SPORTS
April 19, 2013
Rutgers: drawing the line between cnaching, abuse
BY HANNAH WALLER
Stait Writer
Four months. Over 23 games. Somewhere between
50 and 100 practices. That's how long it took for Rutgers
University to fire Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike
Rice after learning of Rice's abusive behavior towards his
players.
In Dec. 2012, the university discovered video footage
showing Rice abusing his players, resulting in Rice's three-
game suspension and a $50,000 fine. Rutgers Athletic
Director Tim Pernetti announced that Rice would also be
attending anger management classes. On April 2, 2013,
ESPN aired the same video footage. One day later. Rice was
fired.
The clips showed Rice shoving, grabbing, verbally
abusing and throwing basketballs at Rutgers basketball
players during practices. The verbal abuse revealed
offensive language such as homophobic slurs.
To many. Rice's coaching strategies crossed the line.
However, there are often situations in which that line
between intense coaching and abuse is harder to draw.
"It can be difficult to motivate players today," said
Guilford College Head Women's Basketball Coach
Stephanie Flamini in an email interview.
Flamini and Guilford Athletic Director and Head Men's
Basketball Coach Tom Palombo try to find more positive
ways to motivate the athletes they coach.
"It helps that we have won two OD AC championships, and
they have gotten to experience the sense of accomplishment
and self-pride," Flamini said. "So, we draw on that."
"The days of Bobby Knight and all that are gone,"
Palombo said. "You have to get to know your players and
what motivates them."
Abusive coaching practices that use tactics like shaming
can have lasting negative effects on young athletes.
"Producing cognitive, emotional and physical effects,
shame changes the neural circuits of the brain," reported
Psychology Today. "These neural changes can hold a young
"If you show fear, if you cry, if you don't
like getting hit or hurt, they say that you're
a wuss
Richard Rogers, senior
person in a state of both active defense (ready to fight) and
helplessness."
Senior Richard Rogers, a member of Guilford's track and
field team, grew up dealing with different aspects of sports.
"If you show fear, if you cry, if you don't like getting hit
or hurt, they say that you're a wuss — 'don't be a girl, suck
it up, be a man,"' Rogers said. "Growing up with that... as
an athlete, you kind of put that on yourself.
"You make yourself feel awful about it, because they are
degrading you to a point where you have to force yourself
to take that extra step, so that it will stop and you will start
getting respect."
Some players on the Rutgers men's basketball team
have said that they did not consider Rice's behavior to be
abusive. Rutgers junior and basketball player Wally Judge,
who transferred in from Kansas State, did not find Rice's
language to be "inappropriate" and overall thought that
practices at Kansas State were tougher, reported ESPN.
Other players also felt that Rice did not cross the line.
However, Judge's statement — that practices at Kansas
State were harder than those at Rutgers — does raise
questions about how common this kind of treatment of
student athletes really is, and how often it gets swept under
the rug or goes unchanged.
"I've had many coaches who thought that kind of a route
was necessary," Rogers said.
He recalled a Pop Warner football practice where one
player had knocked out another's tooth.
"(The coach) had the kid's tooth in his hand, and he was
showing it to the team, like, 'If you don't give into pain, if
you don't care that your tooth is knocked out, or that you
break your bones, and you still play, then you are worthy
of being on this field," Rogers said. Rogers and his team
members were nine and 10 years old at the time.
Some hope that the number of scandals involving abuses
of power by athletics coaches in educational institutions will
bring a closer look at the pressure put on young athletes.
"This isn't the military," Rogers said. "This is sports. This
is entertainment. This isn't a life-or-death situation."
SPRING TENNIS
Diary of a women’s tennis captain
Continued from Page I
"Fighting weather has been hard,"
said Assistant Tennis Coach Mark
Lapieirc. "It's difficult to get into a good
routine."
The weather wasn't the only thing
that our team had to struggle through
this season.
"We have seven ladies that all peaked
at different times," said Lapierre. "We
are better than our record shows."
Sophomore Allison Hewitt
reflected on one of her own personal
disappointments during the season.
'There was the indoor match earlier
in the season against Randolph Macon,"
said Hewitt. "I should have won that
match, but I'm proud it went into three
sets."
Though this season's record is
discouraging, there were some definite
positives that illuminated our team's
efficiency.
"Seeing myself improve has been
really good," said first-year Leah
Meservey. "I can remember how I was
at the beginning of the season."
After adapting to her first year,
Meservey feels right at home. She has
high hopes of continuing her track
record for improvement on and off the
court.
