Craig Upchurch article

[OrlandoStewart]

Upchurch Case: SLU Sought 'To Do Right' - Rejected St. Louisan Is Star For Houston

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Tuesday, February 14, 1989

Author: By Tom Wheatley ; Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

St. Louis University's experience with basketball player Craig Upchurch is a case of what can happen when a school tries to combine a big-time athletic mission with a big-time academic mission.

''We wanted to do the right thing,'' Billikens coach Rich Grawer said. ''I think the whole university did. I really believe that.''

''If we had accepted Craig Upchurch , you'd be writing now about why we couldn't keep him in school,'' said Charles Schroeder, SLU vice president for student affairs and overseer of the athletic department for the school's administration. ''We were damned if we did and damned if we didn't.''

In fact, SLU did accept Upchurch after the 6-foot-8 forward from Beaumont High signed a national letter of intent in the spring of 1987.

His high school grades and his score on a college entrance test met National Collegiate Athletic Association minimums for eligibility. Yet Upchurch never made it to class at SLU in the fall of '87.

After seeing Upchurch 's academic skills in a summer orientation program, SLU officials decided not to admit him. It was an unprecedented reversal.

''There were so many 'firsts' in this episode, we were just swamped by it,'' Grawer said.

Upchurch then enrolled at the University of Houston, where he was one of the outstanding freshmen in the Southwest Conference in the 1987-88 season. Now a sophomore, he is Houston's best player and among the top players in the conference.

But Upchurch 's basketball talent never was in doubt.

''He has to get stronger,'' Houston coach Pat Foster said of the 200-pound Upchurch . ''If he does, barring injury, you're looking at a 10-year pro.''

''He's a program turner,'' said SLU assistant coach Jackson Wheeler, a neutral observer who came to SLU a year after Upchurch had signed.

It is a fact of life among top teams that ''program turners'' with low academic skills can gain admission to college, sometimes to the best schools.

For example, Duke and Georgetown have more exclusive admission policies than SLU does. Schroeder has stated publicly that those two schools are models for SLU's basketball program. Yet in the past decade or so, Duke and Georgetown each accepted a sub-marginal student who happened to be a program turner, Gene Banks at Duke and Patrick Ewing at Georgetown.

Helped by diligent academic support programs, Banks earned a degree in history and religion, and Ewing earned a degree in fine arts.

Helped by Banks, Duke made the Final Four in 1978. And helped by Ewing, Georgetown played in three NCAA championship games in his four seasons, winning once.

Those players were admitted before the days of NCAA Proposition 48 guidelines. These require a high school senior to have a ''C '' average in certain core courses and a minimum score of either 700 on the SAT or 15 on the ACT college admissions test.

Upchurch was not regarded as a strong student, but he had complied with every NCAA minimum standard. That's what made SLU's belated rejection so newsworthy.

When word spread that Upchurch was no longer bound to SLU, Grawer's office was besieged with calls.

Grawer said one of them was from a member of the staff at an Eastern school reputed to have tougher entrance requirements than SLU's.

''I said to the guy, 'How can you get him in if we can't get him in?' '' Grawer recalled. ''And he just laughed and said, 'Don't worry, we can get him in.' ''

Grawer said he also got a sympathy phone call from coach Bobby Cremins of Georgia Tech, an engineering school that competes in the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference.

''All he said was that schools in the ACC have ways to get around this,'' Grawer said. ''He didn't mention Georgia Tech or any school in particular. He just said, 'It's going to be hard, Rich, but keep your head up and you can do it.' ''

How could Upchurch have completed the necessary courses in English and math at Beaumont and still be found lacking by SLU?

Insights into that question are hard to find.

Beaumont principal Charles Brasfield Jr. said he was not at liberty to discuss Upchurch 's situation.

Celeste Johnson, who directs SLU's academic support program, said, ''No, I don't have any comment. A student's records are confidential. He's a nice young man, but we felt it was in the best interests of Mr. Upchurch not to attend St. Louis University.''

