02-19-18 11:17 AM - Post#248570 In response to GIQUAKER
Despite the lack of comparable funding the Ivy league is the epitome of Mid-Major. It's usually ranked in the middle of all leagues in basketball. A lot of the better players on each team could have gone to better athletic schools (Xavier) but chose Ivy for academics. I say that to say that there is no lack of competitiveness among our players and the other conferences. They just have an equal level of focus on academic excellence. I honestly believe that the conference could raise the level of commitment to the sport and not lose anything on the quality of academically minded student it recruits. Playing a D1 sport is demanding. The amount of time and energy these kids put in in high school while maintaining the level of academic excellence is quite astounding. I think (in terms of basketball) that the adults grossly underestimate what these kids go through to play at this level.
The result of this is kids who work twice as hard to graduate early (from an Ivy), while playing, so they can play at a high major school. There is no reason the people who lead the league can't raise the level to attract and keep these kids all four years.
"...no excuses - only results!â€
Edited by GoBigGreenBasketball on 02-19-18 11:46 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.