A reminder that these guys work hard

Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)
January 25, 2004 Sunday City Edition
SPORTS; Pg. C-11


PLAYER DEMANDS A GROWING PROBLEM/ INTENSIFIED TRAINING, MANDATORY TUTELAGE ADD TO THE BURDEN/

Vic Dorr Jr./ Times-Dispatch Staff Writer/ * Contact Vic Dorr Jr. at (804) 649-6442/ or vdorr@timesdispatch.com,

Jeff Jones, a former standout basketball player at the University of Virginia, sometimes can't believe the extent to which the head coach at American University chews up his athletes' time, both in and out of season.

Big deal? Well, yes, it is. Jones, you see, is the head coach at American. And he says there is no question that today's Division I basketball players must make a commitment of time and energy that is "greater - far greater, actually - than anything I ever experienced" while playing from 1979-82 on perhaps the most talented teams in U.Va. history.

"We were one of the first upper- level programs to get seriously into weightlifting," Jones said. "But believe me: What we were doing then isn't even close to what everyone is doing now. And once the season ended we did nothing. Now when the season is over, sure, we give them a few weeks off to relax and catch up with their schoolwork. But we can't give them too much, or from a competitive standpoint we'll lose ground. So after a couple of weeks, we're right back at it. We don't run in the spring, but we lift and work on individual skills."

Adding greatly to the demands on a contemporary athlete's time, Jones said, are the academic safeguards erected by virtually every Division I school: mandatory study halls, tutorial sessions, one-on-ones with counselors.

"I never went to a study hall in four years at Virginia," Jones said. "We had one adviser who made sure that we were signed up for the proper number of classes and hours, and that was pretty much it. Honestly, if I had to go through all of the academic sessions and meetings and appointments the kids have to deal with today, I'm not so sure I'd want anything to do with it - and that's just academics we're talking about."

Joanne Boyle knows the feeling. Boyle, the head women's basketball coach at the University of Richmond, played at Duke from 1981-85. The demands on an athlete's time "have changed a ton since I played," Boyle said. "Then, you'd practice for maybe two hours and then you'd be done and you'd go off on your own to do your own thing."

Boyle said she and her teammates "didn't have to deal with mandatory weight lifting three days a week. We didn't have to worry about community service, and we didn't have any media stuff to be concerned about."

But while much has changed since Jones and Boyle were collegians, at least one thing has not changed: The initial immersion in the fast-flowing waters of intercollegiate competition was then, and is now, sufficient to shock many freshmen. Jones should know. He watched Virginia athletes struggle to adjust for 20 years, 16 as a Cavaliers coach.

"And I can tell you this: I can't recall a single guy I played with or coached who didn't contemplate transferring in his first year. I did. I came very close. [Former U.Va. All-American] Jeff Lamp did. It's not that we were unhappy or didn't like it. It's just that we felt swamped. .*.*. And as great as the time commitment is now, I'd say the same feeling is probably still there."  @ 2:16 PM