Word: bozek
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...advocating that Harvard divorce itself of any "big-time basketball" pretentions, Matt Bozek has risked a grave disservice to the cause he once championed: the development of a rewarding and exciting basketball program at Harvard, for the players, the school, and the community alike...
This idea, a good one in my opinion, failed. Matt Bozek, a fellow player whom I have always liked and respected, offered his explanations of this failure in a recent letter to the Sports Editors. Cogent, often accurate, but dangerously deceptive, Bozek's expose points to two main contributing factors: first, "the unworkable situation of 'big-time basketball' and 'academia'"; and second, Harrison's total incompetence as a coach. Due to the possible impact that Bozek's assessments may have upon the direction of the Harvard basketball program, these points deserve serious comment...
...Bozek's first point is based upon his belief that the academic demands placed upon a Harvard student preclude his competition "on equal footing with other athletes who are not students first, but basketball players first." Bozek claims that a basketball player at an Ivy League institution is confronted with an unfair decision "between devoting his energy towards winning on the basketball court, or winning in the classroom." Attaining these goals simultaneously, Bozek implies, is impossible...
...managed to find the time and energy to thrust their respective teams into national prominence, while also achieving individual success in the classroom. Although this "success" is in some cases questioned, the fact that many devoted and successful Harvard athletes have also proven themselves as academic standouts shows that Bozek's supposedly irreconcilable conflict can be resolved. Further, these examples are proof that the academic achievement of students involved in "professional" sports at Harvard is totally contingent upon individual motivation and unaffected by the pressures of "big-time" athletics...
While it is now clear that I reject without reservation the first argument which Bozek makes in his attempt to explain the failure of the Harvard basketball experiment, there is little room for dispute on his second point--that Coach Harrison is "the next problem which must be eliminated." I have but one reservation in this regard and it concerns the degree of responsibility. Due to his strong belief in the incompatibility theory, Bozek necessarily views Harrison's incompetence as only a part of the problem which has torn Harvard basketball dreams asunder. However, Mr. Harrison is in fact...