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  1. #1
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    Feb 2008
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    Silent G working at East Campus store

    Chronicle article on Mike G.

    As he continues to play basketball and train for next season, wherever that might be, Gbinije spends his weekends working at the East Campus Store. With rumors that Gbinije may leave Duke spreading on Twitter shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday, the 6-foot-7 wing player was pulling his usual shift at the store beneath the Marketplace from 4-8 p.m., brushing off discussion of his athletic future.

    “Since the offseason I’ve had a lot of time to reflect with how things were during the regular season,” Gbinije said in an interview Wednesday. “So I figured why not just get a job, get some pocket money.”
    Interesting.

  2. #2
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    That is, indeed, interesting. It sort of runs counter to the idea that he'd be looking to transfer. Would be great if one of the insiders would chime in.

    Of course, it could be that he's just looking to make some money ahead of an eventual transfer. Who knows?

  3. #3
    Don't tell Jay Bilas, it will ruin that myth that student-athletes aren't allowed to make money.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wander View Post
    Don't tell Jay Bilas, it will ruin that myth that student-athletes aren't allowed to make money.
    Good point. I was under the impression that scholy athletes couldn't even work on campus. Guess I'm wrong...
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

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  5. #5
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    Now saddled with a less demanding offseason schedule, he gets back a few hours earlier but keeps the time-management skills he honed during more hectic times.

    “We’re on such a busy schedule during the season, it’s really helped me to fit my job into my schedule and learn how to plan around things,” he said. “It’s taught me a lot.”
    Time management is often a huge adjustment for freshmen in general at an academically demanding school like Duke, and particularly for athletes or others with major extra-curricular demands.

    Yet, if I recall, Gbinije was on the honor roll and now seems able to work in a part-time job.
    That suggests to me that's he's made a good overall adjustment to college life, though it doesn't really speak to his thoughts on his basketball future.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by roywhite View Post
    Time management is often a huge adjustment for freshmen in general at an academically demanding school like Duke, and particularly for athletes or others with major extra-curricular demands.

    Yet, if I recall, Gbinije was on the honor role and now seems able to work in a part-time job.
    That suggests to me that's he's made a good overall adjustment to college life, though it doesn't really speak to his thoughts on his basketball future.
    Yeah, it seems pretty clear that Gbinije has been able to handle the rigors of Duke life. It's just a question of whether or not sees himself as being happy with his role (or his time at Duke) moving forward. It's not clear from the article whether or not this is the case (and I don't think that was the intent of the article, anyway).

  7. #7
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    This was a bittersweet article, especially now that Gbinije has made clear that he is leaving. The last part:

    “Now I get the chance to meet my freshman class for once,” Gbinije said. “It is kind of weird that [freshman year] is almost over, but it’s better to meet them now than never.”

    It's a reminder of what a bubble athletes live in, even at a school where they are fully expected to be students.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by MCFinARL View Post
    This was a bittersweet article, especially now that Gbinije has made clear that he is leaving. The last part:

    “Now I get the chance to meet my freshman class for once,” Gbinije said. “It is kind of weird that [freshman year] is almost over, but it’s better to meet them now than never.”

    It's a reminder of what a bubble athletes live in, even at a school where they are fully expected to be students.
    And it only gets worse after freshman year, because after that most of the bball players end up living off campus.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by MCFinARL View Post
    This was a bittersweet article, especially now that Gbinije has made clear that he is leaving. The last part:

    “Now I get the chance to meet my freshman class for once,” Gbinije said. “It is kind of weird that [freshman year] is almost over, but it’s better to meet them now than never.”

    It's a reminder of what a bubble athletes live in, even at a school where they are fully expected to be students.
    I always thought that bubble was what you make of it. Duke doesn't separate athletes to other dorms (in fact, larger teams end up getting split among a few dorms, lacrosse and football notably), and they have the freedom to eat the same campus food the other students eat. Maybe it's a little different with basketball than with other sports, since the basketball players have much more 'celebrity' status, but its not like they can't interact. Kyle Singler stood near me in the class photo they take during orientation week, when the students form the number of their graduation year. Not saying that Gbinije didn't make the effort, but it's not a great excuse.

    Best of luck to the guy wherever he goes. I thought he'd be a good player for us down the road.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    And it only gets worse after freshman year, because after that most of the bball players end up living off campus.
    I believe that they have to live on campus for the first three years, like the rest of the student body, but that they also get preferential placement in the lottery to select their rooms.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lunchab1es View Post
    I believe that they have to live on campus for the first three years, like the rest of the student body, but that they also get preferential placement in the lottery to select their rooms.
    They "have" to live on campus for three years, but nolan, for instance, lived in his off campus apartment at least as early as junior year (and possibly sophomore year as well). It was discussed in the SI article.
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dev11 View Post
    I always thought that bubble was what you make of it. Duke doesn't separate athletes to other dorms (in fact, larger teams end up getting split among a few dorms, lacrosse and football notably), and they have the freedom to eat the same campus food the other students eat. Maybe it's a little different with basketball than with other sports, since the basketball players have much more 'celebrity' status, but its not like they can't interact. Kyle Singler stood near me in the class photo they take during orientation week, when the students form the number of their graduation year. Not saying that Gbinije didn't make the effort, but it's not a great excuse.

