Coach Gary Edwards Column 12/9/17

The Francis Marion University men’s basketball team enters the exam break with a 5-0 (6-0 if you count our exhibition win at UT-Chattanooga) overall record. We don’t play any games and practice very little while the players take their first semester exams.
 
There won’t be a second semester for players who don’t meet minimum NCAA academic standards. Basically, they have to pass nine credits in the fall to remain eligible in the spring.
 
That’s why I smiled when I saw the advertisement for Florence-Darlington Technical College’s Holiday Term. They are offering six transferable classes beginning on December 14 and ending on December 31.
 
These mini-term classes have always been extremely popular with college coaches and the student-athletes who may need a credit or two to remain eligible for competition. I know I have always kept a file of these offerings just in case.
 
Here is a post card from Northwest Missouri State. Adams State in Colorado has always had a nice variety of classes. And now I can add Florence-Darlington Tech to my list.
 
Having coached for a long time I of course have a wonderful mini-term story. It involves my point guard, Doren Chapman, when I was the head coach at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton) in Wilson, North Carolina.
 
Doren was from inner-city Baltimore and to this day one of the greatest players I ever coached. He could have played at any school in the country but needed an NAIA institution because of his grades.
 
After the fall semester of 1986, Doren was one credit short of being eligible for the spring. We needed to find a one credit mini-term course and we needed to find it fast.
 
Remember, this was before on-line classes so finding something that worked was a huge challenge. But after many hours of research my assistant coach called to say he found it!
 
Appalachian State was offering a one credit ski class in Boone the week after Christmas. A ski class?  Doren had seen snow up in Baltimore but he didn’t know a ski from a fishing pole.
 
But we bought him some gloves and one of those knit hats with the ear flaps and off he went to Boone. And he stayed for a week and he must have done OK because he received an A in the class and did not break any bones.