Upchurch never was a model student. hHe recently told the Houston Post that he was concerned about being a Prop 48 casualty and not being eligible at a four-year school. That's why he spent one of his recruiting visits on San Jacinto Junior College in Houston. He said he scored 520 on the SAT when he took it in December of his senior year at Beaumont, but that his score improved to 880 when he retook the test the following spring.

When interviewed in Houston by the Post-Dispatch, Upchurch said Beaumont officials read the SAT questions aloud to him. Such permission can be granted for students with a reading disability.

Upchurch apparently showed severe reading problems at SLU's summer orientation program in 1987, which is mandatory for incoming freshmen with academic weaknesses.

''It allows the university's academic people to make academic judgments,'' Grawer said. '' Craig Upchurch isn't the only player we've had who went through it.A''

Upchurch did not fail to complete the course.

''There are no grades,'' Grawer said. ''As far as I know, the kid rode the bus every day to get there.''

When asked about the orientation session, Upchurch said, ''I didn't know I had to do it until after I signed.''

But according to assistant coach Lee Winfield, who was the point man on Upchurch 's recruitment, ''We told him before he signed, at his house.''

Grawer backed up Winfield, but agreed that Upchurch may have missed the message.

''We are very hesitant to tell kids about coming to the summer orientation thing, because it's a turnoff,'' Grawer said. ''Especially when you're talking about a highly recruited kid. That's just another black mark he puts beside our name. And if they're from out of town, they have to pay for their room and board themselves.''

Upchurch also said he had no idea that his admission to SLU could be revoked after summer orientation.

Grawer can understand that, because he didn't know it, either.

''I got a call around Aug. 1,'' Grawer recalled. ''I don't want to mention any names, but (SLU officials) said they would like to meet with me to discuss Craig Upchurch . I certainly didn't expect to hear what I heard.''

B Grawer said he was ''presented with documented evidence that Craig Upchurch would have a very hard time if he matriculated at St. Louis U. It was broached on this level: 'We don't have the resources to help this kid,' '' Grawer said.

''My question was: 'Is he that much different from these other kids we had who went through the program?' The bottom line was: 'He is.' ''

Grawer said three options were discussed:

''Give him a choice, after we explain to him and his mother, 'You're probably not going to make it.' ''

''Make the decision for him, even if it gives us a public black eye. Just say, 'Our academic people, who are the experts, say you're not going to make it.' ''

''Just take him and say, 'We're going to do the best we can with you.' ''

The decision was made to go with the second option and reject Upchurch .

Some schools in similar predicaments take the third option. Grawer said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told him that he was not familiar with Upchurch 's background, but that when Duke accepts a marginal student it keeps its commitment to him.

Grawer favored the first option, letting Upchurch and his family make the decision after hearing the facts.

s A player of Upchurch 's ability had no trouble finding a new school.

''But where would John Duff had gone?'' asked Grawer, referring to a Billikens reserve. ''Or what if it's Joe Blow, who happens to be a regular student and not an athlete? He's out in the cold.''

Why did Grawer and Jim Bakken, then SLU's athletic director, go along with the Upchurch verdict?

''Bakken and I were torn between doing what's right academically - we want our kids to graduate - and torn between our athleticism,'' Grawer said. ''We want to win, and this kid can help us win. I mean, I was really torn.

''We're coming off a 25-10 record. And with Craig Upchurch coming in, we're staring at the NCAA Tournament. . . . It was a traumatic time for me.

''The bottom line is, I did not want to use Craig Upchurch for a year or two. So I accepted the verdict that these academic experts had, even when I knew, like Lee (Winfield) said, it could ruin us in the Public High League as far as recruiting.''

Grawer knew the ruling would be a blow to Upchurch and his family.

''You know what a great kid he is,'' Grawer said. ''sHaving to face him and his mother, it was a tough three or four days. It was mentally devastating.''

