But not in a good way, sports fans.
Of the entire men’s field, Maryland has the lowest graduation rate for members of its basketball team – a whopping 8 percent – according to a recent study. The top-seeded University of Kentucky has a somewhat higher rate (31 percent), and 12 of the 65 teams in the tournament have graduation rates of less than 40 percent.
The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, who played intercollegiate hoops at Harvard, has proposed a ban on postseason play by teams with a graduation rate of less than 40 percent. That, of course, would change the nature of the game.
The source of the data stated above is a report that aired on the PBS Newshour recently – http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/sports/jan-june10/basketball1_03-18.htm
According to the report, the University of Maryland disputes the graduation rate attributed to its team.
UPDATE:
Maryland coach Gary Williams told The Washington Post that such rates are insignificant:
"Obviously, those years we had players leave early and they're millionaires now, and they're coming back to get their degrees, just like other guys have come back and gotten their degrees."
He has a point. If a player has success in the NBA, hasn't the college experience worked well? And why don't late graduates count in these numbers? A degree is still a degree no matter when it's attained. Still, the fact that Williams equates academic success with money is disconcerting.
Low graduation rates are nothing to be proud of, but they're no surprise. Most big-time college basketball players have long since stopped being student-athletes. For many, it's athletics first, academics second. If you're Gary Williams, that's acceptable. If you're Arne Duncan, it's not.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
9 comments:
Remember that former Georgetown U. star who went on to a job as a doorman at a hotel in DC?
Gary Williams is making a huge amount of wealth from "the system" so what else would he say?
This is hilarious to me. These people who insist on higher graduation rates are the ones reaping money from the tournament. Please, get off of it, period. There is no guise to NCAA Basketball. The best players are there for one year, the next best two years. Is there anyone who actually thinks this is about graduation rates? It is not a consideration now or ever.
Somehow I don't find this surprising.
Sad but true, and Maryland is one of the worst offenders.
What is the overall graduation rate for all students at MD?
I don't see too much of a problem if these players are going into the NBA. The majority of people who attend college do so in order to get a piece of paper which helps them to get a good job. If these players are recruited into the NBA where they don't need a degree to get paid big money to do what they love then so be it. They have achieved in life what they wanted to achieve and are making good money doing it.
1:20-
How many of the team members at Maryland make it to the NBA -- certainly not anywhere close to 92% (100 - 8).
If they are going to equate success with transition to the NBA, then firearms training and safety should be part of the curriculum.
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