Athlete-Student or Student-Athlete?

So who did it?

Just when everyone expected everything to be settled once and for all, the much-anticipated presscon of De La Salle University (DLSU) over the investigation on its ineligible players only led to more questions instead of providing answers. DLSU told the press things that were already known by the basketball fan. There were no major disclosures, no big names mentioned or a big statement that said, "We found the mastermind and he's going down. Heads will roll!"

Bitin. Inconclusive. Safe. Anti-climactic. This was the general sentiment after the presscon that was anticipated to be like no other. It was expected to be the biggest presscon of recent local basketball history. Bigger than the PBA launches. Even bigger than the Fil-Sham cases. The entire country was waiting for the news. And it all turned out to be a dud. DLSU did a great job of holding all of us in suspense only to be heartbroken with reactions of "Is that it?"

While we'll have to settle with what we have for now, what the whole exercise has done is confirm a practice that has long been known to be an open secret in college basketball. With the goal of winning at all costs, college basketball programs do everything within their influence to recruit high school players for the sole purpose of playing basketball for the school. Whether or not they study is another question. Sure, they'll be enrolled in at least 9 or 12 units, attend classes and be seen around the campus.

But when one talks about college basketball, a phenomenon that is already accepted is that college players aren't always "real" students of the school for which they play. Basketball players will always be known for their athletic, more than their academic talents. While there are many players who are real students and actually attend classes with the goal of getting a college degree, there are probably more college players who are there for only one reason: play basketball.

This is the reality of college ball. There are two types of college players. There are players who use college basketball as a stepping stone towards a pro career. And there are players who play basketball and study to get a college degree, with the goal of finding a job in the long run, whether or not this is related to basketball.

The first type of player is someone who'll be more diligent in attending basketball practice more than classes. He'll get by with passing grades even if he never seems to attend classes since his professors are "kind" to varsity players and understand their situation. In the end, he'll most likely finish his college playing eligibility years without a degree and proceed to play for a commercial league team.

The other type of player is the real student-athlete. He most likely has a basketball scholarship and takes full advantage of this to get a college degree, knowing that he needs a fallback just in case he won't make it to the pros someday. With only nine professional teams in the PBA, job vacancies for rookies can't be as brisk as those of call centers, can it? With the PBL as the only direct source of rookies, how many of the PBL players actually make it to the pros?

It isn't difficult to detect who's who in your college basketball team. You can already pinpoint the athlete-students who are more brawn than brains. And you can also figure out the student-athletes of the bunch. The ideal scenario for any college team should be the presence of student-athletes as the only type of players of its basketball team. The trade-off is that there's no guaranty that it can win a championship (a major goal for some schools). And this is where colleges bring in their athlete-students to blend with their student-athletes. With the right mix and good coaching, a championship could be in the works.

For the record, there are schools that are strict with its internal academic requirements for eligibility on a varsity team. I'm sure you already know which schools we're referring to; you're most likely an alumnus of these worthy institutions. A championship is only secondary goal for its team, with academics still top priority.

In the end, I feel sorry for the athlete-students who don't take advantage of the fact they're being given a golden opportunity to get some serious education for free. It's education on a silver platter, and it's being rejected. But there's always room for hope. If the student-athletes and coaching staff can only influence their athlete-students to be serious with their studies, things will surely change for the better.

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Time-out: Let's take a break and remember all those who passed away and have moved on. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].