Talked to long-time UALR fan and acquaintance who goes back to the Kestenbaum days and maybe even before. He has been a hardcore fan for as long as I can remember. Asked me if I had been to games at the Statehouse Convention Center and then told me he hadn't "because I was boycotting the program back then". I was quite surprised by that, but he explained that he knew what was going on behind the scenes and just couldn't support it- one example was having a coach who was specifically assigned to take correspondence course tests for the players. Back then, I sure was ready to overlook things like that as long as we were winning. Would I turn the same blind eye now? I'd like to give an emphatic "no", but in reality I'm not so sure.

The term "Student Athlete" is somewhat of an oxymoron. Not to diminish those who are good students, but anyone who believes that every good basketball player is capable of succeeding in the classroom without some "extraordinary" help, they're probably on oxycodone or a moron!

(01-26-2015 11:39 AM)outsideualr Wrote:  The term "Student Athlete" is somewhat of an oxymoron. Not to diminish those who are good students, but anyone who believes that every good basketball player is capable of succeeding in the classroom without some "extraordinary" help, they're probably on oxycodone or a moron!

Well then they shouldn't be in college. Their being in school is a total joke. They should be in the NBA Development League, although they might have the same rule as the NBA with regard to when someone can get into the league (one year after your high school class graduates). And why should they change it, when the NCAA provides a free "farm system" for players to develop during that first year.

I have said for years that one and done's have no business in college. They are taking up space for other potentially good players, maybe not NBA stars, but kids who can help you win by the time they're juniors and seniors. If you enter college, you shouldn't be able to play in the NBA for three years. Just like football. You should either be a college student or a professional basketball player. I don't blame the kids. I blame the system.