Upchurch picked up the pieces. Hw During a previous recruiting visit to San Jacinto, Upchurch made friends with a player named Eddie Cumbo. When Cumbo went to Houston, Upchurch asked Grawer to call Foster and ask if any scholarships were available.

Foster was happy to oblige.

Last season, Upchurch averaged 12.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.

This season, he is averaging a team-high 19.2 points and 6.7 rebounds, second best on the team. He is hitting more than 57 percent of his field-goal attempts for Houston, which is 14-9.

He scored 34 points in a victory over Texas A&M despite a dislocated shoulder.

''He's going to be hell when he gets well,'' losing coach Shelby Metcalf said.

After Upchurch scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a loss to Arkansas, winning coach Nolan Richardson compared him to Xavier McDaniel, the National Basketball Association forward out of Wichita State.

''But this guy here is a better ballplayer at the same stage,'' Richardson said. He's going to get you that 19 points and 19 rebounds. That's what I call a great basketball player.''

Upchurch , a small forward, moved to power forward after injuries depleted Houston's front line. Despite playing out of position, he is a coach's dream: Tough, unselfish and coachable.

''The difference in the great players and the also-rans is attitude and heart,'' Foster said. ''And he happens to have both. He's totally, totally, totally coachable. He's just a nice person.''

After beating a case of homesickness, Upchurch is happy to be at Houston. Before Foster took over, the school had a reputation of sending more players to the NBA than it did to graduation ceremonies.

''I'm glad that I got away from home,'' Upchurch said. ''It's a different environment to be around. In St. Louis, for Anthony Bonner and Monroe Douglass it'd be real hard for them to make it in the NBA. But a whole lot of people came out of Houston to the pros.''

Upchurch still is confused and a little bitter about his fateful stay in the summer orientation program at SLU.

''I felt it was something stupid, something crazy,'' he said. ''I asked them for a tutor when I was there, and Dr. Johnson said they didn't have that (for summer orientation).''

He said his grade-point average as a Houston freshman was 2.5 (a C-plus). ''It went down a little bit,'' said Upchurch , who has not decided on a major. ''I've got to bring it back up. I guess that's why I'm playing so well, because I concentrate on that and worry about other things later.''

Upchurch , who is shy and not talkative, finally got around to admitting that he misses SLU.

''We were going to have a real good team back in St. Louis,'' he said. ''We had all the top people back. We were going to be all together as one. It wouldn't be selfish. We would all have been as one, because we all played together at Vashon when we had a little time in the summer.''

One key question, of course, is whether Upchurch would be eligible at SLU. Another is whether such a case can happen again.

''I think we have it ironed now,'' Grawer said. ''Dr. Schroeder has been put in charge of admissions, and we are going through a more thorough evaluation of a kid long before the signing date.

''. . . You learn from your mistakes.''

[inthelou]

It's over. Long over.

There's no need to revisit it and it was a vastly overrated story at the time anyway.

[GoBills]

It's over. Long over.

There's no need to revisit it and it was a vastly overrated story at the time anyway.

It was a long time ago, but personally I found it very interesting. It was a good article and a good refresher on some of the details. It is amazing that even Coach Grawer had no idea that the admission could be revoked. Needless to say there was a major lack of communication between the Athletic Department and the academic staff. Once the kid got accepted and met the NCAA requirements, they should have gone forward with it. They could have provided the support and maybe he would have pulled through like a Rumeal Robinson did at Michigan. To pull the rug out from under the kid on Aug. 1, so close to the start of the school year, was absolutely terrible. This was a real pivotal moment in SLU basketball history. The addition of Upchurch likely means at least a couple NCAA tournament trips. Success breeds success and who knows, maybe Coach Grawer stays longer, continues to recruit well and down the line the program becomes a more attractive option for more local standouts like Jahidi White and Chris Carrawell. Of course we'll never know, but the one thing Coach Grawer could do very well was recruit locally.

