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College has to be about more
than just athletics Head men’s basketball coach Billy Tubbs has finally had enough. No more below par grades. No more putting basketball before academics. But most of all, no more missed classes. After seven seasons at the helm, Tubbs has finally begun to realize that academics come before basketball. In fact, Tubbs feels so strongly about his players attending classes that he suspended the team’s leading rebounder and shot blocker, senior center Derrick Davenport, for one game for “failure to attend classes.” Davenport missed the Frog’s last non-conference game of the season Wednesday against Grambling State. An extremely important game? No. A conference game? No. A game against a winning team? Not even close. Tubbs feels so strongly about academics being a top priority to players that he suspended a player from a game that ends up being little more than an exhibition. In Tubbs’ defense, the men’s basketball team does boast graduation rates 8 percent higher than the NCAA average. But even that statistic is more than misleading. The TCU men’s basketball team’s graduation rate is 50 percent. However, only two TCU seniors were factors in deciding the graduation rate. That’s right, our 50 percent graduation rate means TCU graduated just one senior. Still proud of that Billy? The reason the statistic is so misleading is because junior college transfers don’t factor into NCAA graduation rates. Only players who begin their college career at TCU factor into the graduation rates. So if Davenport doesn’t graduate come May, the program’s graduation rates are not going to drop. In fact, of the five seniors eligible to graduate in May, only two recently said they would be walking across the stage. When Chancellor Michael Ferrari took over in 1998, he vowed to take TCU to the next level, making TCU a top-tier school. Graduating just one senior basketball player isn’t taking TCU to the next level. The university grants these “student-athletes” the privilege of playing basketball. The athletes don’t have the right to play basketball. They are given the privilege to play as long as their first priority is to be a student. Unfortunately, TCU and Tubbs have forgotten about the first half of the “student-athlete” title. TCU is paying these athletes to play a sport, play it well and bring in revenue for the school. It appears TCU and Tubbs could care less if the players get an education as long as they win games. Is that really the image TCU should be projecting, if it wants to become a top-tier school? Tubbs’ most recent attempt at adding the word “student” to the end of the athlete title was funny at best. Tubbs once said, “It’s an exception when (basketball players) graduate in four years.” Do you think they would have a better chance at graduating if you didn’t keep them at practice for hours everyday? Maybe they could focus on school work a little more if you didn’t put more emphasis on winning games than you do on passing classes? Ultimately, it is the players’ responsibility to go to classes, study for tests and pass classes. As the men’s team continues to slump in an already disappointing season, Tubbs tries to save some face for the program and the school and tries to make the statement that grades have, and always will, come first. So, as Tubbs goes home tonight, rest assured he will be a little bit more happy with himself. He will sleep a little bit more soundly knowing he has shown another athlete that he needs to be more of a student. The TCU administration will pat him on the back and tell him “good job.” As for the players, you have unknowingly become victims. TCU will pay you to bring them money but won’t educate you. So, if your NBA dreams don’t come true, if you don’t become a basketball super hero, if you can’t get a job because TCU didn’t educate you, please come say thanks to Billy. Give him a pat on the back and a great big thanks so that he can go home and sleep at night. As soon as you’re done with coach Tubbs, go enroll in a college that will finally let you be the student you should have been while you were at TCU. Senior Sports Editor Victor Drabicky
is a senior broadcast journalism major from Farmersville.
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