Working hard on and off the field

  By Matt Brown      

   Athletes spend hours on the court, field or ice, but they may need to spend just as much time on classwork.

            Athletes at Stonehill are required to attend three hours of study hall per week. The study hall times are set to work around practice and class schedules.

            “Study hall has been great because instead of going back to my dorm to take a nap after practice, I’m forced to sit down for an hour or two a couple times a week to get my work done. I have help of coaches while I’m there to ensure my success in the classroom,” said basketball player Pierce Cumpstone.

            According to the Division II Academic Requirements Committee, a student athlete must maintain a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to be eligible to participate in sports. In 2016, the minimum GPA will be raised to 2.2.

            When student athletes are struggling in a specific class, it is important get help in order to keep their GPA above the minimum.

            Coaches can play a major role in the success of their student athletes.

            “ When I was struggling with calculus, I was able to go to one of the coaches who had a basic understanding of the class and he helped me with preparation for the exam,” said Cumpstone.

            Stonehill basketball team coaches said they take pride in how well their players perform both in the classroom and on the court, Assistant Coach Sam Boynton said.

            “Each player meets with a coach once a week to go over what is due. They tell us when papers, homework and exams are and we set it all up on a master schedule. We also require them to do study hall three hours a week,” Boynton said.

            It is important student athletes maintain the desire to work hard in the classroom. If one player cannot stay above the mandatory GPA, the team may suffer and has to compete without him, he said.

            While playing sports teaches you life lessons, the education you receive is the most important part of the college experience.

“You have to want to learn and succeed in the classroom.  You have to make sure you manage your time and not waste it during the day. You have to be efficient as possible in anything you do,” said Stonehill basketball player Carter Smith.

            Smith said after playing college basketball, he will be looking for a job and he needs to prepare for that time.

            Education comes first for the majority of student athletes.

Of the thousands of students athletes at the Division I level, 82 percent graduated in 2011. Seventy
 two percent of Division II athletes did the same, according to NCAA research. Less than two percent of college athletes make it to the professional level according to the media company Al Jazeera.

            One athlete quoted in an NCAA commercial made the point that education is important. “There are over 400,000 student athletes and just about all of us will be going pro in something else,” he said in the commercial.