Diversity in college sports

Richard Lesko, basketball student-athlete
University of Illinois, Chicago
Washington Post

The Slovakian player's reaction to a reporter when told that rosters of teams participating in this year's Division I Men's Basketball Championship include 83 players from 36 foreign countries on five continents:

"This is great to hear. It doesn't necessarily have to do with the basketball side. To be on a team with a person from a different culture, it helps people understand. I think it's great that people from the other side of the globe can meet on a team and try to achieve the same thing."

Academic reform

William C. Friday, chair
Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
New York Times

"When you see poor graduation rates, recruiting violations and instances of academic fraud, any thoughtful sports fan can see that we've created an entertainment industry and, in the process, it has eroded the integrity of the university.

"We need to step back and take the pressure off college sports. That means getting some discipline back in our dealings with television networks and keeping coaches' salaries down. We are not honoring our moral duty to these student-athletes."

Media guides

Mike Korcek, sports information director
Northern Illinois University
Chicago Tribune

Reacting to a Division I proposal to ban printed versions of media guides:

"I'm sick and tired of getting pushed around by people who should respect us. The whole NCAA is askew when you have a head coach at Central Florida being paid $700,000 a year, and yet our biggest printing cost was $18,000. For that we got more publicity than you could shake a stick at.

"We're not like Michigan or Notre Dame. Last year a lot of people were saying, 'Who are these guys?' They can look at the guide and say, 'LeShon Johnson played there, Mark Kellar played there.' That's what it's for. There are not a lot of puff pieces in ours."

John Lewandowski, sports information director
Michigan State University
Chicago Tribune

"I'm all for cost containment, but by the time you hire another full-time person for the Web site and buy all the tools you need to take video. . .that thing is going to spiral even more than publishing costs."

Mike Wolf, sports information director
Northwestern University
Chicago Tribune

"If there are no guidelines in place in terms of streaming video and what you can put on a Web site, we're opening Pandora's box. Everyone's competitive."

Tom Schott, sports information director
Purdue University
Chicago Tribune

"Every company has an annual report, and that's essentially what a media guide is. People say to put it on the Web. The Web's good for a lot of things, but not for everything."

Women's basketball issues

Chris Weller, former women's basketball coach
University of Maryland, College Park
Kansas City Star

Discussing officiating in women's basketball:

"I think the coaches and players obviously have more of a support system to help them get better. It's more difficult for officials. I think they're all in it for the right reasons and want to produce an environment that's good for everybody."

On encouraging more women athletes to become officials:

"Many coaches have been trying to encourage that. Some women athletes are turning to that, but for the most part a lot don't consider anything besides coaching as a way to stay involved with the sport."

Anne Renninger, girls' basketball coach
Sidwell Friends School
Washington Post

On a high-school girl winning a national slam-dunk competition scheduled in conjunction with this year's McDonald's All-American Game in Oklahoma City:

"It's a consistent measuring stick between boys' and girls' basketball. People have always said that girls are better shooters, but can't dunk. . . . As we start to play the game in the air, there is no reason not get excited about it. Bottom line: It's definitely going to draw more people to the game."

Athletics funding

Terry Wanless, director of athletics
California State University, Sacramento
Los Angeles Times

Discussing threats posed to intercollegiate athletics programs by California's current fiscal problems:

"Those days of schools with 20, 25 sports could be over. As difficult as that may become on every campus, it becomes a reality."