TBR Instant Classic: "I'm an athlete not a Scholar"

[THEBIG"O"]

Hey guys I know this is something that comes up every year as we move into baseball season at the highschool/middle school/and even college level. The minimum GPA for a kid to participate in school athletics. I would like to know what yalls thoughts are on the relevance of the demanded academic standards for athletes. And theoreticly or in reality for those of you out there, if you are the coach and you are looking at a kid to be on the team or to play varsity in comparison to jv, does the kid's grades play a part in your decision? I hope to evoke some thought and get some good responses from the board memebers. But just remember, it's like i heard a man once say......."Good grades don't make you a good athlete, but they do keep you on the team."

[allrightnow]

I guess the question for me is: Why are the kids in school to start with? As important as sports are in the overall scheme of rounding out an individual, the bottom line though, is that GPA.

At the risk of drawing down the wrath of student/athletes everywhere, those grades have to be the most important thing to them. The vast majority of high school athletes are not going to play pro sports of any kind. A lucky few will play through hard work, dedication, and skill, but most will remain good high school athletes and a few will be good college athletes. Baseball players probably have the best chance of playing pro ball, but the numbers are still small compared to the number of baseball players across the country.

The players who go on to college still have to have a certain grade level though to get in as well as stay in.

But let's say you do get to go to the pros and you start out in the minors, you play well, and you are recommended for promotion to the next level. But there is another player that isn't as good, but has a fatter contract and you're waived. Nobody picks you up in A ball, so what do you do? By the way, this is a true story from what I understand. Fortunately, an education saved the day and the player is a college professor now.

At the risk of preaching, encourage your kids to take those books seriously because for most of them it will be the ONLY ticket they have.

But to answer the question, as a coach I have to be very concerned with grades. Athletes can't be any different from any other kid in that school. They have to be held to the same standards as everyone else. If I was a coach I would not be doing the kids any great favors by not insisting that they do their school work. That is me and me only. I do not even try to speak for anyone else. Of course, I am not naive enough to think it actually works like that.

One more story and I'll quit, my dad used to be a college professor and the football coach came to see him one day. The coach was asking about one of his players and how he was doing and if he was going to pass. My father asked the coach what he did with players that didn't come to practice or didn't do their work when they were on the field. The coach told my dad he knew damn well what he'd do. My dad asked why he had to be any different. The coach thanked him and left.

Go to school and study . . . you will never regret that decision.

Another great topic!!!

[NCBBallFan]

For the players:

Lets be brutally honest about this one guys.

1. Baseball players in college miss more classes due to practice and game schedules than football and basketball.

2. Your conditioning work off-season and access to the field house for the baseball team will NOT be during peak access hours. You may be lifting at 5:00 AM and having workouts in the fieldhouse from 10:00PM - 1:00 AM. The Golf team, Tennis Team, Football Team, Field Hockey Team and Tiddlewink Team are all fighting with you for the best times.

3. Due to the heavy commitment of time required to practice and play during the spring in baseball, it takes most students (regardless of how good they are) 5 years to complete a degree. The only way to keep on track and finish in 4 is to go to school year-round. Most players take a heavy 1st semester and lighter class load during the season. This all depends on your major. Some are tougher than others. The harder the academic subject, the longer it's going to take you to graduate. Courses of study that have a lot of lab time (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science) are the most difficult for the student-athlete. Notice that the student comes FIRST in student-athlete.

4. You must have demonstrated the commitment and work ethic through high school to not only play great ball but keep up your grades because it is difficult to remain academically eligible with that work load.

5. Given a 2.5 GPA in H.S. and a great ball player and a 3.5 GPA in H.S. and a great ball player, every college coach is going to take the kid with the better grades.

6. If you go to a baseball skill show, a lot of college scouts who see you will ask you first: What's your GPA? What did you make on your SAT's? If you don't have a good answer, there is no 2nd question (like, what's your name).

7. Colleges get 11.7 scholarships TOTAL for the entire baseball team. These scholarships are "split" into pieces in order to attract the best players. When broken down, it might be split between 25-30 guys. Then there will be about 10 non-scholarship invitee's that the coaches want to come to tryouts. That's about 40 guys out there working to make that 25 man roster. That's why you hear of someone getting a half-scholarship, 3/4 scholarship, etc. Coaches LOVE athletes who can get academic money and save some of the scholarship money to use some where else.

8. Scholarships are for 1 year and are NOT automatically renewed. You have to meet academic & athletic expectations. It doesn't make sense to give athletic money to a player who can't play for academic reasons.

About College Sports:

As mentioned by other posters....other great ways of spending your time in college.

1) Running: If you're not a pitcher, get ready to run, run, run and run some more. 6 minute miles are POOR...the minimum acceptable at most institutions. The players you are competing with for time will be doing it in 5 (or less).