[brianstl]

It's over. Long over.

There's no need to revisit it and it was a vastly overrated story at the time anyway.

What? It cost us at least two NCAA berths and it hurt recruiting longterm.

[GOSLU68]

What? It cost us at least two NCAA berths and it hurt recruiting longterm.

Upchurch was the key to Melvin Robinson's untapped talent also; you should of seen the way the two of them could get the ball in, out, in at will

And if they accepted Big Mel it couldn't have been a far reach even if Upchurch coudn't read. Things have changed since then; didn't we start a pottery major to suit Chris Heinrich?

It has always amazed me that a school that dominates in physical therapy can't have one of the greatest P.E. majors, masters, PHD outside of the

Big Ten. When I went to University of Illinois they had like 37 faculty with PHD qualifications in PE here we think we are doing great if we have fully funded coaching staffs.

[kevinfootes]

Upchurch was the key to Melvin Robinson's untapped talent also; you should of seen the way the two of them could get the ball in, out, in at will

And if they accepted Big Mel it couldn't have been a far reach even if Upchurch coudn't read. Things have changed since then; didn't we start a pottery major to suit Chris Heinrich?

It has always amazed me that a school that dominates in physical therapy can't have one of the greatest P.E. majors, masters, PHD outside of the

Big Ten. When I went to University of Illinois they had like 37 faculty with PHD qualifications in PE here we think we are doing great if we have fully funded coaching staffs.

How did Melvin's tenure at SLU work out?

From a basketball standpoint, I wish Upchurch would have been admitted...or that his admission wouldn't have been revoked. That would have put us in the big dance for sure. However, as a SLU student who sat in classes with a couple of athletes who had no business being at SLU I have mixed emotions on this.

[Box and Won]

THIS GETS MY IRISH UP.

HULK SMASH!!!

[inthelou]

What? It cost us at least two NCAA berths and it hurt recruiting longterm.

How do you know that? It's 20 year old pure speculation at best. You have no idea how Upchurch would have done with his teammates, his academics once he got in school etc. To say a single player not qualifying or being admitted cost you all kinds of "NCAA berths and recruits" is really lame. Look at Lisch and the recruiting victory he was and Lidcell for that matter. The Pied Pipers. Studs. They both appeared in exactly zero post-season games if I'm thinking clearly. I look forward and don't make excuses based on a singular event when a basketball program like ours has a ton of moving parts and critical elements that are so much more important than one guy.

[brianstl]

How do you know that? It's 20 year old pure speculation at best. You have no idea how Upchurch would have done with his teammates, his academics once he got in school etc. To say a single player not qualifying or being admitted cost you all kinds of "NCAA berths and recruits" is really lame. Look at Lisch and the recruiting victory he was and Lidcell for that matter. The Pied Pipers. Studs. They both appeared in exactly zero post-season games if I'm thinking clearly. I look forward and don't make excuses based on a singular event when a basketball program like ours has a ton of moving parts and critical elements that are so much more important than one guy.

Upchurch was more than one guy. He was the fourth piece of the puzzle that those teams needed. Upchurch was a far better player than Lisch or Liddell before he blew his knee out. The kid was recruited by almost every program in the country.

It really hurt future recruiting because it was used against us by other programs.

[inthelou]

Upchurch was more than one guy. He was the fourth piece of the puzzle that those teams needed. Upchurch was a far better player than Lisch or Liddell before he blew his knee out. The kid was recruited by almost every program in the country.

It really hurt future recruiting because it was used against us by other programs.

So you were in the living rooms when it was "hurting us"? C'mon. One recruit!! One!! Go out and get somebody else!! Build better facilities. Hire better recruiting assistants. There's a ton of factors involved here. To cling to that is a loser's mentality.

[MusicCityBilliken]

It really hurt future recruiting because it was used against us by other programs.

How did this hurt us?

