Denzel Valentine quoted in ESPN Article saying basketball players should have fewer classes....

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Denzel Valentine, Michigan State

Less classes. ... We take classes year-round. Obviously, we're students first. I understand that. But we are talking four or five classes, and we are a two-semester sport -- so it's not that easy. ... I'm missing a lot of school.

Oh come on now Denzel, really? You mean that communication major along with a ton of additional help from private tutors and other academic resources you can't keep up? I knew multiple people who worked a full time job while also getting their degree in a much harder academic area. I'm not downplaying the importance of a communication degree, but I'm not going to say my teaching degree was as strenuous as my friends who were getting their engineering or aviation or nursing degrees. This comes off as really arrogant...especially if he does take all year classes, he should probably be taking VCR repair and How To Use Online Social Media at this point.

 

[BoilerFan#35]

Hey this proves he's going to class though. Bet O$U hadn't had a guy in class for years.

 

[mathboy]

As #35 said, he wouldn't be complaining at UNC or OSU. Remember those classes that Oden took at OSU? History of basketball, Basketball theory, etc. What a joke!

 

[Statey]

I wonder how much time a player at a high-major program actually spends on film, practice, workouts, and all this "extra" time alone shooting, etc. that we hear about (re: the gym-rat time). When I was in college, I worked about 30 hours/week at a pretty low-stress gig. I got to do a fair amount of homework on the job and/or personal stuff that I would have otherwise had to prioritize against studying and schoolwork in my non-working hours. And even then, I had no desire to take on more hours than that for fear I'd be spread too thin (and indeed, some weeks I was anyway).

But if players are expected to commit this same amount - or more - to basketball in a week, Valentine might actually be right. It could be a nightmare to implement/regulate, but the reality is most basketball players are not your top high school students to begin with. They probably need a little more time to devote to academics than your typical college student (albeit that's partially mitigated by tutors and somewhat easier majors that athletes end up in). I guess what I'm saying is I don't think his statement is as outlandish as what it may seem. The quest for a reasonable solution though may be.

 

[Chuchumutha]

I wonder how much time a player at a high-major program actually spends on film, practice, workouts, and all this "extra" time alone shooting, etc. that we hear about (re: the gym-rat time). When I was in college, I worked about 30 hours/week at a pretty low-stress gig. I got to do a fair amount of homework on the job and/or personal stuff that I would have otherwise had to prioritize against studying and schoolwork in my non-working hours. And even then, I had no desire to take on more hours than that for fear I'd be spread too thin (and indeed, some weeks I was anyway).

But if players are expected to commit this same amount - or more - to basketball in a week, Valentine might actually be right. It could be a nightmare to implement/regulate, but the reality is most basketball players are not your top high school students to begin with. They probably need a little more time to devote to academics than your typical college student (albeit that's partially mitigated by tutors and somewhat easier majors that athletes end up in). I guess what I'm saying is I don't think his statement is as outlandish as what it may seem. The quest for a reasonable solution though may be.

My daughter played D1 Vball. It is like having a full time 40 hr/wk. job and taking a full load of classes. I will say though, the student athletes are given a great deal of academic support (eg. multiple tutors on all trips) to help them navigate.

 

[njm8845]

Maybe a solution is that the NCAA limits how many sport related hours a student can spend per week.

I can sympathize with those that say it's tough to study with all the other obligations. However, instead of tweaking the classes, how about we tweak the other obligations?

 

[TopSecretBoiler]

waaaaaah. If you're such a basketball god, then move to europe and play pro ball there. i seriously cannot stand the complaining of grown men about a free ride and the chance to play in prime time usa media while earning a degree while being coddled and hand held every step of the way. what a pussy. I would say it to his face, or any crybaby basketball athlete. A lot of D1 athletes will never ever have the opportunity to play the sport they love for money, or hell even on prime time while they are in school. Are you so un****inggrateful to the people who donate money to make your life easier that you are going to complain about your class load? msu P U S S Y

 

[Dryfly88]

waaaaaah. If you're such a basketball god, then move to europe and play pro ball there. i seriously cannot stand the complaining of grown men about a free ride and the chance to play in prime time usa media while earning a degree while being coddled and hand held every step of the way. what a pussy. I would say it to his face, or any crybaby basketball athlete. A lot of D1 athletes will never ever have the opportunity to play the sport they love for money, or hell even on prime time while they are in school. Are you so un****inggrateful to the people who donate money to make your life easier that you are going to complain about your class load? msu P U S S Y

Now that is bringing it strong!!

 

[rgarlitz]

My daughter played D1 Vball. It is like having a full time 40 hr/wk. job and taking a full load of classes. I will say though, the student athletes are given a great deal of academic support (eg. multiple tutors on all trips) to help them navigate.

I agree with what you've said, Chuchumutha.

I'm a college professor at an OVC [D1 low-major] school. I have athletes every semester from almost every sport we offer. The time commitments they're required to make are much greater than just practice, travel, games, and off-season training. Most of the student athletes I've had in just about all sports have been reasonably hard working -- but also stretched very thin.

Many come in with a questionable academic background, but some have been truly exceptional students.

