UH football team makes the grade The women's basketball team is at the head of the class among student-athletes
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinIf you see University of Hawaii assistant football coach Guy Benjamin kicking back in his office this week, let him enjoy the moment. Two years ago, he inherited an academic disaster waiting to happen. Even a crash course in the spring couldn't save six players from suspension and another 11 from probation at the start of the 1996 season.
But oh how the times have changed.
Three players finished with a perfect 4.0 grade point average - Chris Shinnick, Rufus Ayeni and Johnny Macon - and 34 had a 3.0 or higher this past semester. The team GPA was 2.53 - up a half-point from two years ago.
"They did a nice job, didn't they?" said Benjamin, who oversees academics for the football program. "Especially given all the time commitments of practice and travel. The coaches did a real good job.
"Each position coach is responsible for his guy. It goes back to the fact that football has no more weight than academics. We wanted it to be balanced. Being late to a team meeting and missing a class are treated the same."
The women's basketball team had the highest cumulative GPA with a 3.28. Men's golf was the lowest of 18 sports with a 2.0. The women's volleyball team finished just ahead of the football team at 2.56. Members of those two sports missed the most class time due to travel.
"We also had some guys who left who dragged our overall GPA down quite a bit," Benjamin said. "But the overall improvement is more a tribute to the character of the players. We didn't lose any of our returning players this semester (to academic suspensions)."
Hawaii actually lost a fifth-year senior. But one out of 105 isn't bad.
"We're the only sport that has more than 25 people and I think that's significant," coach Fred vonAppen said. "And that's not to take away from anyone else's accomplishments.
"I cheer the women's basketball team for their academic efforts. But from our standpoint, a 2.53 is academically sound. Our freshmen and sophomores did particularly well, so we're very pleased."
Rainbows' GPA by sport
Women's basketball 3.28
Sailing 3.04
Men's volleyball 2.97
Women's tennis 2.97
Women's softball 2.95
Men's tennis 2.94
Women's water polo 2.89
Women's swim/diving 2.89
Women's golf 2.85
Women's cross country 2.77
Women's soccer 2.74
Cheerleading 2.68
Baseball 2.57
Men's swim/diving 2.56
Women's volleyball 2.56
Football 2.53
Men's basketball 2.29
Men's golf 2.00