Didn't Grawer the next year pull in Highmark, Winfield, Claggett, etc...

I always thought, till we got Majerus and the Hughes class, was SLU's best recruiting class since the 60's.

[brianstl]

How did this hurt us?

Didn't Grawer the next year pull in Highmark, Winfield, Claggett, etc...

I always thought, till we got Majerus and the Hughes class, was SLU's best recruiting class since the 60's.

The Claggett/Highmark/Winfield class was four years later. We didn't land another player as highly recruited out of high school as Upchurch again until we got Hughes. Grawer's recruiting took a big hit between Upchurch and the Claggett/Highmark/Winfield class. It took a long time to recover from it and ultimately cost Grawer his job.

[kevinfootes]

How do you know that? It's 20 year old pure speculation at best. You have no idea how Upchurch would have done with his teammates, his academics once he got in school etc. To say a single player not qualifying or being admitted cost you all kinds of "NCAA berths and recruits" is really lame. Look at Lisch and the recruiting victory he was and Lidcell for that matter. The Pied Pipers. Studs. They both appeared in exactly zero post-season games if I'm thinking clearly. I look forward and don't make excuses based on a singular event when a basketball program like ours has a ton of moving parts and critical elements that are so much more important than one guy.

Upchurch was the Southwest Confernece freshman of the year, if I'm not mistaken. To say that he wouldn't have put a bubble-type team like SLU over the top is just wrong. If he could have stayed eligible for even one year, SLU would have gotten to the big dance.

It's hard to prove that would have helped Grawer get better recruits, but I think common sense tells you that would have been the case. I saw every home game the team played during that time. Did you? I'm no basketball expert, but I think you'll find at least a dozen or so ther people on this board who saw every home game during that era and would agree with me.

[thetorch]

The Upchurch fiasco was ridiculous. Grawer was very diplomatic in the article. Privately after the way this was handled he never thought he could really win at SLU.

Upchurch and some other team members would always play at Vashon during that spring and summer. I was lucky enough to be present for some of these scrimmages. I was 10 years old but Upchurch was only bested on the court by AB and sometimes was the best player out there.

I still believe if Grawer had gotten Upchurch he would still be the coach at SLU if he wanted to. Grawer had completely changed the local coaches perception of SLU. This set him back years and he could never recover.

[mcglotherirvin]

had upchurch stayed we would have had 2 NBA players in the front court. probably never happened before at slu

[

quote name=thetorch' date='May 2 2009, 02:03 PM' post='193196]

The Upchurch fiasco was ridiculous. Grawer was very diplomatic in the article. Privately after the way this was handled he never thought he could really win at SLU.

Upchurch and some other team members would always play at Vashon during that spring and summer. I was lucky enough to be present for some of these scrimmages. I was 10 years old but Upchurch was only bested on the court by AB and sometimes was the best player out there.

I still believe if Grawer had gotten Upchurch he would still be the coach at SLU if he wanted to. Grawer had completely changed the local coaches perception of SLU. This set him back years and he could never recover.

[thetorch]

Correct me if I'm mistaken as well but I think Bob Cole was Upchurch's coach at Beaumont.

[courtside]

Upchurch was more than one guy. He was the fourth piece of the puzzle that those teams needed. Upchurch was a far better player than Lisch or Liddell before he blew his knee out. The kid was recruited by almost every program in the country.

It really hurt future recruiting because it was used against us by other programs.

+1

[AGB91]

The biggest problem with Upchurch not being allowed to attend SLU is it hurt the stacking of recruiting classes by Grawer.

Gray and Douglass would have been seniors, Bonner a junior, Upchurch a sophmore and Robinson a frosh. ( You can say what you want about Melvin but the guy had a world of natural ability and he did get a cup of coffee with the Timberwolves in the N.B.A.) That group would have been as good as anything in the MCC at that time. Even Xavier.

This seems to be the way Majerus is approaching things. Stacking good recruiting classes to build a program for the long haul.

