What's important to you??

[State]

Are the days of the 'scholar athlete' over under the Crean regime?  Will we ever have another Diggs or Mueller (both who have gone on to get advanced degrees)?  Or is that even important anymore??  Has society allowed us to separate a 'team' form the 'school'?  Therefore, is it fair to hold these student up to the same standards as the rest of us (MU graduates).  In all reality...we just want to make a buck off them.  Think about it...kid can play--the school will make it happen.  The kid can't--force him to transfer.  Are we really developing these kids in to young men?

To be honest--during the game I want the best athlete on the court...his SAT Verbal score means nothing.  However, I cringe everytime I hear a post game interview. 

Look at the whole Clarret situation...this kid had no business going to college.  However, Tressel and crew wanted a 2000 yard rusher and boom...accepted.  The kid screws up and boom...Tressel washes his hands of the kid.  On top of it, now the NCAA mandates a year in college for basketball players...


Anyone have any honest thoughts on this?  I'm not singling out Crean...more so college sport in general.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Are the days of the 'scholar athlete' over under the Crean regime?  Will we ever have another Diggs or Mueller (both who have gone on to get advanced degrees)?  Or is that even important anymore??  Has society allowed us to separate a 'team' form the 'school'?  Therefore, is it fair to hold these student up to the same standards as the rest of us (MU graduates).  In all reality...we just want to make a buck off them.  Think about it...kid can play--the school will make it happen.  The kid can't--force him to transfer.  Are we really developing these kids in to young men?

To be honest--during the game I want the best athlete on the court...his SAT Verbal score means nothing.  However, I cringe everytime I hear a post game interview. 

Look at the whole Clarret situation...this kid had no business going to college.  However, Tressel and crew wanted a 2000 yard rusher and boom...accepted.  The kid screws up and boom...Tressel washes his hands of the kid.  On top of it, now the NCAA mandates a year in college for basketball players...

Anyone have any honest thoughts on this?  I'm not singling out Crean...more so college sport in general.

You cringe at our post game interviews of our players?  I've heard Wes, DJ, Jerel, Fitz and they all sound articulate and mature.  When I used to listen to Ron Dayne interviewed...well that was a different story.

I believe you will find that there is at least one and perhaps two kids on this current team that will earn advanced degrees.

PS:  Barro can speak several different languages, something that 99% of the people on this board or the general student body at MU cannot.

[rocky_warrior]

Are the days of the 'scholar athlete' over under the Crean regime?
[snip]
I'm not singling out Crean...more so college sport in general.

College sports in general...esp football, I'm very disappointed what schools let kids get away with just so they can stay on the team.  BBall isn't perfect either, but I don't feel like the "student athletes" are as out of control in hoops.

Marquette / Crean.  I can't fault the program at all.  Crean brings in quality kids and I don't think any of them are slackers.  Marquette does it's part to make sure that when they're not playing & practicing, they're studying or with a tutor.  Most of the players, including our "star" PG, know that the education is just as important.  In case you missed this feature in the Richmond Palladium Item:

Dominic James vowed when he headed for Marquette that he'd shine in the classroom as well as on the basketball court.

He scored on both points in his freshman year.

   
James has been named a Big East Conference All-Star in academics for maintaining at least a 3.0 grade-point average in each of the fall and spring semesters.

"That was very important. It's very significant for me," he said by cell phone from Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

James said his overall GPA was close to 3.2.

He is taking classes this summer.

"Once I set goals, I strive to accomplish all of them," he said.

"You've got to excel in the classroom. I'm trying to be an example to kids that academics are important."

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I agree with Chicos. Wesley, in particular, seems like a great kid. I haven't heard much of DJ or McNeal. I also know that Barro is a great kid. I'm curious as to the reason for this post!

[State]

The reason of the post was to get some actual discussion going...


Forget MU...where does 'college sport' draw the line?

Obviously, once a kid is accepted into a University he is going to pass!!  Think about it...he now 'works' for the University.

[MUMac]

Pretty certain you are way off base on your analysis.  The guys on this team are also getting it done in the classroom.

I don't long for the days of Oliver Lee, if that's what you're looking for ...

[ZiggysFryBoy]

 

When I used to listen to Ron Dayne interviewed...well that was a different story.

Ron Dayne interviewed--real bad.

Ron Dayne eating blueberry cobbler and getting interviewed on CBS last Thanksgiving after his monster game--real, real bad.   

