Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="billsin01, post: 370457, member: 837"] Come on. Seriously? When are you talking about? The 50s? Prior to when Wooden and co. were paying kids to attend UCLA? You think when DC and Billy O and Derek Brower were getting in fights on Marshall St. every night and driving around in brand new cars, etc., the focus was truly on a healthy balance of academia and athletics? And why is it Cal gets the blame for this? Granted, the guy is slimy, but two things -- 1) he really makes no secret of what he's doing which, in some ways, is commendable; and 2) it is the NBA/NCAA who created this one-and-done rule, arbitrarily deciding that kids who have zero interest in academics need to go to college and fake it for one year. So while Cal is basically creating a D League, he's doing it largely b/c these kids need a place to go for a year to hang out until they bolt to the NBA. Cal is taking advantage of the situation, I agree, but he's largely just the one doing the best job of it. College athletics are unsavory and have been for a while now. Come to think of it, I haven't seen the Cuse turning down too many kids who aren't terribly interested in academics (I'll resist naming names from last year's team). As I mentioned before, this is how it's been for a long time. There are plenty of folks who feel like Gary Williams failed to keep up b/c he didn't feel like schmoozing with AAU coaches and playing that whole game. Good coach rendered irrelevant by not pandering to jackhole AAU coaches? (and, believe me, Gary Williams was no saint before that so I'm not suggesting he's a member of the "coaches who want to produce fine young men" club). How about the fact that SU has a dedicated practice facility with Carmelo's name slapped on it? Seriously? You need a dedicated practice facility for hoops? Football teams need swanky locker rooms with players lounges? Lacrosse players who come from some of the most well-regarded private high schools in America need 15 million tutors and preferred scheduling to get a B in philosophy? I guess at some point academics were a huge part of this whole thing, but somehow defining a part of your self -- even a small part of your self -- by the character and make up of the kids on your favorite school's basketball team is absurd. Just watch the game, enjoy the athletic feats and try not to think of all the rest. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?