[AGB91]

Correct me if I'm mistaken as well but I think Bob Cole was Upchurch's coach at Beaumont.

You correct.

[GOSLU68]

How did Melvin's tenure at SLU work out?

From a basketball standpoint, I wish Upchurch would have been admitted...or that his admission wouldn't have been revoked. That would have put us in the big dance for sure. However, as a SLU student who sat in classes with a couple of athletes who had no business being at SLU I have mixed emotions on this.

Things have a way of working out for the kids who can balance competing in the classroom and getting lots of basketball practise; ie, Kevin Lisch and plenty of others. Those who can't graduate probably should not have been recruited in the first place ie. Dixon, Edwin, Pulley, etc.

For kids whether they are Public HS LEAGUE or prep schoolers or rich suburban private school grads to come to SLU or any other academically competitive college and think they are going to float through or even get playing time is foolhardy at best. The one thing you have to like about RM over

Romar, Spoon, Grawer, Soderberg is that he is going after kids who appear to be student athletes and that the rest of the student body accepts as equals in the classroom. i have seen nearly every home game and a few away games since we were in the old Keil and I would say you waste everybodies time taking a chance on a kid even if he has Upchurch type athleticism

[GoBills]

The biggest problem with Upchurch not being allowed to attend SLU is it hurt the stacking of recruiting classes by Grawer.

Gray and Douglass would have been seniors, Bonner a junior, Upchurch a sophmore and Robinson a frosh. ( You can say what you want about Melvin but the guy had a world of natural ability and he did get a cup of coffee with the Timberwolves in the N.B.A.) That group would have been as good as anything in the MCC at that time. Even Xavier.

This seems to be the way Majerus is approaching things. Stacking good recruiting classes to build a program for the long haul.

They would have been even better than Xavier at that time and don't forget, Charles Newberry started out a little slow, but he really developed into a heck of a point guard.

[aj_arete]

Things have a way of working out for the kids who can balance competing in the classroom and getting lots of basketball practise; ie, Kevin Lisch and plenty of others. Those who can't graduate probably should not have been recruited in the first place ie. Dixon, Edwin, Pulley, etc.

For kids whether they are Public HS LEAGUE or prep schoolers or rich suburban private school grads to come to SLU or any other academically competitive college and think they are going to float through or even get playing time is foolhardy at best. The one thing you have to like about RM over

Romar, Spoon, Grawer, Soderberg is that he is going after kids who appear to be student athletes and that the rest of the student body accepts as equals in the classroom. i have seen nearly every home game and a few away games since we were in the old Keil and I would say you waste everybodies time taking a chance on a kid even if he has Upchurch type athleticism

I certainly agree with you that Majerus be recruiting a different type of student-athlete. I'm sure he could care less about repairing relations with Maurice Scott. However, I'm glad that other major programs aren't as strict as SLU. It's true that significant resources need to be in place to help underprepared, talented basketball players succeed in college, but let's look at the significant returns enjoyed by Duke and Michigan, who no one questions is superior to SLU in academics.

I do believe that colleges should be penalized for not graduating athletes, so I like the NCAA's rules in that regard. However, I do believe that many institutions have been able to balance both. While I don't agree with it, I think Majerus can overcome this through his national contacts and superior recruiting ability.

[courtside]

Things have a way of working out for the kids who can balance competing in the classroom and getting lots of basketball practise; ie, Kevin Lisch and plenty of others. Those who can't graduate probably should not have been recruited in the first place ie. Dixon, Edwin, Pulley, etc.

