A NOTE TO STUDENT ATHLETES

[carlo0507]

School work should be a priority for all players since there is a
high likelihood that an athlete will not play pro ball. Students who
are not athletes spend an hour or two a night studying in high
school, and often three to four hours or more studying in college.
Athletes often don’t realize that non-athlete students study a lot.
Set aside two or more hours per night for study time.
Designate the same times each night for study (i.e. 6-8) Make it a
habit. Read ahead on the assigned text book reading and know the
material before you get into class. You must know the material
somewhat before the lecture or you may miss key points, and not
realize you even missed them until after the test. Do your
homework. Finish the homework and practice solving extra
problems that were not assigned.
Just like basketball, the more you practice, the better and faster
you will be. You may have to sacrifice some socializing, but can
come later. Set aside study time. Do the home work (very
important) and try to work ahead. You must do these things; the
non-athletes are. You must work very hard to compete in school,
as well as on the court. Make school and basketball your two main
areas of success. Succeed here and you are on your way.

[Will Haskell]

I wouldn't begin to question this thought concerning athletes and their study habits. The problem with what I'm reading is how obvious the solution is-do the work! I was a two sport division one scholarship athlete and managed more study time than my non-athlete counterparts. I just find this post offering a solution for all students to do better in the classroom besides just athletes.
Throughout my collegiate career I saw many athletes come and go because of a poor attitude concerning their education. Those athletes will get passed over continually by their coaches and teammates and won't even get a shot at being successful as an athlete. Why are we seeing more high school kids in the pro's? Many don't have what it takes to compete and be successful as students so they stick to their talents on the field. This is again why we have so many idiots playing professional sports.

Going back to the post...very few kids at the collegiate level go into lectures prepared. Some read but most don't. Some don't even go to lectures. As offending as this may sound I couldn't care less about those athletes. Let the athletes that do their work on the field and in the classroom take the success because they've earned it. Beyond that...I disagree that an athlete should make school and basketball their two main areas of success. We can't forget about family and the development of interpersonal relationships that can foster communication so these student-athletes can actually function as a part of the real world. The concept that school and sports should be the only priority is leading to companies such as Adidas ranking basketball players on a national scale as early as age 11.

Athletes have to be developed over time and that development includes a vast array of qualities and can potentially lead to a successful outcome.

Will Haskell
Athletic Development Specialist

[carlo0507]

i fully agree with you...thank you for ur input