12/21/24
May 03, 2010
John Calipari's team isn't very bright: A number of schools released their athletic team's GPA's, and John Calipari's Kentucky basketball team didn't do so well. Their cumulative GPA was the worst among the athletic teams at UK, worst among the 9 SEC teams that released their GPA's, and worst compared to Louisville, Duke and Kansas. Considering his history, this can't reflect well on Coach Cal.
posted by cletus7777 to basketball at 12:41 PM - 9 comments
I hav ben at this unaver univursty colidge for 6 munce and all reddy I can difend the pick and rol. I dont car becuz I can go to the NBA and mak 20 milioon dolers and waist it on my frenz.
Having personally experienced classes with coach Cal recruits and interactions with other Calipari players, this seems about right for them.
posted by Demophon at 03:15 PM on May 03, 2010
I don't know how some of them get such high GPAs when they miss so much school. I had some college basketball players in a couple classes and they were only able to attend classes sporadically the whole spring semester. They would borrow someone's notes and that was supposed to make up for missing class.
posted by bperk at 03:37 PM on May 03, 2010
I'm on board with higher expectations for scholarship athletes. It\'s better for them if they learn things while they're at college, after all.
That said, I really don't like the title of this post. Nobody here has any idea if these young men are "bright."
A high GPA is a sign that students buy into the college academic experience and work at satisfying class requirements. It\'s also often a sign that they arrived well-prepared for the rigors of college coursework. It is not, in my experience, a reliable index of "brightness." Anyone who has been to college can attest to that.
Moreover, I think it's hard to say what a low GPA really means. It may mean Calipari recruited, and the university admitted*, students who were very poorly prepared for college. It may also mean that even well-prepared students learned they had little reason to put in serious hours at the lab, in the library, or whatever, and blew it off. In short, kids who think they're working the system. Howard_T's comment speaks (rather insultingly) to that possibility.
It's easy to single out Calipari, but my own feeling is that,on the whole, big time college sports are a mess. I'm finding it harder and harder to watch without mixed emotions--sort of like the falling out I had with boxing over the last few years.
* In reality, the most depressing part of the story.
posted by Uncle Toby at 03:44 PM on May 03, 2010
this can't reflect well on Coach Cal
NOTHING reflects well on coach Cal.
He does however earn a whole s**tload of money, so he could care less.
posted by cixelsyd at 07:48 PM on May 03, 2010
The people brought into Kentucky to play basketball for Calipari aren't students. Attaching a GPA to them is ridiculous. They are brought to the school to bring in boatloads of money, and after they play a season they bolt for the NBA. College basketball in Kentucky (as well as many other colleges) is about big business, not academics.
posted by dyams at 08:58 PM on May 03, 2010
That's absolutely right. I like the idea of student athletes as well, but until the one-and-done rule is eliminated, it's unfair to judge the players for not being students when everyone knows they are only there because they have to be.
posted by bender at 10:48 PM on May 03, 2010
NOTHING reflects well on coach Cal.
It's because he's a vampire. Subsisting on the life-blood of attention-starved schools.
posted by yerfatma at 07:59 AM on May 04, 2010
Heck with a 2.0 GPA they can aspire to be vice president!
posted by Knuckles at 10:51 AM on May 05, 2010
I hav ben at this
unaverunivurstycolidge for 6 munce and all reddy I can difend the pick and rol. I dont car becuz I can go to the NBA and mak 20 milioon dolers and waist it on my frenz.