For kids whether they are Public HS LEAGUE or prep schoolers or rich suburban private school grads to come to SLU or any other academically competitive college and think they are going to float through or even get playing time is foolhardy at best. The one thing you have to like about RM over

Romar, Spoon, Grawer, Soderberg is that he is going after kids who appear to be student athletes and that the rest of the student body accepts as equals in the classroom. i have seen nearly every home game and a few away games since we were in the old Keil and I would say you waste everybodies time taking a chance on a kid even if he has Upchurch type athleticism

The "classroom" isn't the same for every kid. Fair enough if your opinion is to take only the advantage kid with the longer and stronger academic preparations, if that's your view. I would point out that there are many kids who are not as prepared for college academically, who do quite well with effort, discipline, structure that they never had before, tutors, academic advisors, counselors and all the resources provided at the average D-1 hoops level school.

There is a big difference between attitude and academic preparedness. At the time of Upchurch, SLU had not invested in the resources for success for its basketball players on and off the court, at the Administration level of an institution.

I would disagree that you can make an across the board statement that says you are wasting everyone's time by taking a chance on a lot of these kids. You have to ask yourself what is it you want out of a program. SLU as do other like Universities, have programs for incoming non-athlete Freshman, who otherwise would be at risk academically, and as a fit as a whole at the school. Why shouldn't athletics have them too? I know of a local high school kid, who met with the guidance counselor of an elite academic private high school in St. Louis, and she was told, you won't make there, it's too hard for you, make other plans. This student, a non-athlete, was accepted as a University student but on conditions of going through these support programs at the University. This student is now a Senior Nursing Manager making pretty good six figure money at the University of Chicago Hospitals. I've seen many successful examples of non-athletes, as well as many successful examples of similar things in Division I athletics, too many to count.

It's fair to say that Rick values academic prowess in his recruiting, but it is also fair to say that if he can land very good basketball players, who are at risk academically, he'll recruit those kids as well. He'll evaluate the risk/reward factors, based on perceived value. He's done so in the past, and SLU is not likely to be any different.

[inthelou]

The "classroom" isn't the same for every kid. Fair enough if your opinion is to take only the advantage kid with the longer and stronger academic preparations, if that's your view. I would point out that there are many kids who are not as prepared for college academically, who do quite well with effort, discipline, structure that they never had before, tutors, academic advisors, counselors and all the resources provided at the average D-1 hoops level school.

There is a big difference between attitude and academic preparedness. At the time of Upchurch, SLU had not invested in the resources for success for its basketball players on and off the court, at the Administration level of an institution.

I would disagree that you can make an across the board statement that says you are wasting everyone's time by taking a chance on a lot of these kids. You have to ask yourself what is it you want out of a program. SLU as do other like Universities, have programs for incoming non-athlete Freshman, who otherwise would be at risk academically, and as a fit as a whole at the school. Why shouldn't athletics have them too? I know of a local high school kid, who met with the guidance counselor of an elite academic private high school in St. Louis, and she was told, you won't make there, it's too hard for you, make other plans. This student, a non-athlete, was accepted as a University student but on conditions of going through these support programs at the University. This student is now a Senior Nursing Manager making pretty good six figure money at the University of Chicago Hospitals. I've seen many successful examples of non-athletes, as well as many successful examples of similar things in Division I athletics, too many to count.

It's fair to say that Rick values academic prowess in his recruiting, but it is also fair to say that if he can land very good basketball players, who are at risk academically, he'll recruit those kids as well. He'll evaluate the risk/reward factors, based on perceived value. He's done so in the past, and SLU is not likely to be any different.

"Severe reading problems" and "disabilities" and "questions read out loud" for the SAT. Enough said. I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. It's pretty obvious what happened.

[Quality Is Job 1]

Gray and Douglass would have been seniors, Bonner a junior, Upchurch a sophmore and Robinson a frosh. ( You can say what you want about Melvin but the guy had a world of natural ability and he did get a cup of coffee with the Timberwolves in the N.B.A.) That group would have been as good as anything in the MCC at that time. Even Xavier.

Your remembrance of the timeline is slightly off. Melvin Robinson's freshman season was 1989-90, when Anthony Bonner was a senior. The Big Chill could never have played at SLU with Gray and Douglass.