News Scrapbook 1989

~f ~O~::;:~;~:;;,,~f The first three classes meet for an hour Monday, Wednesday and Fri- day. The accounting class meets for 1 ¾ hours Tuesday and Thursday. nd Bell sampled the . They didn't

school to play bas- ketball and I have to play basketball to be able to go to school.

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who m ght be driving an '89 I twood off t Marvin K. Brown

sprints, they then went on a running Asked which is his main priority, basketball or academics, Bell said, tour of the campus. "I have to do both. I have to go to school to play basketball and I have to play basketball to be able to go to school. I enjoy them both. If you asked which I enjoyed more, I guess I'd say basketball because of the crowds, the travel and the glamour When he arrived at USD in Sep- tember of '86, Bell said he had no dreams of playing professional bas- ketball, but simply wanted to do the best he could academica ly. But his basketball career has de- veloped more quickly than anticipat- ed. He averaged 9.1 points a game, led the team with 6.0 rebounds and led the West Coast Athletic Confer- ence with 2.0 blocks a game. Said Bell, "Now I'm starting to get it into focus that maybe I could play in the NBA or Europe." Yet Bell feels he needs a break "I've been in training since Sep- tember of '87," he said. "I'm kind of experiencing a little burnout." Bell said he enjoys the challenge of college, "learning something you "You can't have both? aspect of it." from the sport.

I enjoy both. ' -Dondi Bell

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Bell mi ed each class once the week hi schedule was monitored because of games on the road. He missed a quiz in his accounting cla . He was unable to make up the quiz because instructor doesn't allow make- th Bell was disappointed. "I def101tely was prepared for the From Monday through Thursday, udied about 6¾ hours, about quiz," he a d. Bell t on accounting. In e road trip to , Bell forgot to take his and only tudied about another Bell practiced approximately 13 during the week. In addition to team's 21/z-bour workouts each morning, Egan a ks the players to put in individual practice time on their own. Bell showed up twice for about half an hour to work on drills. The team also had a 40-minute walk- through practice one evening and also had 45-mrnute walk-throughs on game day against Pepperdine and Lo Angel boo half an hour the rest of the week. hou th Throw in 14 hours for the team's two games (including pregame up . four hours of his rush to pack for Loyola Marymount.

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II' coach, Hank Egan. "1 pecially the freshmen, y to do. To play a Div1-

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as not ea y It takes a lot of sacrific . "! don't think that's bad. If you ant som thmg, 11 you want to be to USD a an above- tu nt. H grade-pornt av- t below 3.0 on a 4.0 I • Athl t1cally, he was a project. H didn t tart at Crawford until his nlor y r He kn w he would be v rag r w j first year at USQ. who redsh1rt are allowed with the team, but don't y nd th r fore don't lo e a year Ii ib lily. Whil adjusting to aca- a fr hman, Bell put a uch, If not more, lime toward bas- From 11 to noon each day, Bell •ork lndiv1dually with Egan or a 1 tant coach Mike Legarza. Play practi m c hf k tball a h ligibl teammates. w uld ood t m thin , you hav to be w lllng to cr1flce." B II cam r d hlrt d h

never knew before and just trying to Com 3 pm, h 'd parllcipate In the meal and lime spent focusing on the make yourself a better person." t m' regul r practice. game m the hotel) and another five He says there's time to socialize rter B II' th rd em ter at U D, hours for travel, and Bell spent a with non-athletes out of season, but bl grad -point av rage lipped mimmum of 32 hours during the not much time during the season. below 2.0 nd h wa warnt1d by the week on basketball. He studied about ''You can't go out all night party- hool. H boo ted his GPA above 2.0 seven hours and attended class for ing," he said. th following m ter and ha kept 7 lk hour . He thinks athletes deserve to be It th r in . Does basketball take up too much paid between $50 to $100 a week. _ • nd1 w fin ," 1d Tom Lar- Um ? "It would be nice to get some type n, who tau ht Bell's merican Lit- "Th re is time to do both," said of compensation," said Bell "If they eratur cl t pring. uHe ex- Bell, "but your social hfe 1s limited." had a bad day at the cafeteria, I'd pr hi Jf w II in · pape II 1d that Egan is demanding definitely be at Pizza Hut or Round

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Table. You could use it for a date, if your car needed gas, whatever." Bell said his parents give him about $30 a week. His scholarship covers books, tuition, an on-campus apartment with a roommate and Bell has spoken to former USD players who graduated and are now in the work force. He said their em- ployers were impressed when they found out the job applicant combined Division I basketball with academ- food . "People know it's difficult to do Asked if he feels the time basket- ball demands is fair, Bell said, "Well, I think so. I guess the only way to truly know is when you 1 start reaping some benefits from 'f:j hard work." both," he said. ics.

