Coach Tommy Amaker Provides Outstanding Opportunity For Student Athletes
March 7, 2008
Black Coaches and Administrators (BCA) President, Paul Hewitt (Georgia Tech) and Floyd Keith, BCA ED, wish to express their support for the outstanding recruiting efforts by Harvard University Men's Basketball Coach Tommy Amaker. His 2008 recruiting class is believed by many to be one of the best in the Ivy League. Coach Amaker and his staff should be commended for providing these outstanding student-athletes with the opportunity to gain a Harvard education.
We are certain that Coach Amaker worked within the admissions guidelines at Harvard, before deciding whom to recruit. Like all Harvard applicants for admission, each potential member of the Harvard 2008 freshman class is awaiting confirmation of admission. Both Hewitt and Keith are disappointed in the recent New York Times article, "In a New Era at Harvard, New Questions of Standards" (March 2, 2008), which calls in to question the admissibility of these outstanding students. Furthermore, we are very disappointed in the reckless manner the writer insinuates that Coach Amaker has engaged in unethical and illegal NCAA activity.
We sincerely hope that none of the young men in Coach Amaker's 2008 recruiting class has their admission status negatively impacted by that article, therefore killing their dream for a Harvard education. Again, we would like commend Coach Amaker, while working within the Harvard admissions guidelines, for presenting such a diverse group for potential admission to such a prestigious university.
The Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA) is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to foster the growth and development of ethnic minorities at all levels of sports both nationally and internationally. The BCA is committed to creating a positive enlightened environment where issues can be examined closely, debated sincerely and resolved honestly. The focus of the BCA involves the concerns of its colleagues in professional sports, NCAA (Division I, II, and III), NAIA (Division I and II), junior college and high school levels.
On May 31, 2007, BCA Board of Directors unveiled the new name of the organization during the 2007 BCA National Convention and Expo. The name change was made to clarify the expanding membership population of administrators and coaches within the BCA. Subsequently, BCA is now Black Coaches & Administrators.