2) Running: If you are a pitcher, you have to get your legs in shape in order to maximize your delivery effort. The rest of the pitching staff is running distance and sprints.....You better keep up.

3) Running: They like to see ya do it.....5:00 AM is a real good time so you are wide awake for the first class. OBTW: you must take the early classes in college.... you're going to be on the practice fields right after lunch, so get that 7:00-8:00 AM Class in so you don't have to miss classes during practice.

Finally:

You are going to spend about 2 hours (at least) hitting the books, library and labs for each hour that you have scheduled in classes. (And you are going to have to make up the material from missed classes on your own). If you are majoring in a subject that has a lot of labs associated with it, plan on 4 hours per hour of class time. In season, after baseball practice is over, plan on hitting the books until at least midnight. And don't forget 5:00 AM. Luckily, the first year is a lot of basic core classes so you can get used to the degree of effort it will require. Each year gets more difficult.

College social life? Your girl friend? Hopefully, your girl friend is a student-athlete also, so she knows first-hand the schedule you are on. Social Life: You can read about it after you graduate ..... you're a baseball player .... and that IS SOMETHING SPECIAL.

[gonzo]

Well said NCBB. First of all, you are a student, whether it is in high school or college. Unless you are 1-5 round draft pick in high school, you better study. There are too few spots available and wat too many guys competing for them in college. Great grades and subsequent academic scholarships and aid go a long way to offsetting the fact that most schools don't even fund the entire 11.7 baseball scholarships schools are allowed to offer. Many of those "full ride" studs got a bunch of academic money to boost those "athletic book scholarships". Secondly, baseball is a different sport. It is truly a thinking mans sport. Like NCBB said, the guy with the better grades will win out.

Playing baseball in college is a great thing. But it is not a given. College academics will kick you in the butt.

[Prepster]

First of all, what a terrific post that was, NCBBAllFan. There's a LOT of truth in it.

Here's a twist on the baseball/academics question:
What I would suggest is that "diligence is diligence"...or "complacency is complacency." That is, excellence in baseball and excellence in the classroom ought to go hand-in-hand. If you're not willing to work to be your best in the classroom, are you really willing to work as hard as you can as a player? Sure, one may be more enjoyable than the other; but, if you're really going to excell at baseball, that takes the same level of diligence that it takes to be a good student.

[BearBryant]

I can promise you he is not joking about the running part.

[Prepster]

Somehow, it seems appropriate to use this thread to confirm the fact that Rob Wilson over at Myers Park has committed to play baseball at Davidson College.

What a TREMENDOUS combination: to be able to gain one of the best educations in the country while playing Division I baseball for a superb pitching coach like Dick Cooke!!

Congratulations, Rob! You've gone "yard!"

[Braves]

Congratulations, Rob

Although you will be attending one of the great academic institutions in America, the best part of you attending Davidson is this....we get to watch you play

:applause::jump:

If you don't mind, I feel like singing...ahem

:drums::guitar: ~~~~~My name is Rob Wilson and I am still a Mustang// but to tell you the truth I must confess to my school gang// listen closely cause i need a favor// Don't get upset with me guys, cause my heart is a Sabre~~

Congratulations to a truly class kid!!

[SabreFan]

Prepster:

I thought that we had already confirmed the fact that Rob Wilson over at Myers Park has committed to play baseball at Davidson College a couple of days ago on the thread "Unsigned Seniors Who Still Make An Impact."

Anyway, I guess there is room to congratulate Rob again. Congratulations again Rob for a job well done! Good luck at Davidson with baseball and the academics parts as well.

[stealin_2nd]

Ok... So what about an athlete that doesn't have the capabilities (truly) to make the grade point average required, but is a very gifted athelete. Or the ones that love the sport and that's about the only thing that keeps them in school at all. Those kids will never go to college much less play in college, but can't play in HS either....

[NCBBallFan]

stealin_2nd.

There are other routes. The JUCO route plays more games than the normal 4 year institution per year and the academic load is much easier.

It is designed for those students who just needed a little more time to get it together. Cost of these institutions can be as low as 1,000.00 per year and you see a great brand of baseball.

Athletically, it is just as demanding (running, practice, classes et al). Academically, it is easier (but not easy). You have to work hard there too.

Baseball is a cerebral game. You have to have thought your way threw situations BEFORE they occur so you can appear to have "reacted instinctively".

If you have that ability, you're smart enough for a JUCO. Wilkes CC has just started a BB program. If you look at the courses available, at lot of it is "trade related" and not a purely academic environment. The building trades are well represented in their cirriculum.

The 4 year college route is much tougher. You can ease it with the right major (but avoid basket-weaving - popular with football players in the 50's).

[NCBBallFan]

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