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Topic: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Topic: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

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Jeff McKinney
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The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/18/2012 8:44:41 PM

Taken from a Basketball Times article by Tony Jiminez:

One of the top feel-good stories of the season comes from Hagerstown, Md., where Antonio Jenifer, a 6-8 freshman, went from virtually nowhere to somewhere in one year. In high school, Jenifer had an 18 point average and a take notice type game, but he also had academic woes and missed half of his senior season at Potomac High School. His hoops game, it seemed, was history.

That's when he donned an orange apron and began working at Home Depot for $9.30 an hour for 35 to 40 hours per week. It started in Sept 2010 and went on for some 10 months.

"There were days I just didn't want to go to work," Jenifer said. "I felt like I gave up on everything."

Whatever the case, it got old fast. Last fall, he realized he needed to be in school and enrolled at Hagerstown Community College. Although he hadn't planned on playing basketball, he did just that after being urged on by his father, Michael Spuril. And he fared very well at both at the end of the Fall Semester and season, boasting a 2.9 GPA in the classroom and finishing as the team's #2 scorer (16 ppg) and as the MVP of the Region XX tournament in his freshman season.

"It just goes to show what a guy will do when his is motivated," Hagerstown coach Barry Brown said. "He was struggling but he found out his true love of basketball. He got a second chance and really took advantage of it. The good thing is that he is a quality guy on and off the court, which makes it all the more satisfying to see him do what he has done. It's a great juco story."

JSF
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/18/2012 9:50:05 PM

I see you're pre-apologizing for Christian's recruiting.

Also: Boasting a 2.9 GPA?

"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

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cc-cat
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/18/2012 10:13:09 PM

JSF wrote:

I see you're pre-apologizing for Christian's recruiting.

Also: Boasting a 2.9 GPA?

Us 3.0 grads take offense to that. Some people graduate with 3.0s some graduate in 6 years. And some propbably both.

whocaresgobobcats
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/18/2012 10:46:47 PM

JSF wrote:

I see you're pre-apologizing for Christian's recruiting.

Also: Boasting a 2.9 GPA?

Yeah, a tenth of a point below a B average is just terrible. Especially for a kid that really struggled in high school. Who knows his learning situation.

You're so smart with your high GPA and all, man.

JSF
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/19/2012 12:58:31 AM

Lord Wellington Fisherburn wrote:

JSF wrote:

I see you're pre-apologizing for Christian's recruiting.

Also: Boasting a 2.9 GPA?

I like your effort here, but my problem isn't with Antonio, it's with the writer's word choice and the editor allowing it. I would have thought twice about including the GPA in the first place unless Antonio really wanted it included, in which case I would have made it a point to mention that.

Pataskala
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/19/2012 7:18:33 AM

Given his history, he has a right to boast that his GPA is 2.9. He's not trying to be an academic All-American; he's trying to better himself with an education. There's nothing wrong with the kid or the writing

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cc-cat
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/19/2012 7:39:16 AM

I'm sure he is also interested in attracting recruiters - 2.9 is helpful.

Jeff McKinney
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/19/2012 1:03:37 PM

JSF wrote:

I see you're pre-apologizing for Christian's recruiting.

Also: Boasting a 2.9 GPA?

I thought this was an interesting anecdote that helps dispel the common myth that all jucos are outlaw institutions and all the kids who end up there are thugs who care nothing about education.

There is a dark side to some jucos, no doubt. But there are many Antonio Jenifers out there as well. It's not fair to dismiss an entire category of schools and athletes because of the misdeeds of some.

I think your comments about the GPA issue are much ado about nothing. And when a kid barely got through high school, a 2.9 GPA for a year at a community college is something to celebrate.

The Optimist
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/19/2012 1:13:19 PM

If he is trying to go D-1, a 2.9 is worth throwing out there. A B- average is a long way from Omar Leftwich.

I've seen crazier things happen.

whocaresgobobcats
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/19/2012 11:41:49 PM

JSF wrote:

Lord Wellington Fisherburn wrote:

JSF wrote:

I see you're pre-apologizing for Christian's recruiting.

Also: Boasting a 2.9 GPA?

So praising academic improvement is frowned upon now. Gotcha.

JSF
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/20/2012 12:03:44 AM

Lord Wellington Fisherburn wrote:

JSF wrote:

Lord Wellington Fisherburn wrote:

JSF wrote:

I see you're pre-apologizing for Christian's recruiting.

Also: Boasting a 2.9 GPA?

So praising academic improvement is frowned upon now. Gotcha.

Anything less than 100% is a disappointment. And because 100% is the expectation, it doesn't get praised.

Jeff McKinney
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/20/2012 8:56:22 AM

I'm assuming this last post was satirical. I hope.

bobcat695
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/20/2012 9:56:21 AM

I understand that a 2.9 is not academic scholarship territory, but I think he is still within his rights to be proud. During Fall Quarter of my senior year, I was interviewing for jobs. When I was asked about my academic records, I responded they same way every time.

I had a 3.0 overall, but was around 3.4 in my College of Business classes. I explained that I graduated in exactly four years, paid 100% of my college costs on my own, worked 20 hrs/week during school and 40 hrs on breaks, volunteered at Big Brothers/Big Sisters, had a steady girlfriend all four years, played intramurals and had an active social life. I could have easily achieved a 4.0 if that was the only thing I focused on for four years, but I chose to grow in additional areas than just the classroom.

As someone who hires people now, I look for folks that can balance their lives personally and professionally. College athletes may have the benefit of extra academic help and preferred scheduling, but they are the masters of multitasking on campus. For a college athlete to have a 2.9, they have to be able to balance their athletic and academic schedules. Several of our top folks played sports in college. They simply aren't in shock of how hard it is to be successful in the real world.

It's neat to see a story about someone who recognized that they were not on a life path that they wanted to be on and did something about it.

"You can't un-fist a fist pump." - Saul Phillips 1/24/15

cc-cat
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RE: The good side of JUCO basketball: Antonio Jenifer

Posted: 4/20/2012 10:33:11 AM

bobcat695 wrote:

I could have easily achieved a 4.0 if that was the only thing I focused on for four years, but I chose to grow in additional areas than just the classroom.

Agree. In 30 years of hiring folks I always steer towards the well-rounded B/B+ student versus the 4.0 academic star. Why? Because I am hiring an individual, not a student. If they have already been in business I have little interest in their college GPA. And I often interview over lunch to see how they handle themselves in business/social conditions.

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