#studentathletes : The ball will stop bouncing!
The ball will stop bouncing!
Patrick Ewing has a ball in his office, at Georgetown University, that is flat. It serves as a reference point and conversation piece for his student-athletes, to focus on the totality of their lives, and not just basketball.
The flat ball also serves as a reminder that, although basketball is their life and passion, preparation, planning, and goals outside of basketball must be established and executed. Upon establishment of plans for life after basketball, Coach Ewing wants them to lay the foundation of work, instill the daily habits, and execute the real game plan (of life).
We will begin to look at life following basketball and how student-athletes are utilizing basketball to help execute the game plan of life.
Growing up, I was always a huge fan of Big East basketball. I always admired Coach John Thompson, his sideline demeanor, his devoted relationship with his players, and his charm! Coach Thompson was well respected and even feared. As a coach, heard Hubie Brown say one of the best compliments a coach can hear is how hard his guys play for him.
Coach Thompson’s teams were unified and played hard for him. They were educated, given tough love, and not coddled. He stood by them and ensured they were prepared for life after basketball.
Of course, being a basketball fan and where my roots are, articles will be slanted in basketball but the research and findings are for student-athletes, and their families. My recent research began with reading a survey conducted by GamePlan, that was published in 2018.
The survey conducted by GamePlan analyzed data from statistics gathered in professional development, internships, and career outcome of student-athletes at over 200 colleges and universities.The intent of GamePlan and also in my writings is not to embarrass, ridicule, or even slam higher education institutions, rather to provide insight as to what has the journey of the student-athlete been like, throughout college and into their professional lives.
While over two-thirds of those surveyed, were NCAA Division I student-athletes, the primary question asked by GamePlan to student-athletes was formulated to answer is, “are student-athletes receiving enough support as they prepare to make the transition away from competitive athletics and into the professional world?”
Are they? For many surveyed, the answer was no. While blame is not exact science and very '2019ish,' responses would indicate there was a breakdown of excursion along the way during their college years.
Does personal accountability play a role in the lives of student-athletes? The answer is, surely. Did it play a role in this survey? You can be the judge. We look forward to diving into the development of the student-athlete. Next time, we will introduce the role alumni can play in life after basketball, for student-athletes.
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