By
Connor Doyle
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA senior forward Gene Edgerson made news last week when he was told to stay in Tucson while the team traveled to Washington for the first Pacific 10 Conference road series of the season. Many were shocked that Gene, the rock of this Arizona team, was being criticized for putting his personal interests ahead of those of the team.
It seems, from the statement he released Tuesday, that Edgerson has realized the manner in which he can best help this team in the remainder of the season.
Why did this happen in the first place?
Edgerson, a fifth year senior, was the model of maturity on this team. Last year, he took a redshirt season to complete his degree and was unilaterally praised for having his priorities in order. Gene has been the emotional leader of a team that has lacked fire and toughness at times this season. Colorful both on and off the court, the senior always seemed happy with his role as the spark off the bench.
He didn't have to be so happy, either. Edgerson is hardly a scrub bench player - let's not forget that this guy was one of the top 50 high school players in the country when he first came to Arizona.
Over the course of his collegiate career, Edgerson has continually been asked to be a role player when he could have been a star. It's a surprise that it took him this long to crack.
If the UA basketball team had won more games this season, I'm sure Gene would have never made it an issue. I wouldn't be writing this column right now.
But that's not the case. We saw this past week that Edgerson still has some growing up to do. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a relief to see that, in the current state of major collegiate athletics, where major athletic departments act as a sort of minor leagues for professional teams, we can still utilize sports in schools as they were supposed to be.
One of these days, Gene is going to be teaching our children about humility, teamwork and patience. And instead of reciting retread platitudes about virtue, he'll be able to recount the past week's events as a way of both providing examples and showing pride in his athletic career.
Edgerson, in his own way, has helped define the term "student-athlete," which has been slowly falling out of favor in society. We, as sports fans, have become jaded. Seemingly every week, a new scandal emerges or a different team goes on NCAA probation.
While we assume that the high-profile athletes on campus get an easy ride, most of us don't even consider the runners, swimmers and tennis players that, frankly, would be lucky to make a living playing their sport. Most of these men and women don't even have a professional circuit to consider after their eligibility ends. They run track because it teaches them discipline, swim because it pushes them to strive for excellence or play tennis because it allows them to release the tension they build up from their classes.
In every case, these sports are a supplement to their education. Clearly, this is the case for Gene Edgerson as well. He clearly doesn't plan on playing professional basketball in America for any extended period of time. His purpose for being on the team is to make him a better Kindergarten teacher.
You can teach my kids any day, Gene.
Connor Doyle is a senior majoring in communications and can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.