It's a tiring schedule But Bell plans to reap the rewards By Don Norcross Tribune Sportswriter D O ·m BELL didn't get in until 3 a.m. one Sunday. Partying? Not quite. U D IJ_ad played at Loyola Marymount the night before. Bell, 11SI)'-s--£tarting center, visited some friends after the game, then made the drive home from Los Angeles. By noon Sunday, Bell's nose was in his accounting book. By 12:30 his head was against a pillow, the 6-foot-9½ sophomore having fallen asleep. He wouldn't awake for 2½ hours. For Bell, one of the toughest aspects of balancing academics and athlet- ics is the physical demand. Sometimes his head and his heart tell him to sit at the desk and study, but his eyes wander to that comfortable bed The eyes sometimes have it. Getting up at 5:30 four mornings a week for USD's 6 o'clock practices might be a factor. "It is tiring," said Bell. Bell says there is time to be both student and Division I athlete at USO. During the season, though, there isn't time for much else. "You concentrate on those two things," said Bell, a Crawford High product. "Everything else is secondary." In the week The Tribune followed Bell, except for relaxing in his on- - ~) __. ___• "'" nnly socializing Bell did was when he and Leonard went to Mission Valley to check out

I talker, but I don't thmk that ha anything to do with his intel- hg nee. I think he' a v ry intelligent

"There's mental pressure from the coaches just to do the best you can Once a we k Egan talks to the players individually about how th y're dorng m class. About every two or three weeks a member of the ba ketball staff contacts each of the players' teachers to see how the If a USO player is caught skipping class, the entire team pays the price. players began setting their alarms for 5:30 a.m., Egan discovered on two occa ions that players had missed To provide them a preview of what it ould be like during the sea- Before the a on started, before the class. do," said Bell. player is progressing.

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a very considerate, truggle academl- ltJ 11' u ually because

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Wh n be does c lly, Bell h ' burn d ouL

"111 slack off for a while, then re-

r t 1t lat r," he said.

Th R v. J

ph McDonnell, who

h taught Bell in two theology cla - 1d, "Dond1 can do well chola ti- cally. He performed well for me. But h 's the type of young fellow you to ride. And as long as I would nde Dond1, h was fine." admmistration ma1or, Bell is taking 12 units this sem ter. His classes are modern American po- , hav A busin

Once given an athletic schol hi opportunity to earn a degree? ars P, do college athletes receive a fair A study completed for the NCAA Research showed: recently by the American Institute for • Most athletes in all sports fi d ·t dlffl top priority. n I cult to make academic work their • Football and basketball pla h I college than comparison groups.yers ave ower grade-point averages In • Athletes generally have 1 students. ess money for personal expenses than other • Many student-athletes say "t' h d f opportunities for personal groW:h. 5 ar er or them to take advantage of By any standard It's agreed th t . college athletic pr~grams don't :eagraduat,on rates In most of the nation's Sport . 1 D sure up. swn er on Norcross of Th T ·b s~=u~t~f' ~ste[~a~n;,;:r~ng~n~f~!~r~t a student who spent ulvale e. orcross also monitored the schedule of playing basketball. eq nt hours working a part-time job instead of These students' stores d th them lend perspective t~ ana~sue ~t ~l~~e;rifi 1~~~ teach Graduate rate is under study By Don Norcross Tribune Sportswriter B ILL PEN~O~D heard about life as a Division I basketball ~io~~/kippmg classes. Late-night parties. Under-the-table Th~aft of that scenario u~folded during Penfold's career at rrsn oreros would practice at night three tim - k al~ost every evening workout the partying woulde:O! wee . After Someone would order a pizza 'd k mence. study from 10 to 1 " · ' we an open the books and '84 "I was . ed, said Penfold, who played at USO from 1982 to · surpns how much everyone studied " None of Penfold's teammates made it to the NBA b t th CPAs, three are financial an l ts d p , u ree are director for Ideas Corp based~ yss aD~ enfold is the computer USD's em h · ·• • JD. an iego.

