The charge for universities is to prepare students for whatever comes after they graduate. At least that is the mission statement. At places such as Northwestern and Stanford Tyler Ervin Jersey , it certainly rings true.
When those students are football players, the challenges are exacerbated. Balancing classroom obligations with the demands of big-time sports is difficult.
Doing so, though, provides substantial benefits, as those players have learned as part of the NFL's draft crop.
"That I could get into Stanford helps with football," says Harrison Phillips, a defensive tackle projected to go in the second round next week. "Anything worth doing in life is worth overdoing. The intellectual side of football has always been interesting to me."
Teammate and linebacker Peter Kalambayi, like Phillips, is among the 39 players on the draft boards who recently made the 2018 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society for having carried a grade-point average of 3.2 or better throughout college.
"It is definitely a lot, especially midterm and finals week. It's about understanding when you get home from practice and you are really tired and you don't want to do anything, having that discipline to do what you need. It's learning how to say no to going to social events. People hit you up and you have to tell them, 'It's not right, right now.'"
Right now, Phillips Darqueze Dennard Jersey , Kalambayi and the other recognized scholar-athletes 鈥?including Cardinal teammates tackle David Bright, and Dalton Schultz 鈥?all are listed as potentially going in the three-day draft. Among the traits they would bring to the pros are exceptional study habits, discipline, strong retention skills and organization.
Of course, they need to have the athletic ability, and no health or off-field issues. And just because they excel in the classroom isn't an overriding reason to draft them.
"With some players there definitely was a carry-over, with others definitely not," notes former NFL general manager Phil Savage, who now procures talent for the Senior Bowl and is a SiriusXM Radio football analyst.
"We've seen prospects come out of academically inclined schools where the classwork is especially challenging and they had no edge over prospects who came out of other type schools that were not so highly rated academically.
"You have to be careful to tie it completely together. But guys who check off the boxes in the classroom who you know have worked hard and gotten good marks, it makes you feel good about their prospects. I do think it can be a positive as a prospect. Remember what is the core philosophy for the Patriots: Be in condition, know what to do and play hard."
College Football Hall of Fame member Pat Fitzgerald was an All-America linebacker at Northwestern and has been head coach there since 2006. He fit the category of star player and student, and he now gets to work with similar youngsters, the vast majority of whom won't be heading to the pros.
Fitzgerald believes the habits these players create in high school construct a foundation for their college careers as athletes and students. And then the environment they experience at Northwestern solidifies that foundation for their futures 鈥?whether they become NFL participants or doctors, lawyers Denzelle Good Jersey , businessmen, whatever.
"It begins with the expectations and standards of our program and university," Fitzgerald says. "That is our identification, who we are, and we take great pride in that. We are recruiting a young man who is an institutional fit. We place high value in a 40- to 50-year decision. It's not just playing football, it's using the university to help you be successful in life. He wants to be successful in all he does.
"Typically, the goals are very high of the young man we get to coach, and we are able to drive them and push them to newer heights. It makes for a great group collectively."
Kalambayi and Phillips stress exactly that. Performing in the classroom is as essential as doing the job on a football field 鈥?and it forms a bond with fellow athletes.
"We're fundamentally the same 鈥?we were the smartest football player at our high school," says Kalambayi, who majored in communications and minored in French; his family is from Congo.
"Coming in from different socio-economic backgrounds and from different races, we have a general understanding of each other. We're one of the closer teams because of that.
"Our humor is different than other teams; Our conversations range from politics to football to policy. The locker room is a phenomenal place 鈥?to be around those guys and learn so much from your teammates."
Phillips had two majors: sociology, and the science of technology and society. He minored in education and graduated in December.
He reasons that his acumen for dissecting game plans and individual plays comes not only from his love for football but from his classroom skills. Phillips keeps a notebook with him and constantly writes down things he picks up at film sessions or meetings.
"I don't know how much carry-over there is, but from the football meeting rooms there's a lot of carry-over to the field," he says. "There definitely are similarities of study habits that might be the same."
When these players do move on to the NFL J.J. Watt Jersey , they tend to remain in contact with the coaches who helped them get there. That feeds back into the college programs, Fitzgerald believes.
"The No. 1 thing guys (from Northwestern who make the NFL) tell me 鈥?midway through their first year I will text and ask them did we prepare you? 鈥?and to a man the answer is the same: 'I was over-prepared.'" He said. "The active learning environment and expectations academically, our guys take the path less traveled. We hope they achieve the goal of playing on Sunday for a long time, but that is Plan B. Plan A is life.
"Hopefully, we The Clippers are finally out of their misery, a long season marred by significant injuries coming to an end just short of the playoffs.
They finished with a winning record of 42-40, but their streak of consecutive postseason appearances ended at six. They closed out the season Wednesday night with a 115-100 loss to the Lakers, dropping their last four games in a row.
They kept their playoff hopes alive until the final week of the regular season despite the injuries. Eleven players missed a total of 265 games.
Coach Doc Rivers started an NBA-leading 37 different lineups because of the injuries. The Clippers were forced to dip into the G League for starters, most notably C.J. Williams (who was signed to a multi-year deal) and Tyrone Wallace.
The season began with nine new players on the roster after the offseason departures of Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford.
But injuries soon befell the newcomers. Point guard Patrick Beverley was lost for the season after right knee surgery; starter Danilo Gallinari missed 60 games with hand and glute issues; backup guard Milos Teodosic was out 36 games with foot problems; and guard Avery Bradley was out 24 games.
Some takeaways from the Clippers’ season:
BIG MAN’S FUTURE: DeAndre Jordan has a player option of $24.1 million for next season or he could explore free agency. He and the team have yet to agree on an extension. ”I want to be where I’m wanted,” Jordan said. ”I want to have a chance to contend. That’s really what I’m looking at.” He averaged 12 points and 15.2 rebounds, but just 0.9 blocks. Jordan has spent his entire 10-year career with the Clippers and he turns 30 in July. ”Let’s not write the script yet,” Rivers said of Jordan’s future.
DOC’S FUTURE: Rivers is entering the final year of his contract. He could either receive an extension or leave after five years in Los Angeles. He was stripped of his duties as president of basketball operations a year ago, leaving his focus solely on the court. ”I love where we’re at as a franchise Keke Coutee Jersey ,” Rivers said. While he has yet to match the success he enjoyed in Boston (two NBA Finals appearances and one title), he pulled off one of his best coaching jobs by keeping the Clippers in contention all season when it would have been easy for them to fold. ”I really commend him for sticking with us,” Jordan said. Rivers trusted younger players to produce and swingman Montrezl Harrell blossomed under his tutelage.
LOU WILL: Lou Williams led the team with career highs in scoring (22.6 points) and assists (5.3) coming off the bench in his 13th season and first in Los Angeles. His scoring average was the highest of any reserve in the last 25 years. He received a $24 million, three-year deal in February and was a key reason the Clippers remained competitive despite their injuries. ”My job this summer is getting myself prepared,” he said. ”There’s always room for improvement.”
DRAFT PICKS: Besides their own pick, the Clippers will have Detroit’s pick that they received from trading Blake Griffin in January.
FREE AGENCY: Besides Jordan, the Clippers could have decisions to make if starting guard Austin Rivers and Teodosic exercise their player options and become free agents. Rivers averaged career highs in points, assists, 3-point percentage and minutes. Bradley will be an unrestricted free agent. However, injuries blunted his impact. Harrell will be a restricted free agent, which allows the Clippers to match any offer he would receive. He was an energetic force off the bench.
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31.08.2018 10:57
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