One way for Carolina to make the NCAA tourney:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan pushed a proposal Wednesday to bar men's college basketball teams from postseason play if they fail to graduate 40 percent of their players..

If put into practice this year, a dozen teams in the NCAA tournament would be ineligible...That includes a No. 1 seed, Kentucky, which graduated 31 percent of its players...

...Two teams -- Maryland and California -- graduated none of their black players who started school from 1999 through 2002...

Maryland's reported 8 percent graduation rate is the lowest in the field. Clemson (37 percent), Georgia Tech (38 percent) also do the ACC proud.

Thnx to EH for the pointer. Previously.

Comments

[justcorbly]

I wonder what the overall graduation rate is at this year's crop of NCAA schools, for all of each school's students? Why shouldn't athletes be expected to graduate at the same rate as everyone else?

[Ed Cone]

From the article: "graduation rates for black basketball players are 18 percent higher than for male black students who are not athletes."

I'd guess that the overall grad rates are higher at some schools for basketball players than the general student population -- you can see from the previous link that Dook, UNC, and others have very high grad rates for players.

The discipline required to play at that level can be channeled into academics. On the other hand, the demands of big time sports are high, so maybe that's a wash.

It's the programs with absurdly low numbers -- that's you, Maryland -- that really deserve scrutiny.

[A. Bulluck]

It may very well be the only way his alma mater (Harvard) makes the tournament. Sour grapes?

[Ed Cone]

Yeah, I notice a lot of insecurity among Harvard grads due to their lack of NCAA tourney success.

Cornell just won, fwiw. First Ivy League win in 12 years.

[glenwoodobserver]

Until Allen Iverson came along John Thompson's Hoyas never had a student not graduate...in four years. They could have used Allen yesterday....

[Dave Dobson]

That's tricky, because some of the not-graduating is because of going to the NBA, while some is just not graduating. But I agree 8% is pretty horrendous.

I got a number of calls from athletics staff while a grad student teaching assistant at the U of Michigan - never a plea for special treatment or anything untoward; usually just a question about tutoring, student-athlete performance, or study help. So, it wasn't illegal or illicit, but I had to wonder how it was fair for these athletes to have a whole squadron of helpful professional schoolwork managers while the regular folks just had to muddle through.

[beelzebubba]

the muddlers don't help establish ego barrier attachment to an institution. even MIT has a football team.

I was a guest at a local college's football game at Ferrum last year. I was told by one of the staff not to say anything about the team or play. I wasn't anyway but i asked him why. He said that the parents around me pay 30k a year so their child can dress out or play.

Athletics attract revenue. So does the medschool having 3 daVinci surgical robots, at 1.4m a pop. But last time i looked, no dancers, bands or banner boys come into the procedure rooms. Few alumni want season tickets to watch mitral valve replacements, even on queue jumping cannucks.

Cracking down on things, anything in particular, is a function of social mood. When 401-ks are making new highs and unemployment is <5%, everyone gets to play, gets a trophy and a pizza party. Factions agree and everyone is included. When times get rough, the factions are fractured and ways are discussed to be exclusive.

[Kim]

Dean graduated 96% of his players over 37 years. Granted, they had mandatory class and study hall attendance, with all kind of tutoring help. Also not sure how vigorous some of their majors may have been, but they got it done. Congrats to Wake and dook too.

[Kim]

Forgot to add-40% of his players went on to graduate school.

[mick]

No excuse for the ultra low rates. I believe this study was about graduation rates in 4 years though. I would like to see say 5-8 years as well. I would also like to see overall graduation rate of general student population at the schools.

[Kim]

I would guess in the 60% range for 4 years at a big school like UNC. I would also guess that student athletes in general graduate at a higher rate than the general population. You really need to single out football and basketball in my opinion. I bet the women's field hockey team at Wake has a 100% rate.

[Thomas]

Probably not much difference if you go out 5 or 8 years. After 4 years the free ride is over. How many do you think are going to pony up tuition and fees to finish?

Ed, help me out here. Which Carolina player was it that got chastised for flying back to UNC for graduation on the same day his team was playing in the NBA playoffs? Seemed pretty hypocritical to me at the time. It should have been celebrated instead of condemned.

[Ed Cone]

T: Vince Carter.

Good discussion, lots of relevant points about comparison with general student population, 5-7 year rates, moving on for good reasons (e.g., NBA, although it's good to see examples like Carter in that vein).

[Kim]

I'm sure Carter may have had a bonus clause in his contract tied to graduation. Did you catch the end of the MSU game? Wild.