphasis placed on sports?
``Success seems to be a Lexus, a condo on the Beach and an athletic shoe commercial,'' said Roger Bramlett Jr. of Virginia Beach. ``A little less (emphasis) should be placed on the individuals and more on the team. Less on the coaches and more on the universities.''
Should every great athlete expect - and be expected to - attend college?
``If colleges are still to be construed as institutions of higher learning, rather than day care centers for young adults, then they are not for everyone,'' writes Randolph D. Stowe of Norfolk. ``Anyone who cannot meet the NCAA's standards should pursue worthwhile activities which do not include college.''
The standards don't seem so high.
To qualify for freshman eligibility at an NCAA Division I school this year, athletes need a minimum 2.0 grade point average in 11 core classes and a 700 on the Scholastic Assessment Test.
Many area athletes have more than met the goal. Three are headed to Princeton next fall, for example. They are: Kempsville's Mike Pishioneri and Norfolk Academy's Damien Taylor, who will play football; and Cox's Kirsty Hale, who will play field hockey.
But the bar will be set even higher next year. The Class of '96 will face a criterion that combines standardized test scores with grade point averages in 13 classes. For example, next year a 700 SAT score will require a 2.5 GPA.
The tougher standards were scheduled to be implemented this year, but were delayed at the urging of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Boo Williams, a nationally-recognized Amateur Athletic Union coach in Hampton, said that only five of the top 50 senior boys basketball players in the country would have qualified this year under the new standards.
Should the standards be different for athletes than the student body as a whole?
``Colleges should not treat athletes differently than any other student,'' said Kevin Denson of Virginia Beach. ``Each school has minimum eligibility standards. Why should athletes have to adhere to different ones?''
Are the standards, specifically standardized tests, culturally or racially biased?
``(The athletes) need to take personal responsibility for what they do. It's a cop out that people believe there is some sort of bias or discrimination against certain groups of people,'' Denson said.
If enough top players across the country fail to qualify next year, it could serve as the kind of consciousness raising event that unifies players, parents, teachers, coaches and administrators - a seemingly impossible task now.
But already, the Hampton Roads area has a poor reputation with recruiters. College coaches have complained for years about how difficult it is to recruit in South Hampton Roads. They say the athletes here just don't measure up academically.
Why is that? Should we as a community settle for that?
With your continued help, The Virginian-Pilot promises to explore it further.
If you would like to participate in this conversation, send your letter to Robin Brinkley, Sports, 150 W. Brambleton Ave. Norfolk, Va., 23510. Or call Infoline at 640-5555. Then press 2907. by CNB