    Best of luck to the guy wherever he goes. I thought he'd be a good player for us down the road.
    This doesn't seem quite fair to Gbinije. I don't think he was offering it as an "excuse," nor did I think he did anything for which I needed to offer an "excuse"--I just thought it was a bit poignant.

    I didn't mean to suggest that it's impossible for athletes to get to know other students; of course they can. I just think it's a little harder, and maybe especially for basketball players, because as you point out they are "celebrities"--not to say that they get special treatment, but it's got to be hard for them to be anonymous and get to know other students the way most people would--for example, you knew who Kyle Singler was when he stood near you in the class photo (the height would have been a tipoff even if you hadn't ever seen a photograph of him). Did you know who other people you hadn't met were?

    And for a freshman who is keeping up a grueling schedule in a sport that spans both semesters, staying on top of his academics (which even for a good student can be a big adjustment from high school), and spending most of his time (and probably eating most of his meals) on West Campus, instead of on East where more freshman are eating and hanging out in their free time, it could prove hard to really get to know other freshmen.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lunchab1es View Post
    I believe that they have to live on campus for the first three years, like the rest of the student body, but that they also get preferential placement in the lottery to select their rooms.
    When I was at Duke, you could live off campus any year after your freshman year, but in doing so you waived your right to guaranteed on-campus housing thereafter. So in practice most kids lived on campus for 3 years and then moved off campus as seniors. But many of the athletes lived off campus by their junior year, if not sooner. If it was a rule, it was a very loosely enforced rule.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    When I was at Duke, you could live off campus any year after your freshman year, but in doing so you waived your right to guaranteed on-campus housing thereafter. So in practice most kids lived on campus for 3 years and then moved off campus as seniors. But many of the athletes lived off campus by their junior year, if not sooner. If it was a rule, it was a very loosely enforced rule.
    The housing contract is now 3 years. So you pay for a room on campus regardless of whether you live there or not.
    1200. DDMF.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by MCFinARL View Post
    This was a bittersweet article, especially now that Gbinije has made clear that he is leaving.
    This makes me sad. It sounds kind of lonely. Poor kid, I wish him well...and that he wasn't leaving.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by uh_no View Post
    The housing contract is now 3 years. So you pay for a room on campus regardless of whether you live there or not.
    Yes, although there are some exceptions, or at least there were when my kids were at Duke (classes of 2004 and 2008). Both began living off campus the spring of their junior year, after returning from off-campus fall semester programs. Both had to apply for permission to live off-campus, but IIRC that was granted routinely to students returning from abroad and other off-campus programs as long as the university anticipated being able to fill the dorms. We did not have to pay room charges that semester, though an off-campus meal contract was still required, I believe.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by MCFinARL View Post
    Yes, although there are some exceptions, or at least there were when my kids were at Duke (classes of 2004 and 2008). Both began living off campus the spring of their junior year, after returning from off-campus fall semester programs. Both had to apply for permission to live off-campus, but IIRC that was granted routinely to students returning from abroad and other off-campus programs as long as the university anticipated being able to fill the dorms. We did not have to pay room charges that semester, though an off-campus meal contract was still required, I believe.
    A lot of the Class of 2004 were released from their housing contracts when they came back from abroad due to not having enough beds on campus to accommodate them all. This even happened to rising juniors my year because of the closing of Trent and the moving of all sophomores to West Campus. Those students had to pay an off-campus meal contract, like you said, but were not forced to pay the room charge for the semester/year.
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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by blazindw View Post
    A lot of the Class of 2004 were released from their housing contracts when they came back from abroad due to not having enough beds on campus to accommodate them all. This even happened to rising juniors my year because of the closing of Trent and the moving of all sophomores to West Campus. Those students had to pay an off-campus meal contract, like you said, but were not forced to pay the room charge for the semester/year.
    Note that, for athletes, the meal contract is irrelevant (as is the cost of housing). Both are covered by the athletic scholarship (at least in the case of football and basketball - this may not apply quite as globally across all sports).

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lunchab1es View Post
    I believe that they have to live on campus for the first three years, like the rest of the student body, but that they also get preferential placement in the lottery to select their rooms.
    Not sure how campus is these days, but if they've got an apartment on Central you can isolate yourself very well -- whether intended or not.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Note that, for athletes, the meal contract is irrelevant (as is the cost of housing). Both are covered by the athletic scholarship (at least in the case of football and basketball - this may not apply quite as globally across all sports).
    True--but presumably the scholarship won't pay for both on-campus and off-campus housing, so if athletes are living in off-campus (not Central Campus) apartments sophomore or junior year, their housing money is probably being applied to that, rather than to a dorm room they are not using. So, again, they would have had to get permission to live off-campus.

    As for other sports, my daughter's friends included a volleyball player and a women's lacrosse player, neither of whom received any credit toward housing. However, while both were recruited athletes, neither needed financial assistance, so I'm not sure either received one of the limited scholarships available for these sports.

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