<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Van Gundy, a good and smart man, doesn't do controversy. He has been working in this town for more than a decade without uttering a flammable syllable. But don't get him started on the subject of shamateurism. He knows more than most that it is only a loss-column ''L'' that separates higher learning from higher earning. .... ''College athletics, they're supposed to be this bastion of purity,'' Van Gundy says. ``You've got to be kidding me. Pro athletics are far more upfront and honest. We know what it's all about at this level. They do in college, too, but they try to fool people into thinking its about the kids and education, which is a bunch of crap.'' ......... 'I listen to Dick Vitale and Billy Packer talking about how these kids should go to college for the education and experience,'' Van Gundy says. ``What a joke. I'm telling you, it's all about winning, and those people will do anything to keep those kids eligible. A lot of them will discourage kids from taking classes that can be very valuable to them. If you think any of those [college] administrators are worried about integrity, you're crazy.'' ....... ''I don't think the NCAA cares anything about the athlete,'' he says. ``Some of their rules make that very, very clear. I wouldn't want my kid going to any college that can't teach him it is a good decision to bypass college for $5 million a year.'' ........ ''The reason people never have gotten upset with kids leaving college to play minor-league baseball for $300 a month is that it was mainly white kids playing for very little money,'' Van Gundy says. ``What they don't like is black kids from the inner-city coming out and making millions of dollars without going to college. Quite frankly, I think it is racist.''</div> You tell'em Stan :thumbsup:, the system revolving around high level college sports is a joke. I just posted some of the most controversial (and utterly true) parts of the article, if you want to read the rest of the article go here: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sport...ard/9983062.htm [note: you need to sign up]
I definitely think there are some racist undertones in this idea that young black kids should stay in school for an education while its perfectly ok for white kids to go pro in other sports. That was touched upon in a thread I started earlier in the year about the NBA and racism. At the same time, I do think young players can benefit from a college basketball environment. If they have to choose between wallowing on the bench or playing in a development league over going to college,I think college is the better option. Particularly if its not certain how good they'll end up being. It's pretty sad when you see kids get their hopes up too high and enter the draft, and they end up going no where. So, while Van Gundy makes some good points, I think he's about half right.
Man Stan went Chuck wit it. Preach Stan, I've heard his point of view a couple times. Well similar to his view about a black kid skipping college to make millions while a white kid goes to the minors straight outta HS and making 300 a month.
