When we think of Harvard we think of rigorous scholarship, of ivy-covered buildings, of notable alumni from John Hancock to John F. Kennedy, from Henry David Thoreau to James D. Watson. We don't think of basketball prowess, but new coach Tommy Amaker wants to change that, and Harvard's administration is giving him a huge hand in doing so: The school is lowering its standards to attract better basketball players.
Pete Thamel of the New York Times has a fascinating article today about the way Amaker, the former Michigan head coach, is getting away with tactics that would have seemed unthinkable at an Ivy League institution:
In the race to become competitive in basketball, Harvard's new approach could tarnish the university's sterling reputation.Two athletes who said they had received letters from Harvard's admissions office saying they would most likely be accepted have described tactics that may violate N.C.A.A. rules...
In another case, Amaker approached the parents of an athlete in a grocery store and urged that their son visit Harvard, even though N.C.A.A. rules limit contact with potential players....
Yale Coach James Jones said he had seen an academic change at Harvard. "It's eye-opening because there seems to have been a drastic shift in restrictions and regulations with the Harvard admissions office," he said.
I always liked and admired Amaker when he coached at Michigan exactly because he struck me as the kind of coach who had certain standards he wasn't willing to compromise. But after a 43-53 career Big Ten record got him fired, it appears that Amaker has decided that wins and losses need to be his top priority. It's stunning that Harvard's administration is going along with that decision.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-02-2008 @ 4:14PM
Ivy guy said...
Thamel is never one to let the facts ruin a zesty story .... but did you notice that, buried below all the snide comments is the muted concession that after all the "lowering of standards", the grades and SAT scores for the Harvard basketball team will still be higher than at any of the other Ivies - including Princeton, Penn and Yale?
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3-02-2008 @ 4:23PM
Sanity said...
Amazing how other "journalists" fall in line on dribble such as this. Previous poster is correct - there is nothing of any substance in that article and the paper admits it in the first paragraph.
Gee, uh, there MAY be something here. We can't find it but its a slow news week and I have nothing else to do to justify my paycheck, so here here we go...
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3-02-2008 @ 4:50PM
Kevin said...
Amusing Title.
Yeah sure. After over a hundred years of the toughest admissions standards, the admissions office at Harvard must now answer to Tommy Amaker.
He single-handedly will create the academic standards there now and "Harvard's administration is going along" for the ride.
Just silly.
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3-02-2008 @ 7:41PM
CB said...
"the grades and SAT scores for the Harvard basketball team will still be higher than at any of the other Ivies - including Princeton, Penn and Yale?"
Hey, those are the rules Harvard wanted the rest of the league to play by. They were among the ringleaders in the creation of the Academic Index. But that doesn't mean they get to just unilaterally dump those rules just because they've decide they don't like them. Or it's not a league anymore.
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3-02-2008 @ 6:34PM
Susan said...
I have known Tommy Amaker long enough to be sure there is no substance in this story. However, the other Ivy coaches may be annoyed at losing recruits they coveted. Harvard is not yet able to challenge them on the court but if it is challenging at recruiting, that will make the Ivy League race more interesting in the future. The fact that Cornell won its first Ivy Championship is exciting too.
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3-05-2008 @ 8:08AM
mary kay taylor said...
I have known Tommy Amaker since he was a child and he is a man of character, intelligence and grace. I'm offended that Mr. Smith is lowering journalism standards.
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