Excuse me, sir, where are the smart athletes?

After three days of nursing a 3-year-old with pink eye, my first

assignment back was a wild goose chase. In the middle of Big West

basketball tournament mayhem, in beautiful downtown Anaheim, I had to

find a breakfast banquet honoring smart athletes.

My only clue was: It is at the official host hotel of the

tournament.

The tournament was being played at the Anaheim Convention Center

Arena and is sponsored by the House of Blues, Washington Mutual and

ESPN Zone restaurant, but no mention of a hotel. I visited the

convention center, where “every Big West event was being held,” I was

told by a receptionist.

No one had ever heard of a scholar athlete banquet. After I had

been propositioned by a Cal State Fullerton player, his coach asked

if he could help me. He had no idea there even was a scholar athlete

banquet. Apparently, nobody on his team was nominated.

Jimmy, a very helpful guide at the convention center, said he

doubted such a banquet even existed.

“I just watched a team change, down to their underpants, in the

lobby of a major convention center,” Jimmy said. “I don’t think

there’s a scholar among them. These guys were raised in a barn.”

Needless to say, no one at the convention center could help me

find my assignment. Twenty phone calls later, I connected with

Julienne at the Tourist Information Center, who finally told me the

preferred accommodation of the Big West tournament was the Coast

Anaheim Hotel.

Uh huh. That was my next guess.

Needless to say, I arrived an hour and 15 minutes late and, in

true bumbling form, I entered through the wrong banquet room door --

which happened to be right next to the podium -- just as somebody was

accepting an award.

I swung the door open and nearly ran into a recipient who was

giving a touching hug to a longtime supporter.

Although I had missed most of the schmoozing, all of the breakfast

and a good portion of the awards, I arrived just in time to hear a

poignant message from emcee Ed Arnold.

Arnold took aim at media outlets, especially newspapers, that

chose to ignore the extraordinary success of athletes who juggle 20

hours of practice, countless hours of travel, a full academic course

load and some sort of social life, while maintaining above average

grades.

Instead, many reporters only choose to highlight the negative

perception of the student athlete. The cheating, point-shaving,

handicapped-parking, gift-accepting, class-ditching, date-raping

athletes get the front page, while the majority of collegiate

athletes take a back seat.

“Newspapers dwell on the negative aspects of sports far too much,”

Arnold said. “If they were really doing their jobs, they would be

here doing a feature story on each and every one of these kids.”

While I wasn’t sent out to interview the exceptional athletes from

other Big West schools -- Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State

Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara,

University of Idaho, University of the Pacific and Utah State -- I

did get a chance to meet UCI honorees Wendy Gabbe and Mike Lavery.

I thought back to Jimmy at the Anaheim Convention Center and his

attitude about the basketball players he had the displeasure of

meeting that morning. I wished he could have been there with me to

meet the UCI seniors, who were among 20 students honored Thursday

morning at the 2001-02 Big West Scholar Athlete Banquet.

And while there are not individual features on each, I feel I

wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t at least tell you a little about

the two extremely cordial, articulate, witty and lively Irvine

athletes being awarded for their stellar academic success in light of

long hours spent on the practice field, on the road and in the weight

room.

There is no “I” in “team,” but there certainly is in “time

management.”

Gabbe, a basketball player, and Lavery, a golfer, said the

organization of one’s free moments was the key factor in their

success. I asked each athlete what presented the biggest challenge in

keeping up good grades and staying competitive in their sport.

Without hesitation, both answered: time management.

“One day, during my first year, when I was late to yet another

practice, my coach gave me an organizer,” said Lavery, who is a

psychology and social behavior major. “It has really helped.”

English major Gabbe said she has also learned to sort out her

hectic collegiate schedule, including extensive reading assignments.

“I guess that is what I ask for as an English major, though,” she

said.

There you have it. On the front page of the newspaper. Some

positive news about student athletes. And smart ones, at that.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at [email protected].