NEWS
Former Guilford standout and current coach speaks on diversity
JANUARY 22, 2010
Continued from page I
The number one reason that
players tend to quit is playing time.
We come into this thing with 100
players; only 40 are going to be
playing on the varsity level. That's
why we incorporated the JV level
program to give guys a chance to
play. Some guys just aren't ready,
and aren't mature enough mentally
and physically to play, so that's
why we created the JV program.
And some guys don't like that ...
in high school a lot of guys are on
40 or 50 people teams, so when
you come here, there's 100 people.
You're used to playing all the time,
whereas here it's different because
we have double the amount of
people.
Q: Do black players quit for dif
ferent reasons than white players?
I haven't had that sense. I have
been here as a player for four years,
and as a coach going on four years
and never have I experienced any
thing like that. Obviously if I expe
rienced something like that, being
that 1 feel comfortable in this envi
ronment, I would have raised up
and said something about that be
fore now. I wouldn't let eight years
go by and then all of a sudden just
bring upthe issue.
Q: Diversity is one of Guilford's
seven core v^ues. In terms of ra-
dal diversity, the footiball team is
one of the most diverse oi^aniza-
tions on campus. Race is a part of
any individual's life experience.
Therefore, a wider range of life
e)cperiences are embodied in the
team's population. How do you
deal with diversity on the team?
Do obstacles, if any, arise because
of the diversity that you have to
deal with?
A: We really haven't had any,
as far as I can remember, issues in
terms of diversity where things are
said or things are done in a particu
lar way just because of one's race
and they felt uncomfortable. We
haven't really had any situations
like that. Does that mean (the is
sues) aren't there? I'm not necessar-
Q: Do you think that black and
white players face the same chal
lenges off the field? Do you think
that there are challenges that fluc
tuate according to race in terms of
how white players and black play
ers are integrated into the commu
nity in social and academic ways?
A; One thing that I admire about
Guilford is its diversity. When I
first got here I wasn't as open-
minded probably as some people
are when they first come to college.
So just being in this environment,
from when I went to high school,
it really opened up my mind and
allowed me to realize that certain
things aren't always a certain way.
Other people don't always think
like you. I was able to grasp that
throughout my Guilford career. So
if you're asking me, are black peo
ple treated differently at Guilford
than white people, if that's what
you're asking me, maybe in some
instances they are. However, I can
speak from my personal experi
ences with the football team. I've
never experienced anything where
they have been treated differently.
I'm not saying that that's not the
case in some situations, I just know
the situation in the football depart
ment/ athletic side, and it's not that
way. -
Q: So then you don't think that
in general black and white play-
ers face different challenges off the
field, you think they face the same
challenge?
It's all a cultural thing, it's not a
white/black thing to me because
some black people grow up in a
ailture like Guilford. I think it's
more of cultural difference if you
didn't grow up in a culture that's
like this, yes, there's going to be
adjusting that's going to have to
happen. If that same black person
grew up in a culture that's like this
then I think he feels more comfort
able in that certain situation, in that
certain culture.
Q: The majority of black male
athletes enrolled in this institution
statistically don't graduate, many
So if you're asking me, ore block people treated dif
ferently at Guilford than white people, maybe in some
instances they are...from my experiences with the
football team. I've never experienced anything where
they have been treated differently.
ily saying that. However, I haven't
experienced it. As far as interact
ing with the players, we have time
management and position meet
ings with the black players and the
white players and none of them
have ever brought the issue to my
attention. , - ,
cssme here to play foolbal!, so to
what octent is it your to ensaxre
that black playos receve neces
sary soda! and academic aippcKt
«nce statistically they are less like
ly to succeed?
Here's the thing, we don't nec
essarily single out just our black
players; every person on the team
we go through the same things
with, we do the same things. We're
trying to treat everybody equal so
that's why we have time manage
ment sheets, every Wednesday or
Thursday we sit down with our
players, have them fill out their
classes. We're trying to set them up
to be successful because some of the
most work can get done through
the hours between this class and
this class. Not just our black play
ers, because you know sometimes
when we try to do that it can cre
ate a divide when we're trying to
look out for this certain amount of
people, when really we're looking
out for the whole team. And I talk
to my players, I encourage them
to do stuff outside in the commu
nity, instead of football stuff. We
have the multicultural department,
we have all types of departments.
Now if a black person doesn't feel
comfortable doing those things,
does that mean I'm supposed to
hand walk them over there to do
something that they don't want to
do? I don't think I should do that.
But, when there's a cultural differ
ence I do feel it's a part of my job to
close that gap a little bit so my job is
more to talk to them, to try to open
up their minds a little bit. You have
to be more open-minded and some
players see that quicker than other
players. It's just different, who are
you hanging around, who is it that
you first meet? What are they do
ing? It's a lot of different varieties
of things and a lot of situations and
that's how I look at that whole situ
ation. I've been here eight years.
I've seen a lot.
Q: Do you think titat md
white players need difiensit kinds
erf from the imlitxtticto«
outside erf the toeribaR program, to
ensure that they graduate?
I think it probably would help in
situations that that applies to. You
know everything's not all about
football; the main thing is graduat
ing. It's about the total institution,
the total environment. I don't think
the football issue is a black/white
issue. Are there certain things
throughout the institution where
this is needed? Yes. The reason I
like Guilford is because it opened
me to different ideas, it opened me
up to different things that allowed
me to see different points of view,
different races, different religions. I
don't know how I all of a sudden
adjusted to that.
Q: As of now, do you think this
ixistihxtioit enouj^ to stippcMTt
the graduation rates of black male
atiiletes?
I know everybody is different
but I think they're doing a pretty
good job, to be honest with you. We
have a lot of different ways to get
help. We have learning commons,
just as far as the football program
we do our different little academic
things. Do I think there (are) needs?
Maybe I do. But I've noticed that
it's gotten better from when I first
got here because I see less people
dropping out because of grades,
which is great.
Q: So jem that the
•.V it mlt w 0m
m
Yeah I think it's there. I'm not
saying it's perfect. I'm saying we're
making strides and I think we're
going in the right direction.
So titefi why do it
given that thafs the case, that
gradxtaticm rates male
atthletes ate ^fl low?
I think it honestly goes back to
the cultural differences (between
players) and I think us continuing
to encourage them to be in other
clubs so they can meet different
people, build different relation
ships, Tthink if we encourage them
to be part of the multicultural pro
gram that will help close that gap
in between.
Q: Do you think in osder to get
especially Uack play-
to stay hme, diexe iteeds to
be more mtegratkm with mm-
focHbafl parte of the commumty so
that players have more reasons to
be and to thrive at this mstitutton?
I don't only think that about the
black players; I think that about
the white ones, too. I think it's an
issue where we can reach out to
the community more, and they can
reach out to us more. They're do
ing a great thing over there in the
multicultural program. They're
trying, they're worHng hard and I
applaud them for that and they're
doing a good job of trying to make
strides to close that gap where
student-athletes will stay around
because they do feel more com
fortable. It's a hard question for
me to answer just because I went
here and I graduated from here
and I was successful academically
and successful athletically, and ev
erybody's situation is not like my
situation. What probably helped
me adjust more was having seniors
that were from the same area that I
was (on the team); we were able to
bond closely together by location so
we had things to talk about, things
in common. If there is a player that
doesn't have those things, he might
stray away. So the issue is trying to
reach the player that doesn't have
these things and bond with him in
some certain way and bring him
back this way. That's tough, I never
said it was going to be easy.