GPA schmePA

I went to UK and was very happy to get a cumulative GPA about the same as the cumulative GPA of the players mentioned in the article you cited. I passed. .now let's do the next thing. I didn't even go pro-ha.

From article:
"The UK players' individual GPAs in the fall semester ranged from 3.59 to 1.667. Four were at 2.0 or lower. Two were better than 3.0. (UK released only the individual averages, not the names of players who made the grades.)"

The above could mean 3 got 2.0 and 1 got 1.667 but it sounds worse the way the words were woven into the sentence. You are a good writer. You know what I mean. "Wow, this is shocking" It wasn't shocking to me. The fact that maybe the Duke players or the Butler players had high GPA's now that is shocking and close to super human. (not sure I am accurate there-I know one of the teams had really high GPA's). There are only so many hours in the day to do school and ball.

Also you have to think beyond the article to the way things really work. Ever see "Back to School" with Rodney Dangerfeild? Think of all the entry points for corruption of grades and what is at stake. Maybe there is pressure to give ball players better grades at this school and not that school. Maybe one school really cherishes players that can achieve high GPA's and uses that as a recruiting tool. Maybe during the players careers they have to make sure the players get high GPA's.

I propose the above because one day I was with a friend who is a professor at a University and they started getting phone calls and emails all the sudden. Well this person had just posted final grades and flunked five basketball players both male and female. The person held out for a day and a half but the pressure was so intense all the grades were changed to passing with the click of the keyboard...So grades never did and still don't mean a lot to me...maybe because mine were so poor.

Now my kids get good grades and I am very thankful for that and by all means good grades are a good indictor of how somebody is doing in "School" but they won't be in school forever...maybe they"ll go pro.