Hoop Masters Blog

Developing The Whole Athlete November 7, 2008

Jerome Green

More and more I am speaking to college coaches these days that are more concerned about GPA’s, players Characters than how athletic or gifted a player is. While the top players in the country will still get speculative nod when it comes to choosing their athletic abilities over other factors, others won’t. The other 7 players on that roster better bring more to the table than their basketball game. One of the rising stars in this whole person approach to basketball is Coach Greg Robinson of Oregon State University men’s basketball. I know that he and the university have gotten major press as a result of his speech at the Democratic National Convention and the fact that his sister is now the First Lady-Elect, but if you go to the OSU website at: http://www.osubeavers.com and read his resume, you’ll see how Coach Robinson and his staff stands on their own merit.

More parents are now realizing with tougher NCAA standards, higher test scores and GPA’s required mean choosing a high school for its ability to develop the whole person is more crucial than how many stated Championship teams they have. Finding the balance between athletic and academic excellence has become increasingly important.

IF your son or daughter is being recruited by a university at any level (D1, D2, D3, NAIA) you need to become an educated buyer. Don’t just get caught up in the fact that someone wants to offer you a scholarship, really take a look at what else they offer. Look at the staff, what is their background and how effectively will they be in developing the whole person. Not just the athlete. What else has the coaching staff done with their lives?

The NCAA has a commercial they run on television during all of their events. It s called-going pro is something other than. Players and parents need to pay very close attention to this commercial, because the simple fact is that most college athletes will be going pro is something other than. I sometimes have the opportunity to speak with a major GM of a major sports franchise and one of the things he always mentions first is the perspective draft picks character. Millions of dollars are invested in athletes; just ask the knicks about Stephon Marbury. The person that was cheated was Stephon, a long time ago his prodigy, was placed ahead of his development as a person. Stephon is a good man, he never was held accountable early on in his career. In discussing his current situation with the Knicks, he is quoted as saying:

“Looking back at the last two years, I kind of liked Larry Brown. I kind of liked Larry Brown. I’m like, ‘Man, I wish this guy was here to drill me now.”

Most young players today might resist the direction and correction, but so what. I would rather do what I felt was best that players overall life, than worry about wining a few AAU games. I have always been far more interested in the whole person than the athlete.

Quality teams combine both athletic talent and human talent. If you really look at most of the champions of sport, Bill Russell being one, their characters was impeccable and someone like Bill Russell had to also demonstrate a strong conscience and courage while he was winning championships.

Today’s young athlete needs to learn not just the fundamental skills that go along with being a great or good athlete in their sport. They also need to learn how to become a whole person and how to develop an ability to listen and follow conscience.