Last week I went to Lake Charles to support two local high school teams in the finals of the LHSAA Marsh Madness championships. Neither team won, but I was fascinated with the coaches.
I saw hundreds of scholars/athletes who placed their hopes and dreams in the hands of coaches who use basketball to motivate them to achieve academically as they also teach the game of life.
A high school basketball coach is a certified educator whose role is to develop a player’s athletic ability and help them succeed academically. To succeed, a coach must do both because a coach is an educator foremost.
Even though it is difficult, many coaches tap into the hoop dreams of their players by imposing tough academic requirements for players seeking a route to the NBA.
The fans only want an on-court victory; they care less about the academic future of the players. However, a good coach knows that his success is reflected in the academic performance of his players because; if he’s lucky he may win basketball championships as well.
One of the most famous examples of a coach using basketball to motivate academically struggling youth is that of Coach Ken Carter and the Richmond High School basketball team.
In 1999, Coach Carter became the coach of the Richmond High School basketball team in California, which was known for its poor academic performance and lack of discipline. He implemented a strict set of rules, including mandatory study hall sessions and a contract requiring players to maintain a certain GPA to continue playing on the team.
Despite initial resistance from the players, fans, and parents, Coach Carter’s approach proved successful. The team’s academic performance improved and they eventually made it to the state championships.
Another example is Coach John Thompson Jr. and the Georgetown University basketball team. In the 1980s, Coach Thompson implemented a policy that required his players to attend classes and maintain a certain GPA to continue playing on the team. He also required his players to attend study hall sessions and tutoring sessions.
Under Coach Thompson’s leadership, the Georgetown basketball team became known for its academic excellence as well as its athletic prowess. Many of its players went on to have successful careers both on and off the court.
In 2018, Carroll High School coach Alex Washington pushed the Bulldogs academically. They never won a championship in his four years, but 63 percent of the players were honor roll students, and all players maintained average GPAs; its was an academic feat that has yet to be repeated.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has also taken steps to ensure that players are academically prepared for the league. In 2005, the NBA implemented a rule that requires players to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school before being eligible to enter the draft. This requirement has also encouraged high school players to focus on academics and four-year college preparation; that’s the route to the NBA.
Many top college basketball programs want athletes to be scholars, so coaches push players to perfect their basketball skills to be recruited but also get at least a 2.5 GPA, ACT score of 17 or above, and at least 500 on the SAT. With the academics in place, a player has a chance at getting a four-year college education, even an academic scholarship, regardless of their basketball skills.
Furthermore, good basketball coaches have encouraged their players to pursue higher education even if they choose not to play in the NBA. In 2017, the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team had a graduation rate of 100%. The head coach, Kevin Ollie, made it a priority for his players to graduate, stating, “Our goal is not just to put them in the NBA, but to put them in the right situation to be successful in life.”
The proof of a coach’s work comes on signing day or graduation day. When the coach has tutored, threatened, begged, pressured, and squeezed every ounce of academic potential out of a player until the student has nothing more to give, a coach has done his job if he helps that player, at least graduate.
However, when his players graduate academically eligible for recruitment by four-year universities, the coach has done his job extremely well and deserves our praise and congratulations.
Congratulations to good coaches everywhere!
