Hoops

Simmons snubbed for Wooden Award: Academics

well that is going to stuff up Foxtel and their ESPN2 Australian coverage of the college games ...all they have done is promote this kid....now what!????

Maybe they might actually have to show another team other than LSU.

I see there has been more unfair treatment for Simmons today. Now also snubbed for March Madness.

Lots of assumptions made here actually, too many to be honest, you know what to 'assume' too often means don't you?

Anon, you're preceding on the assumption that he was offered some great "opportunity" at College. Other than the obvious opportunity to play basketball.
I have heard that players on scholarships, bought in for their athletic abilities, are actively steered away from demanding courses (that would impact their training & playing ability) and instead are encouraged to enrol in generalist degrees with lots of filler units.

You're also assuming that his allegedly poor academic record is due to lack of effort.

I've spoken to people that attend Gonzaga and they say Sabonis can barley speak english yet his still getting better grades than BS?

Meh, perhaps "understand" not the right word, but I was trying to think of something better than "I don't get".
Anyway, not my place to criticise their system, it is what it is, and it's been around for a long time.

My point is that if the "system" requires Simmons to spend a year at College, just so he can go on to play pro-ball, then you can't blame him for adapting to the system.
If he was a lesser talent, looking to become say an accountant by getting a "free" degree by playing college ball for 4 years, then that's a different situation all together.

At the end of the day, the system is what it is.
The "system", such as it works, "requires" that he do one year of college to showcase his talent. (Granted there are other avenues, but that seems to be the "accepted norm.")
His SOLE purpose in being there is to play the best basketball he can, and hence get drafted (plus endorsements etc.) So I don't see how focussing on that, rather than a meaningless one year of academia, means he lacks character.
Besides, who knows, maybe he's not academically talented? Maybe he's done the best he can in the time he had available.

I don't "understand" the American system. University should be where you go to get a tertiary education and start a career. Not somewhere you go to play sport. But it is what it is, and it's a huge part of the American sporting environment. You can't blame somebody for adapting to the system.

It's a college award, the NCAA has lots of rules, you gotta follow the rules to get recognition in the NCAA.

Still, won't matter that much when he is in the NBA I wouldn't think...

Turn up to classes and you are almost guaranteed to get 2.0 GPA.

Pretty unfair to consider it a slight on his character IMO.
Any time he spends studying is time he is wasting. The only book he should be picking up is "Basketball: The Andrew Gaze Way"

In reality is probably doesn't really matter. It just seems to me like it doesn't reflect on his character very well...even though he wouldn't have spent a year in college if he didn't have to.

Haven't heard anything as yet and thought surely this would be known by now with the Argentina series only a couple of weeks away.

Anyone heard anything?