[NU Sports] Hack, Hack Sweet Bienen

[Jeff Beamsley]

Dennis wrote <snip>
But seriously, folks, a college president who concentrates on academics can
hardly be call a "hack" on that alone, if at all.  You got some other
evidence?  Do I want consistent winners in football and basketball at
Northwestern?  Yup, sure do.  Do I think it's possible?  Yep, however
unrealistic that may be.  It is possible that to have consistent winners in
those two sports will require that academic standards be lowered at least a
little.  Don't know if I want that to happen.  For certain President Bienen
doesn't, and that is not a bad thing. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There are fourteen guys on our BB team.

Assuming everyone uses all their NU eligibility, that means NU has to
recruit three or four new players every year.  

This is only an "academic standards" problem if you can prove that the
number of smart HS BB players capable of playing at the Div I level is less
than three every year.

For those of you who love detail, there are 157,000 HS senior BB players.
There are 4,500 NCAA Freshman BB roster positions.  In other words, less
than 3% of HS BB players end up playing in college.

Even if you assume that only 1% of those players will have good enough
grades to get into NU, that leaves 1,570 to choose from.  If you assume only
3% of them have the BB talent to play at NU, that leaves 47 recruits who
clearly value education, and we only have to choose 4.  Even if you give
Duke, Stanford, and Vandy first pick, the still leaves us with 35 to pick
the next best 4 from.

If we aren't getting the best kids, it isn't because of academic standards.
It is because those smart kids who can play competitive BB at the college
level are going to other schools and not NU. 

Jeff