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- Thread starter Piratz
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His comment dismissing the GPA is awful. It has nothing to do with the team's competitiveness and nc state IS a school. And given my opinion of him (I must admit this is more of a kneejerk opinion rather than one based on in depth knowkedge of Wade), not surprising.
It was just a matter of time.
When a coach's job is on the line (and I am not saying Wade's job is on the line...but coaches know how fast that can turn...especially when boosters are paying) they are going to prioritize hoops over grades every day...and now that the players are paid? They don't even have to hide it, as Wade didnt.
tip of the iceberg for me, re situations such as this
that this board in the limited comments doesnt seem to think his comment on gpa is outrageous says more to me than what wade said
is what he said something what you are comfortable with. or are marks an unfair burden on players?
Will Wade is one of the biggest scumbags in college coaching and his shameful comments on GPA are further proof of it. I am so glad we beat his *** this year. I have never liked this guy and he keeps giving me more and more reasons. The President of NC State should be all over this low life for that statement.
I hear you, and honestly, I'm not sure what to think. Ten years ago, I would have been beyond appalled at Wade's blatant dismissal of a good team GPA. As you say, they are representing a school, after all.
Now? I'm not sure how I feel about it. As athletic departments become wholly divorced from the universities whose names (almost coincidentally) grace their teams' uniforms, and the role of players having shifted from "student-athlete" to mercenaries paid per annum, the already implausible framing of "student-athlete" has become just too much to pretend. A kid going to four schools in four years is not accumulating the credits he needs to graduate, nor becoming grounded in the overall student experience, as different as it always was for players at this level.
And don't get me wrong: I completely support the right of players to be paid, and well, for their talents. They are the machine that drives this multi-billion-dollar industry. And a kid can still be a true student-athlete if he or she chooses. Many do. But I'm well beyond pretending that this is the default setting for most high-major players. What they do in the classroom has become of very little concern to me, mostly because it's of absolutely no concern to them or to the environment that sponsors this charade.
Every once in a while, a story emerges about a kid who stars on the court and is also a major player in the classroom. I love that, and I will always root hard for those kids. But is it any longer my expectation? No, not anymore.
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The fact he said it out loud little surprising to me, but I believe most coaches and probably a lot of fans believe the same thing, even if they will not admit it. Obviously high GPA is great when you are winning, but when losing no one cares. Also, with all the turnover every year in sport, is GPA really a thing if you are not truly moving toward a degree? If I am at 3-4 schools, and take random core classes, does not really mean much if have high GPA.
I cannot believe there is an actual debate on this board whether a good GPA means anything.
Sort of comparable to all of the driving arrests on the Georgia football team. As if the school cares so long that they win.
Kirby Smart likes to say all the tough things, but the lousy behavior in Athens continues unabated.
You really think the players even go to class anymore?? Even if they do 95% of them take token courses with no educational value.
That’s the choice the players as adults made for themselves. Is it right, no. But don’t pretend basketball and football players care about school. Therefore why should the coach, who only keeps his job based on wins and losses.
When I was in college it seemed like a HUGE headache to transfer having to worry about credits being accepted or not and other nonsense. Now they do it yearly without any issues. That should tell you a lot about their thoughts on education…
Whether they care is one thing. Whether the school cares is another. And, many non ahletes could give 2 sheets about school.
Sure it bothers me...in that this is hardly a college sport anymore; but, if I give in to this is the future (or certainly the "present") of college sports, then the inevitability of comments like this are obvious.
I do think we will see and read much more like this...unless they consider it bad "PR" and keep it within closed doors...but make no mistake, many/most coaches will utter words like "I don't give a darn that you have an exam, you get your a** to practice because we have an important game coming up. We didn't pay you to read textbooks"
Again, may not like it...but is the way it is.
You think a big financial booster like Repole (and I am not saying him specifically, just a whale supporter like him) gives a darn what the kids GPA is? Or worse, that said player may be skimping a bit on working on his handle/shot/defense/fill in the blank, studying for his coursework? Said whale will absolutely say, "that is not what I am forking over millions for; if you want Rhodes scholar athletes, fine, go find another financier; you want a winning team? Then I am in"
Sad...but true.
Didn't who was it, Adidas, just basically say that at Penn State?
These players would be wise to still focus on the academic portion of what they’re handed. The money most of them are making is not enough to sustain a lifetime. Let’s say you make $4M over 4 years before taxes when they’re 22-23 yo. That’s not nearly enough to coast the rest of your life. At some point they’re going to be in their 30’s and need a job, even if they play overseas for a bit. And in the case of someone like Elijah Fisher, I hope he’s built enough credits and stacked transferrable ones during his 4 schools in 4 years and leaves Seton Hall with an undergraduate degree. I think it’s notable and right that coaches still do pay attention to this.
But the whole paradigm has changed. These are hired guns, mercenaries. The courts didn’t care about academics and now the players are LOOOKING to leave every year. They couldn’t care less, and then the coaches have to win to maintain the funding and positioning to even keep them. It’s hard to even pitch the virtues of an academic support team or what a long-term relationship to your school means.
But the whole paradigm has changed. These are hired guns, mercenaries. The courts didn’t care about academics and now the players are LOOOKING to leave every year. They couldn’t care less, and then the coaches have to win to maintain the funding and positioning to even keep them. It’s hard to even pitch the virtues of an academic support team or what a long-term relationship to your school means.
Will Wade is comfortable saying the quiet part out loud, which I guess is admirable. To me, he’s the worst guy in college hoops.
College grades became irrelevant many years ago. Not only for athletes but non-athletes. Schools realized it was bad business to drive students or athletes away over something they can control. Grade inflation at most schools is a real thing. Do we really think almost every basketball team has a legitimate GPA over 3.0 each year?
Seton Hall's athletic department had a combined 3.537 GPA last year. 11 straight years over a 3.30.
And it goes up almost every year.
Seton Hall Athletics's End-of-Year Cumulative GPA since 2011:
2010-11: 3.174
2011-12: 3.223
2012-13: 3.251
2013-14: 3.290
2014-15: 3.346
2015-16: 3.373
2016-17: 3.376
2017-18: 3.405
2018-19: 3.431
2019-20: 3.464
2020-21: 3.491
2021-22: 3.506
2022-23: 3.493
2023-24: 3.531
2024-25: 3.537
Seton Hall's athletic department had a combined 3.537 GPA last year. 11 straight years over a 3.30.
And it goes up almost every year.
Seton Hall Athletics's End-of-Year Cumulative GPA since 2011:
2010-11: 3.174
2011-12: 3.223
2012-13: 3.251
2013-14: 3.290
2014-15: 3.346
2015-16: 3.373
2016-17: 3.376
2017-18: 3.405
2018-19: 3.431
2019-20: 3.464
2020-21: 3.491
2021-22: 3.506
2022-23: 3.493
2023-24: 3.531
2024-25: 3.537
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exactly. You’re gonna upset people here with that one. It’s hard to trust anything anymore. A few more years and we’ll have a perfect 4.0 across 300 athletes!
If NC State issues a high-minded statement taking Wade to task and emphasizing how very important it is for the Wolfpack athletes to be “STUDENT-athletes,” the statement will have as much credibility as Captain Renault’s professions of “shock” at the gambling going on at Rick’s Cafe…