There is no excuse for that in basketball. You got to learn how to win on one side, you got to learn how to lose on the other side. All these kids all need to realize they are here to get an education. And playing in Europe isn’t really sexy. Eric Hicks just left to go to Israel. You think he wants to do that if he can get a good job over here?
These guys, very few of them are ever going to make a dollar playing basketball. They are here to get an education at two great universities and they need to appreciate that. The world don’t revolve around them, around basketball. They need to learn how to act, they need to have respect for the fact they are on a scholarship, that people come to see them play. That’s just the facts of college athletics.
I understand there is media and people asking for autographs, but it’s a prime example of guys thinking they are too important. And I am talking about everybody involved.
Too much glorification of all of sports in our society. The fact is, guys are here to get an education. They represent institutions of higher learning. Xavier has been a great school for years. We are trying to cure cancer at Cincinnati. I got to school at a place where they discovered the vaccine for polio and created Benadryl. I think that’s more important than who wins a basketball game. And our guys need to have appreciation for the fact they are there on a full scholarship. And they’re there to represent institutions with class and integrity. That’s that.