By April 2, as per usual the day after Ivy Day, the announcements come from students who line up at the principal’s office to announce their college attendance decisions, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Traditionally, a spot in the Ivy Day morning announcement is reserved for the students planning to attend more selective colleges than LSU. A handful are lined up.
“I am Tyler, I’m going to attend Lehigh this fall” Tyler then hands off to Myriam.
“Although I was deferred by Brown in early decision, I still managed to get in, and attend, from regular decision!” Myriam announces her decision.
Oh boy, I’m so going to see the breakups coming! For Natalie, because she got in under early decision, it’s a question of when, not if, they are going to break up, since there was no way Dayton was going to attend Tulane, but that has yet to occur, Pablo is left wondering about the implications for these students’ love lives. Especially when Valter is up next.
“I’m going to attend Wofford College next fall” Valter announces to his classmates.
“And, of course, I’m going to Johns Hopkins this fall!” Scott adds to this chorus.
Boys performed surprisingly well this year in the college admissions process. Scott was also the manager of the boys’ soccer team, as well as a tutor for it. For that I am grateful for him, the principal muses, while these students return to their classes. Which leaves Ethan, the penultimate student to have come to the principal’s office.
“I’m going to attend Muhlenberg this fall!” Ethan announces.
“Last but not least, even though my debate career ended in a whimper, I’m going to attend Trinity College!” the POI player announces.
As competitive as VA is, at least the student body here isn’t “Ivy-or-bust”, unlike some of our opponents’ schools, the POI player muses upon returning to class. So many of our brightest just want to get out of this place, and to them, college is just a means to an end.
After the first period ends, it becomes painfully clear what is happening to those couples. Starting with Myriam and Valter, who couldn’t tell over PA that they were breaking up, and hence not making it known to the student body at large.
“I guess, there is no use delaying the inevitable. It’s over…” Myriam tells Valter, while he is crying.
“You helped get me over this loss against Westlake, but since we’re going to college so far away from each other… it was due to happen some day, and it had to fall on Ivy Day!” Valter keeps crying.
“You shouldn’t sacrifice your future just to stay in a relationship!” Natalie tells the couple, within Pablo’s earshot.
That’s true! I shouldn’t sacrifice my future to stay with Audrey! Pablo overhears the three talking about the implications of their college attendance on their romantic future. Myriam is making it sound like it’s going to be more painful for high achievers, like us, and I was warned about it by Audrey’s dad.
“Nadine, I know it’s painful to you, but because I am graduating and you’re not, it’s over between us!” Ethan tells off Nadine.
“Damn it! That’s true! I’ve always been far more bookish than you were! After all, I’m one of the stars of the quiz bowl team!”
And Audrey comes to him shortly after hearing about Nadine breaking up.
“I think we need to talk. I wonder if you got any more offers from colleges after this strong run in the state tournament. Ideally, like, Cornell, or maybe one of the following: Duke, Vanderbilt, Northwestern or Rice” Pablo asks his girlfriend.
“Why, honey? I know you believe in me on the court, but this seems pretty specific”
“These are four of the five most stringent academically on football players outside of the Ivy League. You already have an offer from Tulane, the fifth one”
Audrey reviews her list of offers as she kept sending updated highlight reels to colleges like Georgetown, W&M, Villanova, Richmond, and, of course, the other four colleges Pablo mentioned to her along with the rest of the Ivy League. And Berkeley, too, because of Heather.
“There’s nothing wrong with playing FCS football, especially since you always acted as if you wouldn’t make the NFL”
“Yes, my first Division I offer was from Cornell. Yes, I know about the Ivy League being a FCS conference”
“I admit, how we went around choosing to whom to send highlight reels is a little unorthodox since we clearly prioritized academics over athletics”
“Talk about prioritizing academics over athletic fit. Our football opponents were always told to prioritize where they would have the best chance to produce on the field when choosing where to go to college, with no regard for academics” Pablo starts reminiscing about what his teammates told him about his opponents.
Like there is this cornerback from Church Point who got offers from G6 schools, like Ohio University, but settled on McNeese in FCS, or that offensive tackle from South Beauregard who could have gone to North Texas, but instead picked New Orleans… and that’s only the Division I guys I know about. Here it seems like they don’t always play for the best football school, much less academic, Pablo is deep in his memories of his opponents’ college recruiting.
“In basketball, AAU is the main path to get exposure, but you also have the outrounds of the state tournament. As far as I heard Malcolm talk about it, you have camps for football”
“I know who attends those camps you’re talking about. They are the best players I’ve ever played against. Presumably Malcolm might plan on attending one; however, me being next to them, I feel like my future in college football is as a GPA pad”
“GPA pads? I apologize if I don’t know what that is, is that a concept specific to football?”
“Let me put it this way: if you thought you were an academic outlier in the world of Division I basketball recruiting, I may as well be one in D-one football, even FCS, even though my academic records are about halfway between Heather’s and yours! On average, the Division I-bound guys tend to have between two point six to three point twenty-five, and on academic schedules that aren’t nearly as brutal as ours! And while these guys are at risk of failing out of college, I would then be there to keep the team afloat in class!”
“You don’t see that much in basketball. It’s mostly because of roster sizes though. But why is it that you didn’t attend college camps yourself?”
“It’s because I feel like they cater to certain molds of players that I don’t fit! These camps promote a toxic vision of college football I want nothing to do with! If this means I could be under-recruited, so be it!”
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“You do realize that, at Cornell, a lot of people around you went to high school in environments that were Ivies or bust, whose competitiveness is far worse than VA’s. Yet, you have enough talent for college camps to be worthwhile; you did make the all-district team, and got an offer from Cornell, but kept quiet about the former!” Audrey retorts.
But then, during lunch break, the main attraction in the auditorium is Heather, with the media outlets of both Lake Charles and Lafayette being present, along with the parish radio and newspaper. Heather has several caps arrayed on a table, including Berkeley, Columbia and… Rhode Island?
And both basketball teams are present in the auditorium as well. In fact, nearly every athlete at VA, irrespective of sport or gender, is assembled in the auditorium, along with some of their friends.
“Heather, what’s the meaning of this? Why did you keep quiet about Rhode Island? I assume you got this offer just a few days after you got one from Berkeley…” Kent asks her player as the camera approaches.
“I feel… ashamed about Rhode Island!”
“I apologize for having doubted your ability to play college basketball. And same goes for Audrey, too!”
“Better late than never!” Audrey sighs.
I didn’t endure four years of such brutal academics just to attend some college that I could have gotten into without basketball nor these gobs of APs! Heather ruminates while she can’t sign the actual National Letter of Intent (NLI) just yet; she must wait two more weeks to do so. I really hope that some in-state juco could have pity on Carrie. She’s a fantastic passer and dribbler… without her, VA wouldn’t have won a state title!
“Before this ceremony begins, I have an announcement to make. After this school year ends, I will leave the school and take on an assistant coaching role at McNeese State!” Kent announces to the crowd assembled. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach basketball at the next level, and winning State, along with getting Heather to where she is today, are my greatest prides in my short two years as VA’s girls’ basketball coach! And one last thing: I nominated all three of Heather, Audrey and Cora for the Academic All-American awards! Especially with Heather making the first All-State three-A team!”
Again, it seems like the administration has deliberately kept quiet about VAs making All-District or All-State teams! