A few weeks ago I wrote a column about how we as a school should set our sights on declaring Providence College our most hated rival. I suggest the Friars because they are close, in-conference and for whatever reason have seemingly owned a few of our teams in recent history. Only adding fuel to the fire, recent graduate A.J. Price and women's hockey coach Heather Linstad, a Providence graduate, thinks that when Providence does win, they do so disrespectfully. I thought my column had gone unnoticed until it was brought to my attention that a student writer for Providence's student newspaper, The Cowl, took offense to the fact that I had the audacity to propose that we call a conference opponent our rival. Not only did the writer take backhanded shots at our academic standards, but also at Price's run-in with the law, claiming it devalued any opinion that he may have had - despite the fact he'd clearly proven that he had distance himself from the laptop incident and proved himself to be a leader and a mentor on a team that made it to the 2009 Final Four.
At the end, the writer asked me to 'get some facts and come back to him,' taking a shot at Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun. So, as per his request, I am.
Fact No. 1: The writer claimed that the Friars have gotten under our skin. They have. That was the whole point of my column; thanks for pointing that out. He wrote, "the little school from Rhode Island has gotten under the skin of the big bad dog." He seemed to be offended by my claiming Providence as our rival, and said that by doing so, I am disrespecting them. Backwards logic? Maybe. If I indeed had treated the Friars with disrespect, I would dismiss them entirely. The fact of the matter is that by saying they're our rivals, I'm doing the opposite. I'm saying they're worthy of our scorn.
Fact No. 2: Price actually is a respectable source. Yes, we know. Price and Marcus Williams got in some trouble with laptops all the way back in 2003. Everyone knows this and everyone has gotten over it - except for the Providence writer. For some reason, he seems to think that Price's indiscretion, which occurred more than six years ago, gives him no credence over any subject. Specifically, the writer said, "This young man, this beacon of nobility, was brought up on three felony charges for stealing fellow students' laptops!" However much I ripped into Providence in my columns, I didn't take shots at individual players, and that's what this gentleman did. The fact of the matter is, Price distanced himself from the incident and actually went on to be a mentor and leader to Kemba Walker on the team last year. He is probably one of the most beloved athletes that has come through UConn and, yes, he is a respectable source for fans to take cues from.
Fact No. 3: UConn is actually a good school academically, even the athletes. One of the things that got under my skin most is that this writer seems to feel some sense of superiority over the Huskies because of Providence's supposed higher academic standards. Without any facts to back up this claim, the writer said, "Providence has always demanded that student-athletes remember that the word student comes before athlete," as if to imply that UConn doesn't feel the same way. Well, here are the facts. Maya Moore, who was the National Player of the Year for women's basketball last year, was also an academic All-American. One of the most famous graduates of UConn, Emeka Okafor, graduated in three years, all while being one of the best players in the country. Last season, the Husky football team ranked third in the Big East in academics and first in the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate survey. Karl Schilling, who graduated last season from the men's soccer team, is currently in medical school. The list goes on. For this writer to tacitly imply that the Friars are better academically than us is baseless at best and, at worst, classless.
I hope that this trio of facts is enough for the writer from Providence. And thanks for reading The Daily Campus.
Be the first to comment on this article!