Even if you aren’t a basketball fan, you are probably aware of the playoffs called March Madness every spring. We’re down to the “Final Four” this weekend and it can’t end too soon for this football fan!
However, this year, Utah was well-represented at the start of this collegiate sport insanity with the Utes of the University of Utah and the Cougars of Brigham Young University in the mix. The Utes got knocked off early on, but the BYU Cougars made it to the “Sweet Sixteen” (a total of 64 teams start out) and hoped to make it to the “Elite Eight” grouping. Unfortunately for BYU, Florida had other ideas and ended their run in overtime (apparently a replay of last year against BYU).
Why am I mentioning this? Why might you be remotely interested? Well, BYU made the sport’s headlines this past basketball season from two different directions: the administration invoked the Honor Code against one outstanding player and another player was just voted best college player in the US for 2011.
First, the player who became a bench jockey. Brandon Davies apparently broke the Honor Code all students, employees, staff, faculty–everone–at BYU signs off on. If you work at or attend BYU–999 people out of 1000 are Mormon there–this well-known Honor Code which pretty much governs all aspects of life. Here it is in a nutshell, straight from the BYU website:
- Be honest
Live a chaste and virtuous life
Obey the law and all campus policies
Use clean language
Respect others
Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, and substance abuse
Participate regularly in church services
Observe the Dress and Grooming Standards*
Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code
*Really strict: Men–no beards or long sideburns, hair not longer than the collar, no tight shirts, NO tattoos; Women–modest dresses (no skirt slits above knees), NO tattoos, only one ear piercing each ear, no skimpy tops, etc…. Shoes at all times for men and women.
It seems Mr Davies got his girlfriend pregnant (both may be made to leave the university) and he, BYU’s star forward on the basketball team, was benched, just at the start of the playoffs! He broke the Honor Code and the administration stuck to it. Whether, in 2011, you agree with the code or not, at least BYU followed their own guidelines. If you are a student there, you know the rules. Break them at your peril.
On the other hand, what are the odds that the best collegiate hoops player in the US would be a not-really-tall, white, Mormon guy from BYU? Jimmer Fredette is his name he is graduating this year, so it will be interesting to see if some team in the NBA picks him up. He holds all sorts of school and collegiate records and is deadly accurate in long-range shots (the ones worth 3 points) and demonstrated his prowess in the March Madness games BYU played in. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated two weeks running while BYU was still in the hunt. (He even has his own Wikipedia page, for crying out loud!)
Jimmer Fredette of BYU
The irony of all this is the venue for determining who would advance into the “Elite Eight” was in New Orleans, LA. A lot of BYU fans from all over the country descended on the Big Easy for the game and to support Jimmer and the rest of the team. The Utah sports’ broadcasters (probably LDS themselves) wondered aloud just how do BYU fans in New Orleans celebrate, especially if the Cougers beat Florida. Mormons don’t drink, they mused, so do they party down with fruit and water? The riffs were pretty amusing, but BYU spared everyone from finding out when they lost in overtime.
Meanwhile, the faithful back in Provo (where BYU is located) met their heros at the regional airport and cheered Jimmer and the boys almost as if they had won. One forgiving sign, held aloft by an adoring female fan of Jimmer’s, summed it all up and put things in prespective: “At least you’re still Mormon!”