The Joy of Benchwarming

Home > Forums > Entertainment > HBCU Sports

Edit Settings \| Search Forums

Posted on 03-13-2008

klg14

Hawthorne, CA

The Chronicle of Higher Education From the issue dated March 14, 2008 The Joy of Benchwarming By BRAD WOLVERTON Chronicle of Higher Education America loves a winner. But the kid whose career scoring total wallows in the single digits? Not so much. So what explains the cult status many college basketball players have achieved despite sitting on the end of the bench? Joe Hughes and Stephen Duckett are only starting to understand. They're freshman basketball players at Xavier University, a perennial top-25 program. Both played pretty decent high-school ball, but neither was offered a major-college scholarship. Instead they landed here, looking for a brush with the bright lights but knowing they would probably never amount to anything more than stagehands. They put up with all the hardships of Division I sports — 6 a.m. runs, three-hour practices, cross-country red-eyes — but enjoy none of the glory. No financial aid. No face time on national TV. No chance of getting in the game, unless, as Mr. Hughes says, "we're beating the crap out of some team." It's not that they aren't any good. Until he broke his ankle in high school, Mr. Hughes had a shot at a Division I scholarship. Mr. Duckett was offered a full ride by several Division II programs. Still, when he showed up for his first Musketeers practice last fall, he knew right away he didn't match up. "Physically, there was no comparison," he said after a game this season. "It was like, Wow, I couldn't believe their speed and size. I'm looking at myself, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. I'm like, What am I gonna do?" Like most walk-ons — players who join to teams without scholarships — Mr. Hughes and Mr. Duckett are glorified practice dummies. When they enter the gym every day, they must set aside their personal ambition for the benefit of the team. Instead of practicing their jump shots or working on new moves, they spend most of their time watching game film and imitating opponents' playing styles to help their teammates prepare for games. "You have to know your role," says Mr. Duckett. "You can't come in here thinking you're gonna be a big shot." In an era when kids worship the highlight reel, coaches welcome such selflessness. "These two young men give so much of themselves but never expect to play," says Sean Miller, Xavier's head coach. "They're a special ingredient that helps our team be the best we can be." When Xavier tipped off against the University of Tennessee in a nationally televised game this season, the walk-ons took their familiar places on the bench. Mr. Hughes sat 11 chairs away from the head coach; Mr. Duckett, 12. Beyond them were a bunch of guys in suits holding clipboards. During games the walk-on's job is simple: "Keep morale high," Mr. Hughes says. "Make some noise." At timeouts he and Mr. Duckett were the first two guys off the bench to encourage teammates. Mr. Duckett waved a towel, occasionally smacking it on the floor. Mr. Hughes bounced up and down and screamed encouragement. By the end of the game, he had lost his voice. The value of walk-ons is impossible to measure in the box score, but everyone who knows basketball understands how important they are. "The good ones are the glue that holds a team together," says Mike Bobinski, Xavier's athletic director. Like many programs, Xavier goes to great lengths to fill its nonscholarship roster slots. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from recruiting walk-ons, but Xavier's assistants are always on the lookout for players with the right attitude and temperament. A coaching colleague of Mr. Miller's recommended Mr. Duckett. Xavier's coaches noticed Mr. Hughes at a summer camp because of his work ethic. They followed up with his high-school guidance counselor to make sure he had a good transcript and attendance record. And once he joined the team, they liked what they saw. He broke his nose in an early season practice, and showed up the next day ready to play. College coaches rely on walk-ons to boost their team's grade-point average — no small matter now that the NCAA docks scholarships from programs that underperform in the classroom. Coaches also look to their backups to have the humility that many starters lack. "We err on the side of great student, high character," Mr. Miller says. In the end, walk-ons get their own kind of glory. On some campuses, students have set up Facebook groups to honor them. And in the closing minutes of games they are winning, fans in many programs start chanting the scrubs' names. When the coach calls a walk-on's number, the place lights up. Most college-basketball fans never played the sport seriously. Walk-ons "reflect who the general fan is more than some guy who's 6-foot-8 who can touch the top of the backboard," Mr. Miller says. "You really pull for those guys." On this day, the game stayed tight until the final buzzer, so Coach Miller didn't call for No. 33 or No. 13. That was OK, Mr. Hughes said. "We had the best seats in the house." The Chronicle of Higher Education Section: Short Subjects Volume 54, Issue 27, Page A1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2008 by The Chronicle of Higher Education

[Reply]

Page 1 of 1	1

Reply To Topic

In order to post a response to this topic, please login below or click here to signup.

Page 1 of 1	1

Home > Forums > Entertainment > HBCU Sports

Sponsored Content	Create an Ad

Follow Us!

Link To Us!
Do you have a website? Link to HBCU Connect!

Have a Question? Call Us Direct @ 877.864.4446

Member Tools
Groups
Find Members
Invite Friends
View Friends
Member Updates
Private Messages
View Your Profile
Edit Your Profile

Most Popular
Scholarships
Jobs & Internships
Online Dating
HBCU Sports
HBCU Alumni
HBCU Students

Discussion Forums

Featured Content
HBCU Colleges
HBCU Classics
HBCU Homecomings
HBCU Top 50 Employers
HBCU Career Fairs
HBCU Connect Gear
Famous HBCU Alumni
HBCU Campus Queens
Past Newsletters

Site Channels
Member Blogs
HBCU News
HBCU Sports
HBCU Photos
HBCU Videos
HBCU Events
HBCU Colleges
HBCU Apparel
HBCU Magazine
Health & Wellness
Grad School

General
Advertise
About Us
Contact Us
Link To Us
Partner Links
Website Help