D GREE: SDSUathletic director says rates must improve Continued From C:- 1 '1 'J 5 nightclub, "How do you know if a kid letic ability out of them and then have graduated, according to head doesn't have a chance if you don't dismiss them without graduating," coach Hank Egan. In football, a non- ilrdtr~• give him a chance?" Miller previously told The Tribune. scholarship ~vision III program, USD's entrance requirements are "That's pure exploitation." only ~ree semors ?Ut of an estimat- more str_ict_ than SDSU's. To qual.ify San Diego State is attempting to ed 75 m the la t six yea~ have not for adrruss1on at USD out of high increase its graduation rate among earned a degree, accordmg to head school, students must have a 3.0 athletes. Veston Thomas is the direc- coach Bnan Fogarty. grade-point average on a scale of 4.0 tor of Student/Athletes Academic Not every univef:lity_ is as academ- and. score _at least 1,000 on the Sebo- Support Services. His department teally successful with its athletes as lastic Aptitude Test. There are few consists of two associates who help USD. According to an NCAA study, special admissions. counsel students another assistant of all freshmen football players who At SDSU, if a student has a 3.0 who coordinates the program's study entered an NCAA university in the grade-point average, he automatical- hall and a secretary. fall of .1981, ?nlY 37.5 percent gradu- 1 q_ alifies for admission. ~!us, a By NCAA mandate, Thomas or one ated within f1v years, ne rly 10 per- ••~ maximum of 8 percent specrnl ad- of his associates meets with all c nt belo the national average for missi?ns may be a~ott~. student/athletes twice a year to re- n n-at~letes. The figure was even G~~es, meanwhile, f!gures coll~g_e view their academic progress. The low r m basketball, 33.3 percent. No admm1strators are bemg hypocnti- department also assists students in more recent y ha been complet- ---- cal when they deplore low gradua- selecting a major and arranging tu- ed. Tribune file photo tion rates among athletes. tors. _At San _Diego tate University, _of- ch Smokey Gaines "The,, ga~e to ~in ~as~etball Thomas' department also monitors f1c1als will not rel ase graduation game , said Games. Don t ~1ve me students' progress in class. Accord- ra!,~ for a th letes. sors to give me a call. I would th at ·•· abo~t how many kids ~ou ing to Miller, coaches do not contact I d Ju t a soon pass on the num- suspend guys because they didn't go graduate. If 1t w raduatmg specific teachers about their ath- be_rs," ::3,id thletic dir~tor Fred to class." kids, why do they f~e the coaches a e es' progress. Miller. Im not sure of their accura- Anthony Watson, who played Yale, Harvard, Prmceton or Stan- Coaches howeve~ ..do determine cy." under Gaines for four years, said he fo rd ?" which athietes are ..,.monitored. The Of the statistics_ he's. se,en, which felt Padgett's criticism of Gaines Gaines said that aft~r the Aztecs coaches make requests to Thomas' come from the umve~1ty s Stud~,nt was unfounded. won the Wes~ern Athle~c Co_nferenc_e department, then a form is given to Affairs Department, Miller says, If "Smokey was very hard on aca- Tournament m 1985, umvers1ty pres1- the student vfllo delivers it to the tho e numbers are the numbers that demics," said Watson, who finished dent Thomas Day told him that he teacher. ' I think I'm seeing, those are not good playing at SDSU in 1986 and says he's needed to improve the program's Only 10 to 15 percent of the ath- numbers m my judgment. We've got 18 units shy of an industrial arts de- graduation rate. Gaines said he letes are monitored. to do so~ething to ,correct them." gree. "I think sometimes he came on wou~d begin r~ruiting more ac~- "The problem is we don't want to San Otego State s basketball pro- too strong. When you're young, you denucally qualified students, but said overburden an instructor in terms of gram in particular has been criti- don't really have your priorities in he cautioned Day that the team sending him something for every ath- cized for its low graduation rate. In perspective. You don't know which might struggle a couple of years dur- lete" said Thomas. the eight years that David "Smokey" way to go. ing the transition. B~t Thomas said that if a coach Gain coached at SDSU, f!om 19~9- "Sometimes I think he forced aca- Gaines said Day to!