[muhoosier260]

obvious bias, but in no way am i ashamed of marquette's student athletes. they (men's basketball specifically) might not be the creme de la creme, but that seems to be the case with many athletes- excuse the blanket generalization. is it true that wade is one of the only (only?) student athlete to sit out due to academic ineligibility at mu? i remember someone trying to tell me that, but i could hardly believe it. regardless, marquette's student athletes should be respected.
unfortunately, recruiting a student athlete rather than just an athlete gives a team a disadvantage too many times, and regards for academics are irrelevant to many programs, whether they admit it or not.
agreed, football players are far too often lacking the necessary skills to speak, write, think properly. if you're familiar with the wonderlic test (guages prospect's "ability to learn") you are familiar with the inadequacies of certain footballers like javon walker (Florida state) and recently vince young, then you see the scientific evidence that goes against football players. check out the webpage
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2006-03-01-young-wonderlic_x.htm

[ChicosBailBonds]

Obviously, once a kid is accepted into a University he is going to pass!!  Think about it...he now 'works' for the University.

State, I don't understand your comment that he is going to pass.  There are academically ineligible kids all over college basketball.  One was just declared a few days ago down at Georgia.  Marquette had some in the last 15 years, Wisconsin had arguably 4 last year, though officially only 2....that's a debate for another day.

With the new graduation requirements in place, one could argue that schools will pass everyone through to keep the maximum scholarships available for a program.  Of course that requires the participation of professors, etc to be complicit in such an operation.  The past has shown that at some schools that stuff does go on, but many are caught and pay for it dearly.

[Mayor McCheese]

Isn't it the Memphis basketball team that hasn't graduated a kid in over a decade... my Uncle lives in Memphis... and we talk about that and he just laughs, because honestly, that is absurd

[muhoosier260]

its either memphis or i know that cincinnati has an insanely terrible track record

[bma725]

its either memphis or i know that cincinnati has an insanely terrible track record

Cincinatti has a bad record, but it got a much worse rap than it deserved.  They got a 0.0% graduatation rate for some years despite having players graduate.  But when JUCOs don't count, when transfers in don't count, when transfers out that graduate from their new school don't count....well you're going to get screwed.

Its a moot point now, because as far as I know Carlton Christian isn't in school anywhere, but the same thing could have happened for a year at MU.  When Mason, Bell, Christian and James Matthews all transferred out, MU's rate for that year became 0%....and all four guys still could have graduated.  Same with Deane's last class of Krunti Hester, I'm pretty sure he graduated from Lamar, but because he left MU it didn't count.

Thats part of the reason new regulations came into play.

[LastWarrior]

PS:  Barro can speak several different languages, something that 99% of the people on this board or the general student body at MU cannot.

Chicos I have to disagree with this quote... maybe some other boards but I have a feeling that you're off on this one.  I have for one can speak several other languages.  Any others?

[LastWarrior]

Are the days of the 'scholar athlete' over under the Crean regime?  Will we ever have another Diggs or Mueller (both who have gone on to get advanced degrees)?  Or is that even important anymore??  Has society allowed us to separate a 'team' form the 'school'?  Therefore, is it fair to hold these student up to the same standards as the rest of us (MU graduates).  In all reality...we just want to make a buck off them.  Think about it...kid can play--the school will make it happen.  The kid can't--force him to transfer.  Are we really developing these kids in to young men?

To be honest--during the game I want the best athlete on the court...his SAT Verbal score means nothing.  However, I cringe everytime I hear a post game interview. 

Look at the whole Clarret situation...this kid had no business going to college.  However, Tressel and crew wanted a 2000 yard rusher and boom...accepted.  The kid screws up and boom...Tressel washes his hands of the kid.  On top of it, now the NCAA mandates a year in college for basketball players...

Anyone have any honest thoughts on this?  I'm not singling out Crean...more so college sport in general.

With regards to MU, I don't think you could be further from the truth.  I believe that Crean recruits guys that will work hard to advance on the court and in the classroom.  I feel that many of the players we bring in to the program value the Marquette degree and work hard to graduate.  In fact, if you look at DJ, he says his goal is to be an ACADEMIC all-american.  That's very impressive for one of the best players in the country.  I'm proud of our program and the kids that Coach Crean recruits. 

[The Lens]

They are always great kids.  They may not all be rocket scientists, but you know what, neither was I.

They all seem to try hard in class as well as on the court.

This thread is grasping at straws.

[WashDCWarrior]

snip  Will we ever have another Diggs or Mueller (both who have gone on to get advanced degrees)?  snip

You mean back when Midnight Madness included a layup contest?  To answer you question, if a recurit was dedicated to becoming and electrical or biomedical engineer, Crean would have no problem taking him, but wouldn't do so over a better prospect who planned to go into communications. 

Crean seems to do a good job of recruiting athletes with a good deal of muturity and further developing that while at Marquette.  Some, like Amo, who didn't seem to have much interest in maturing are no longer here.  I think Crean is doing an excellent job in this area.