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Winning is nice, but TSU's Robinson stresses education
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Texas Southern baseball coach Candy Robinson can rattle Andre Nevels' most important statistics off the top of his head: 20 hours, including honors classes, and a 3.95 grade-point average.
No conversation about Nevels -- or the TSU baseball team, in fact -- is complete until Robinson talks grade-point averages and graduation rates. Nevels, TSU's center fielder, is Robinson's prime example. He is part of the Frederick Douglas Honors Program, is on the dean's list and the president's list and is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society.
Nevels is hardly alone. He is just one of many players Robinson boasts about when it comes to academics. Robinson says that during his 15-year stint as TSU's baseball coach, 89 percent of his players have graduated. Seven players, including five on the current roster, received their degrees on May 15.
Nevels, along with TSU's top two pitchers, Issac Daniels and Brandon Stricklen, are three of team's most successful players on the field and in the classroom. Each of them receive a little money from the baseball scholarship fund, but they are primarily paying for their education through academic aid from the school's honors program.
"I was an academic person at Grambling, so I just carried it over," Robinson said. "My priority is these kids get an education. I played professional ball, so I know that only one in 1,000 even get a chance to play."
Robinson doesn't just encourage strong academics from his players, he demands it.
"Coach always tells us academics is first," Stricklen said. "He preaches it every day. Every meeting starts with him saying, `Get on your p's and q's with your academics.' He's always preaching.
"You can tell it makes coach proud to see his kids are on the top of lists as far as academics. It makes me proud, too, because I'm an academic man. That's how I was raised."
Stricklen didn't have any misconceptions or naivet? when it came to college baseball. He knew full athletic scholarships were almost impossible to come by since the NCAA only allows Division I schools a maximum of 11.7 scholarships for baseball. TSU's program has only six to offer.
That's why Stricklen, with the urging of his mother, focused on keeping his grade-point average up during high school. Now, with academic and athletic aid, Stricklen has his entire tuition paid for at TSU.
It's that type of student-athlete Robinson and his coaching staff seek to recruit. Players who are eligible for academic aid not only help the baseball team stretch its six scholarships across more players but also help the program uphold a high standard academically.
"I knew when I came here I'd have to handle two jobs," Stricklen said. "I figured out how to balance it. And coach knows that if you have any academic engagements, that's the No. 1 thing. He doesn't mind if you miss a game or practice because of academics. He always tells us academics is first."
Robinson wants championships, and he has dreamed about taking TSU to the NCAA regionals for years. But that is not what drives the coach.
For the rest of the story, click here...
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2586234
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Texas Southern baseball coach Candy Robinson can rattle Andre Nevels' most important statistics off the top of his head: 20 hours, including honors classes, and a 3.95 grade-point average.
No conversation about Nevels -- or the TSU baseball team, in fact -- is complete until Robinson talks grade-point averages and graduation rates. Nevels, TSU's center fielder, is Robinson's prime example. He is part of the Frederick Douglas Honors Program, is on the dean's list and the president's list and is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society.
Nevels is hardly alone. He is just one of many players Robinson boasts about when it comes to academics. Robinson says that during his 15-year stint as TSU's baseball coach, 89 percent of his players have graduated. Seven players, including five on the current roster, received their degrees on May 15.
Nevels, along with TSU's top two pitchers, Issac Daniels and Brandon Stricklen, are three of team's most successful players on the field and in the classroom. Each of them receive a little money from the baseball scholarship fund, but they are primarily paying for their education through academic aid from the school's honors program.
"I was an academic person at Grambling, so I just carried it over," Robinson said. "My priority is these kids get an education. I played professional ball, so I know that only one in 1,000 even get a chance to play."
Robinson doesn't just encourage strong academics from his players, he demands it.
"Coach always tells us academics is first," Stricklen said. "He preaches it every day. Every meeting starts with him saying, `Get on your p's and q's with your academics.' He's always preaching.
"You can tell it makes coach proud to see his kids are on the top of lists as far as academics. It makes me proud, too, because I'm an academic man. That's how I was raised."
Stricklen didn't have any misconceptions or naivet? when it came to college baseball. He knew full athletic scholarships were almost impossible to come by since the NCAA only allows Division I schools a maximum of 11.7 scholarships for baseball. TSU's program has only six to offer.
That's why Stricklen, with the urging of his mother, focused on keeping his grade-point average up during high school. Now, with academic and athletic aid, Stricklen has his entire tuition paid for at TSU.
It's that type of student-athlete Robinson and his coaching staff seek to recruit. Players who are eligible for academic aid not only help the baseball team stretch its six scholarships across more players but also help the program uphold a high standard academically.
"I knew when I came here I'd have to handle two jobs," Stricklen said. "I figured out how to balance it. And coach knows that if you have any academic engagements, that's the No. 1 thing. He doesn't mind if you miss a game or practice because of academics. He always tells us academics is first."
Robinson wants championships, and he has dreamed about taking TSU to the NCAA regionals for years. But that is not what drives the coach.
For the rest of the story, click here...
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2586234
