University of North Carolina Athletics
Carter Deserves Credit, Not Criticism
May 22, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
May 22, 2001
Noise. That's all it's about. Lots and lots of noise. People who like to complain about their lot in life or like to tear down the accomplishments of others, especially those who have talents most of us simply dream about. That's what this supposed "controversy" surrounding Vince Carter's decision to attend Commencement the morning he played in Game Seven of the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals is all about.
Talk radio and certain newspaper columnists thrive on noise. It's what drives the average sports fan to listen to ex-athletes and NBA-wannabes talk about things they know little about for 24 hours a day. If it weren't Carter's Sunday travels, it would have been something else. America thrives on noise and seemingly can't stand to go a day without conjuring up something else to complain about.
For those of you who want to know the facts, here they are. Three years ago, Carter decided to take his rather spectacular basketball skills to the pros after three years as a Tar Heel. Upon announcing his decision to turn professional, he promised his mother, a teacher, he would finish his degree and graduate from the one of the best public universities in the country.
He joined the Toronto Raptors, earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors, became the leading vote-getter for the NBA All-Star Game, won an Olympic gold medal, and most importantly, led his fledgling franchise to the NBA postseason for the first time in its history. Prior to Carter's arrival, the Raptors averaged 22 wins a season. With Carter, Toronto has averaged 46 wins over the past two seasons. He became one of the NBA's poster boys for high-flying, rim-rattlin', in-your-face excitement.
The Raptors were in Game Seven against the No. 1 seed 76ers because Carter carried Toronto in its three wins. He had 52 points in Game Two, 39 in Game Six (both Toronto wins) and for the seven-game series, led the Raptors in scoring, steals and blocks, was second in assists and third in rebounds. All the while, his teammates were encouraging, pleading and in some cases, publicly demanding, for him to become more aggressive and lift the team to greater heights.
And while all of this was going on, Carter's family was proudly getting ready to celebrate his graduation from Carolina. In an ideal world, Commencement and the time demands of his job would have conveniently gone their separate ways. Unfortunately, life isn't always convenient, and he had a decision to make. Obviously, he wasn't going to jeopardize his team's playoff future if he didn't think being at both places on Sunday could be done.
Again, let's examine the facts. He whipped up on the Sixers Friday night to the tune of 39 points. Saturday, he practiced with the team, then flew to Chapel Hill on a private jet, and spent a quiet evening at a hotel. He didn't go partying on Franklin Street, he didn't hit the clubs. He hung out with his family. Sounds like a pretty relaxing way to spend the night before a big game.
Sunday, while his teammates slept until about Noon (if you doubt that, you have never traveled with an athletic team), he took care of family business. He donned his powder blue cap and gown, marched into Kenan Stadium with 3,500 fellow graduates and experienced the summit of his academic life.
He stayed as long as he could, experienced as much as he could soak in, and then left as scheduled. I'm sure he stretched out on that fancy private plane for 70 minutes (it's not like he flew in a middle seat in the back of the coach section) and made it back to Philadelphia in time for a 12:30 p.m. team meeting. That's more than five hours before the game. Heck, guys who play for the Knicks and Lakers probably spend more than 70 minutes driving into the arena from the suburbs in their relatively cramped Lexus. How taxing can a private jet be? Get serious.
Academic achievement isn't a fancy catch-phrase in the Carter household. He was taught the value of an education by his parents and was serious about earning his degree during his three-year career as a Tar Heel and in the three years since joining the NBA. He makes more money than probably everybody reading this story combined (unless one of the other Carolina pros happens across TarHeelBlue.com). It's not like he needed his degree to avoid applying for food stamps. He earned his degree because he knows the value of it to him and his family. He knows the satisfaction of getting up every day, going to class and doing the work.
That's why it was important to him to be at Commencement. He didn't mail in his education. It wasn't a mere formality. He had to work hard to get his degree and by God, he was proud of what he had accomplished. And he was proud of where he had earned his degree. Maybe some of his NBA teammates and all those noisemakers out there don't have the same sense of pride where they went to school that Carter does. If you think that the loyalty Carolina's NBA players often show is limited only to the basketball court, you don't know the school or the program well enough.
It says something that six of the nine players who have turned professional early have come back to get their degrees. And it says something when you hear people like Carter, Antawn Jamison and Jerry Stackhouse talk about the University the way they do. Not just the basketball part of UNC, but the University itself. In today's pop culture, it's refreshing to hear multi-bazillionaire basketball players have a sense of pride in their University. Carter, like other Carolina players, has that pride and wears it on his sleeve, much to the chagrin of others.
The NBA and the Raptors dropped the ball on this one, not Carter. This should have been a slam dunk for the league. With all of the current talk about how young the league is getting at the expense of academic maturity, this should have been a no-brainer. The NBA should have flown him to Chapel Hill and paid for a pack of Polaroids of his big day. And the Raptors should have immediately supported their franchise player once he made it clear he was going to march.
What controversy would there have been if the coaches and players said this on Saturday?:
"We're really proud of him. We support him 100 percent. He's a professional and we know he will be ready when we tip it off. He got us this far, we're confident he'll bring us home a winner. He'll be so fired up after graduation and a little sweet tea, he'll probably score 60, etc, etc..."
If that's what you had heard from the Raptors instead of terse no comments then I wouldn't even be writing this. The Boston Globe, Detroit Free-Press, New York Times, USA Today, Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, 76ers Coach Larry Brown, Dick Vitale, NBC's Kevin Johnson and ESPN's Dan Patrick wouldn't have had to say and write how they supported his decision.
"The criticism is so unjust," 76ers GM Billy King said. "He sent a great message to kids in this country."
The Bergen (N.J.) Record and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi wrote: "A magnificent message, when everything else they're seeing and hearing these days tells them the degree is perfectly useless, the education a waste of time. All week, the story surrounding the NBA was the record list of college underclassmen and high school giants tripping over themselves to get in the draft. Suddenly, there was a nation of kids tempted to believe an extra hour or two on the playground, in the driveway, was the wise choice over completing a homework assignment. In the end, the irony is too rich. These were the playoffs that Carter was celebrated for discovering the truths of the true superstars, learning the lessons of responsibility of a franchise player. As the ball hung over the First Union Center Sunday, hung as judge and jury in the minds of millions, there was no need to wait and see how the shot ended up for him and the Raptors on Sunday: Make or miss, win or lose, Vince Carter had never deserved a longer, louder ovation."
Patrick, an ESPN anchor, wrote: "We always wring our hands over the kids who leave college early, as Vince Carter himself once did. We criticize them for having the wrong priorities and for devaluing the appeal of a college degree to impressionable youths. Well, Carter goes back to school, completes his work and we criticize him again. This time for wanting to attend the graduation ceremonies at virtually no cost to himself or his team. His critics say he was calling attention to himself, doing a big fat "notice me" routine.
"Well, here's an idea. Vince Carter doesn't have to do anything for publicity. His privacy departed a few years ago. We cry and moan when athletes slash their throats after a score. `This is horrible,' goes the lament. `Kids are watching.'
"Vince Carter donned some Carolina blue yesterday for the last time. His smile could have lit up the world. He was attending his college graduation and I could only think of one thing. This is great. Kids are watching."
The New York Times weighed in with not just a story covering the event, but an editorial in which it stated: "It's refreshing to hear an athlete of this caliber say that finishing college was the most important thing in his life."
That folks, is the New York Times. That isn't noise, that's respect!
- Steve Kirschner, Director of Athletic Communications