~ him not to deems it necessary, a student's prog- 80 to 1986-87, only one of has recrwt- demics so much that some guys shied worry, that be had a five-year con- ress may be monitored as often as ed,players, Eddy Gordon, graduated. away from it." tract. four times a semester. 'Smoke~ was the worst of ~II Watson still is pursuing a basket- The Aztecs went 10-19 and_ 5-25 the Those who have successfully com- coaches I v~ evei: encountered m ball career. He played for Athletes in n~xt two seasons and Gam~ re- bined academics and athletics say terms of his deliberate effort to Action this winter and hopes to play signed under pressure late m the bard work and discipline are the dl~cou~age any academic effort," in Europe this summer. He said he 19!6-87 season; . . keys. Chris Kilby, a former San ~d Vm~e Padgett, 65 , SDS~ po- does plan to return to school and If y~u don t ! 111•. they_ get ~id, of Diego State defensive tackle, earned htical set prof r. He ha 1cal- earn his degree. you. Lets face 1t, said Games. Its a conference academic honors four ly taught them that if they thought Gene Lampke, chairman of SDSU's big business out there. A big, big straight years. His senior year 1 986 about academi they couldn't think Recreation Department, didn't ques- business." he was selected as the team'; out~ about basketball." tion Gaines' effort to stress academ- No one denies that. Teams that standing student-athlete. He graduat- Asked his reaction to Padgett's ics. qualify for the NCAA Basketball ed magna cum laude, earning a 3.67 tatement, Gaines said, "What's my But, said Lampke, "I just believe Tournament this year will receive GPA as a criminal justice adminis- reaction? To write in the paper? Can the caliber of student Smokey Gaines $250,000. Win one game and the pot tration major. He's now an inspector you put this in the paper? My reac- recruited was so poorly prepared ac- doubles to $500,000. Advance to the for U.S. Customs. t10n to that statem nt is to tell ademically, they didn't really have a Final Four and your athletic director He said he studied about four hours Padgett to ki my •... I know how chance to succeed academically. will be grinning from ear to ear, a day. hard I tried to get those kids to go to When he recruited, I don't think he thanks to the $1.25 million check the "I knew after the first couple of cla • was looking for academics. He basi- school will be receiving. years that I wasn't going to be play- "The thing that hurts me more cally was recruiting people who · Miller doesn't deny the emphasis ing football the rest of my life," said than nythlng was that I wasn't able played basketball. They didn't com- on winning, but says colleges have a Kilby. "The way I saw it, I wouldn't to d al with th kid , to get them to pete academically, then withdrew moral obligation to see that athletes have been able to go to college with- know the importan of a d gree. All and therefore flunked out." graduate. out a football schola1ip. But I I can tell you w tried hard. When Rephed Gaines, now owner of "The thing we don't want to do is made it work f1 ~- I ook advan- k1d m1 d cla I told the profes- "Smokey's," a Mission Valley bring in youngsters, bleed tbetr ath- tage of the oppo 11 u ty." .

In the last fouS:~e~':s~c:i~!m:rsu~J~fIITted ~n i~ grkaduation rates. Please see DEGREE: C-6, Col. 3 ___ semor as etball players

IT 1 S ABOUT TIME A breakdown of hours during a week monitored by The Tribune: NEAL STEINL y ~SU Be • kelbell Cl111 M~Jorlng in he'a1th, taking 14 units~, hours• 14 hours •.M,_ssed one practice because ot the flu. First week of classes. Three weeks later, studying about 1hour a night. DONDI BELL USD Beskelball Cla11 Studying • M . . . · 32 hours 7 5 hours• 7 h • aionng mbusiness administration, taking 12 units ours Missed each of tour classes once because of a teani trip. DAVE KNOPP SDSU Jobs Cl111 Studying M . . · 33 hours 12 hours* 6 h aJonng In recreation, taking 15 units ours Missed one class and another was ca~Jed. • Non.athletes face a job and an adventure Page C·6 • Instructors grade the student.athletes Page C-6 Studying 2 hours..

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