It's also true that varsity athletes on my campus enjoy FAR more academic support than any other students. They all have a 5-year window to complete 4 years of athletic eligibility. The full-time enrollment threshold is 12 hours per semester, and they each get 2 credits of physical education to participate in their sport. I think it's reasonable to ask varsity athletes to complete 4 real academic classes each term. They are, after all, college students.

 

[KidsDoc]

I wonder how I made it? I took on average 18 credit hours per semester with an number of those being 3 hour labs worth only one credit and still lettered in sports.

I also hear this from certain athletes and other proponents yet I often see these athletes attending other sporting events(then their own) and activities when they could be studying. The actual answer is probably somewhere in the middle for most athletes.

 

[SIBoiler2]

It depends on your priorities. When I was fresh out of HS I couldn't handle classes and fun and was out of Purdue in 3 semesters. Many years later at the age of 32 I returned and carried a full load while working full time graveyard in tool and die at Alcoa and having 4 kids and wife to balance at home and completed a BS. Wasn't easy but my focus and priorities were a lot different. Fun was an occasional beer with family of friends. Worked another year at Alcoa to build some cash then walked away to go to grad school full time. Fortunately the wife was employed at Purdue at that time so insurance was covered but I worked weekends at the local Checker station for a year before having a year on assistantship. Finished a MS in 90 at the age of 38. Earned a doctorate through a distance program in 2008 while working full time. Like I said. Priorities. I'm guessing Denzel's are different that mine were when I returned but similar to mine when I was an 18 year old.

 

[joe for prez]

It depends on your priorities. When I was fresh out of HS I couldn't handle classes and fun and was out of Purdue in 3 semesters. Many years later at the age of 32 I returned and carried a full load while working full time graveyard in tool and die at Alcoa and having 4 kids and wife to balance at home and completed a BS. Wasn't easy but my focus and priorities were a lot different. Fun was an occasional beer with family of friends. Worked another year at Alcoa to build some cash then walked away to go to grad school full time. Fortunately the wife was employed at Purdue at that time so insurance was covered but I worked weekends at the local Checker station for a year before having a year on assistantship. Finished a MS in 90 at the age of 38. Earned a doctorate through a distance program in 2008 while working full time. Like I said. Priorities. I'm guessing Denzel's are different that mine were when I returned but similar to mine when I was an 18 year old.

Very impressive!

 

[FleeTheScene]

As a fan, I realize most of these guys are basketball players first. Most of them go to a school to play basketball, and try to play at some higher level afterward. The classes are like busy work to a lot of them. I want the product to be good, I don't care how Denzel does on an Econ exam that he doesn't care about and probably won't have any effect on his life. I think the people who are ragging on him for just making a point that the workload is enormous are really ignorant to what type of life these guys have.

 

[Heller]

Maybe a solution is that the NCAA limits how many sport related hours a student can spend per week.

I can sympathize with those that say it's tough to study with all the other obligations. However, instead of tweaking the classes, how about we tweak the other obligations?

Actually the NCAA does limit the hours. But coaches strongly encourage kids to workout on their own. That said, I'm pretty sure Valentine isn't overloaded with difficult courses. Several years ago the President of Duke's Student body questioned why classes available to Jay Williams were not available to him since they shared the same major. Williams had a ton of independent study courses that required little to no class time.

 

[BoilerFan#35]

Maybe a solution is that the NCAA limits how many sport related hours a student can spend per week.

I can sympathize with those that say it's tough to study with all the other obligations. However, instead of tweaking the classes, how about we tweak the other obligations?

This is so dumb. Kids go to college on an athletic scholarship. They are obligated to practice constantly. The NCAA can't tell AJ Hammons to slow down on his practicing and not let him get better for his future career. That could take MILLIONS of dollars away from him

 

[rgarlitz]

Ok, that maybe accounts for the .03% of NCAA student athletes who have legitimate professional sports aspirations.

It's an athletic scholarship, but it's still a SCHOLARSHIP.

 

[honey_badger]

It's certainly not good that he is missing that much school. I think his point is just that, he probably doesn't even feel like he's in school because he missed so much. Izzo has a lot of pull so perhaps he could fix it.

 

[PBoiler84]

I'm sure these guys do miss a lot of class time and homework time, but they also get tutors, plus few of them are taking Physics or Astro-Engineering either. Denzel - you're going pro so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[iufan71]

Ncaa athletes have so much tutoring and help with classes its not funny. Im sure some regular students would love to get all that help

 

[BandofBoilers]

Ncaa arhletes have so much tutoring and help with classes its not funny. Im sure some regular students would love to get all that help

Q: How does a Pirate pronounce the word athlete?

Arrrrrrrhletes!!! Aye

 

[njm8845]

This is so dumb. Kids go to college on an athletic scholarship. They are obligated to practice constantly. The NCAA can't tell AJ Hammons to slow down on his practicing and not let him get better for his future career. That could take MILLIONS of dollars away from him

Why shouldn't the NCAA have a say in the regulation of its sports? They already have certain rules in place. This would just be adding to those rules. Nobody is forcing these kids to goto college. If they don't like the regulations, go play elsewhere.