"Being with people that have
something in common with me is one
of my favorite parts, said Meservey.
"It builds an important community, and
I like the feeling of being a part of the
team."
Even the girls who did not get to play
on a regular basis added to our team
dynamic. Junior Madisen Forehand, true
to her last name, has a wicked forehand.
Coaching for over 40 years. Head
Men's and Women's Tennis Coach
David McCain has seen it all, and he
knows the ingredients for a successful
team.
"You have got to have a good balance
of personalities," said McCain. "Having
mutual goals is important as well as
wanting to be involved in the team."
It is exactly this mix of personalities
that worked together to make our team
uraque — from first-year Allie Guy
yelling token phrases like "Ain't nobody
got time for that!" or "Work it, girl!"
during practice, to junior Natalie Sutton,
also known as my phenomenal doubles
partner and co-captain, twerking on the
fences of our courts. There's never been
a dull moment on our team.
Sitting on the court and watching
sophomore Haley Andrews put her
heart and soul into her match reminded
me that winning isn't everything, it's
how you play the game. Even though
Andrews did not win her match, the
whole team circled around in true
Quaker fashion, clapping and showing
our support and appreciation of her
efforts.
"I'm glad I met everyone here,"
said first-year Fernanda Gonzalez. "I
probably would never have gotten to
know so many of us if it hadn't been for
tennis."
Love the game or hate the game, but
at the end of the day, iLs my teammates
who've made the sunburns worth it.
Who will be number one in
the NFL draft?
BY JOHN KLUEPFEL
Star= Writer
With the firet selection in
the 2013 NFL Draft, who will
the Kansas City Chiefs pick?
The general consensus is Texas
A&M's Luke Joeckel, the
offensive lineman who protected
Johnny Manziel during his 2012
Heisman campaign and Ryan
Tannehill in 2011.
The draft is deep at offensive
and defensive linemen. The
2013 class is not built around
the quarterback position like
last year's draft. West Vii^nia's
quarterback Geno Smith may be
the only first-round lock at the
position.
"There's not really a big
marquee name," said senior
Howard Hurt in an email
interview. "The best pick in this
draft in the future will probably
be some sort of lineman or
someone that doesn't receive
much attention."
The Kansas City Chiefs
finished with the league's worst
record in 2012, earning the first
pick. Their future looks bright
after signing former Philadelphia
Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid
and possibly adding Joeckel to
help protect Alex Smith.
"Joeckel will be a gem," said
junior O'Shawn Bryant. "He is
gonna be a beast."
The Jacksonville Jaguars hold
the second pick. The Jags need to
strengthen their defense, which
is why I have them selecting
Ezekiel Ansah out of Brigham
Young University. Ansah
posse^es crazy speed, long arms
and strength. Ansah is raw but
has the potential to anchor the
Jags' defense for years to come.
The Oakland Raiders are
j«building with the third pick.
Their linebacker corps took a hit
when they lost linebacker Phillip
Wheeler to the Miami Dolphins,
but if they select Oregon's Dion
Jordan, it will help ease the pain.
Jordan is no sure thing, but he
can rush the quarterback, forcing
sacks and turnovers.
Many believe Jordan will be a
bust, due to his inconsistencies.
"Oregon linebackers don't
have a great history of turning
out in ffie NFL," said Bryant.
"They're all based on speed but
not strength."
After a disappointing 2012
season, the Philadelphia Eagles'
new head coach Chip Kelly will
hopefully use the fourth pick
to incorporate his fast-paced
offense. The key to the zone-read
offense is a mobile quarterback
that can make quick decisions,
which is why I have the Eagles
taking Geno Smith.
"Smith had these incredible
moments when he dominated
games and then these moments
when he fell apart," said Coy.
"He has all the physical attributes
that you'd want. The question is
whether he can transfer those
skills to an NFL offense"
Offensive tackle Jeff Bacus
retired, which leaves a gaping
hole for the Detroit Lions at the
fifth pick. Central Michigan's
offensive tackle Eric Fisher is
the safest choice for protecting
quarterback Matt Stafford. Many
scouts have pegged Fisher above
Joeckel, and Detroit would be
thrilled to see Fisher drop to five.
The 2013 NFL draft lacks
the polarizing superstars and
quarterback prowess of last
year with Andrew Luck, Robert
Griffin III, Russell Wilson and
Ryan Tannehill, but this year's
draft is deep with talent. Last
year, the teams who drafted
first, second and fourth all went
from bottom feeder teams to the
playoffs. The Chiefs, Jaguars and
Eagles will look to continue the
trend.
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