Julian football coach J.W. Smith once locked a parent in hisoffice for two hours until she agreed it was in her son's bestinterest not to drop off his team.
'She didn't want her son to play football because his gradesweren't quite up to par,' Smith said. 'She felt football was takingup too much of his time. I finally convinced her to let him stay inthe program. He became very successful . . . went to college andthe NFL.'
Smith recalls the Danny Walters story because it underscores apremise he has championed for years - that sports can be used as atool to help kids develop and stay in school.
He points to a nationwide study that reports 94 percent of thenation's dropouts don't participate in sports or otherextracurricular activities. Of 64 dropout prevention programsfunded by the state, none uses sports as an intervention strategy.
The reasons why students drop out are well documented - lack ofinterest, academic failure, teenage pregnancy, gang intimidation,economic necessity, absence of encouragement at home.
'We can see where athletics impacts on those problems,' Smithsaid. 'Sports is a built-in encouragement factor. It eliminatesgang participation, helps kids to develop better self-esteem, raises aspirational levels and increases the possibility of educational(college) attainment.'
Sports also impact on the school. 'Research will show schoolswith the best athletic programs have lower dropout rates,' Smithsaid. 'A good sports program increases school spirit, reducesdiscipline problems and makes people feel better about themselves andthe school.'
The most effective way to reduce dropout rates, Smith says, isto conduct athletic programs at the elementary school level.Trouble is, sports aren't recognized or funded in the city'selementary schools. Some schools sponsor basketball teams on theirown.
'Playground or park district programs aren't the same,' Smithsaid. 'They're good in their way, but they don't combat the dropoutrate. They're not effective as an intra-school program becauseacademics aren't involved.
'We lose a lot of kids in the intermediate grades - fourth,fifth and sixth. Why? Because the gangs begin to exert influence,class sizes increase, the lack of support from the community and homebegin to take effect and they see the sports programs developing inthe suburbs and Catholic schools.
'We must tie them to a formal program and make them accountablein sports and the classroom. Sports shouldn't be a dessert butshould be a staple in the main course to raise the level of academicachievement and citizenship.'
The key, Smith says, is parental involvement. And Smith goesout of his way to visit homes to talk to parents about supportingtheir children. If he has to lock them in his office for two hoursto deliver his message, well. . . .
'Some parents want their kids to get a job at a minimum wagerather than go to school,' he said. 'Some don't see the value ofsports. Some want to take their kids off the team if they have badgrades rather than prevent them from watching television, attending aparty or talking on the telephone.
'I've been relatively successful in telling parents I can helptheir kids at this end. I'm an extension of the parents at theschool. But we must make parents realize what the value of sportsis in the total educational picture.'
VIEWPOINTS VARY: The controversy won't be settled for a year ortwo, but talent scouts disagree over the skills of DePaul recruitBill Heppner more than any other prospect in next season's freshmanclass. Some rate the 6-9 center from Crystal Lake Central amongthe top 30 players in the nation while others don't rate him in thetop 100.
One national scouting service rates Heppner as the No. 34 playerin Illinois, saying, 'He is the most overrated big man in the stateand probably the nation . . . lacks intensity and is slow, enablingquicker opponents to get inside and score at will . . . hassensational leaping ability but doesn't put it to use . . . oftengets outrebounded as a result . . . good shooter but doesn't look forthe ball enough.'
'What one scouting service says doesn't affect our opinion - andit doesn't have much credibility,' DePaul assistant Jim Molinarisaid. 'We don't recruit a kid on the basis of one game or one camp. We base our evaluation on how we project a prospect. If Heppnercould be recruited by DePaul, Kentucky, Notre Dame and Michigan, itshows they saw things differently.'
WHO'S NO. 1? Speaking of controversies, the debate over 'Who'sthe No. 1 player in the nation?' continues to rage. King's MarcusLiberty appears to be a consensus choice among talent scouts andcollege coaches. But Eric Manual of Macon, Ga., Dennis Scott ofOakton, Va., and Larry Johnson of Dallas, Tex., have widespreadsupport, too.
Bob Gibbons of Lenoir, N.C. settled on Johnson after beginningwith Liberty in August and switching to Scott in December.
'We had an extremely difficult time - the toughest ever - inchoosing our 1987 Player of the Year,' Gibbons said. 'Unlike lastseason, when J.R. Reid was a clear-cut choice, there were a number ofbona fide candidates this year.
'We consider Liberty to be the nation's most talented senior.However, we believe Johnson will make the most impact next year as acollege freshman.
'Historically, in choosing past Players of the Year as MarkAguirre (1978), Ralph Sampson (1979), Sam Perkins (1980), MichaelJordan (1981), Billy Thompson (1982), Reggie Williams (1983), DannyManning (1984), Jeff Lebo (1985) and Reid (1986), we have consistenlygiven more weight to where we think they will be as collegians ratherthan to where they are now as schoolboys.'
Gibbons conceded one other factor played a role in his decision: Johnson has qualified academically, Liberty hasn't.
Gibbons' top five players of 1986-87: Johnson; Liberty; Scott;guard King Rice, Binghamton, N.Y., and 6-10 junior Alonzo Mourning,Chesapeake, Va.
RESPONSE: Former DePaul basketball player Randy Ramsey, nowdirector of DePaul's Project Academus, agrees with a recentobservation by former pro football star Alan Page, who said, '90percent of the athletes I played with in my 16-year career didn'thave any idea what they were planning to do with their lives aftertheir professional careers were over.'
'Page's statement is relative to statistics I've received fromthe National Hockey League,' Ramsey said. 'Of 274 players whoresponded, 75 percent need assistance determining their post-hockeycareer, and 80 percent requested more information about the jobmarket and educational options.
'Though the hockey players have realized the importance ofplanning and educational advancement, only 17 percent consider thatthey have devoted enough time and energy to planning a post-hockeycareer.'
SCOUTING REPORT: What major league baseball scouts are saying: Oak Park's Ben Shelton will be the first Chicago area high schoolproduct selected in next month's major league draft. Most observerspredict he'll be chosen in the third or fourth round - as a pitcher,outfielder or first baseman. 'He has the most power of any hitter inthe area,' one scout said. Waukegan East's Scott Taylor is the best catching prospect in theChicago area. He ranks with Sullivan's Jim Robinson but rates aheadof Barrington's Dan Wilson. 'Wilson is a great competitor,' onescout said. 'But Taylor has better tools - bat speed, throwing arm,receiving ability.' There is no hitter in the Chicago area who compares with the best ofthe last two years, Oak Forest's Scott Pickends and Waukegan East'sBrian Traxler. Fremd catcher Todd Hundley, son of former Cub Randy Hundley, may bea high draft choice. Marian Catholic pitcher Mike Zajeski, who is committed to Nebraska,is the son of Tim Zajeski, a former pitcher who was the No. 5 choice(by the old Washington Senators) in the 1966 draft. Fenwick catcher Steve Beineman, who is committed to Michigan, isworth another look because of his batting skills. 'From what I've seen in four states,' said Dodgers scout Glen VanProyen, 'Chicago area baseball coaches are the best in terms ofknowledge, style and preparation.'
