My daughter does academic supervising with athletes at a major university and many are as dumb as stumps and completely uninterested in being there. All they are waiting for is to turn pro. The basketball players are the worst of all. They are breathing air and using financial resources that could be better spent on somebody who would actually appreciate the benefit of a college education. If you saw their grade point and what allowances are made to even get them into college you would be appalled and disgusted. Let them go right out of high school if college is of such little importance and try to recruit high school players that have a glimmer of a brain and might actually use the time there to get educated.

A true student athlete is a driven person, driven to excel in his/ her sport and in academics. My athletic scholarship is how I got to college, but I ended up with a PhD. A few remedies: 1) have the same admission requirements for athletes as for the general student body, and require a 2.5 on a 4 system. 2) Strictly enforce NCAA academic rules, with appropriate penalties. 3) Fire coaches whose athletes don't make academic standards.

I'm certainly no Duke fan, but I do admire Coach K's successes in consistent excellence, both on the court and in the classroom. Those flashy coaches who value a great year over a great program will have a few intermittent great years and never a great program. I do grant that those poorly educated, wealthy 20 year olds are great for temporarily stimulating the economy, but like the college programs they exploited, their wealth is also very temporary.

A lot of interesting comments, here. Let's face it, though: colleges are just as money-motivated as the pros and their students. An athletic scholarship is an investment by the college in the potential drawing power (ticket-selling and TV rights to the games) of the kid. If he doesn't "pan out", he can be cut and his scholarship revoked and given to someone with more "star power." That being said, the reality is that less than 8% of these players will get drafted, and less than a quarter will make a career out of the NBA. And, every year, we hear more and more about drugs and guns in the locker room by these gangsta kids.

If the trend continues March Madness will turn into Mid-Major Madness as the Jrs and Srs from their schools stay on, mature, get educated, and play on while the "elite' teams struggle for any continuity and fight sanctions for cheating.

How about we do this (for every student, not only athletes) we tell them that if they graduate with a high point level (make up your own number: 3, 3.5, 4) then we will in turn give you your scholorship money at that time. If you don't achieve these numbers or leave the school early (even if you are planning on coming back later to "finish" your education) then you do not receive the scholorship!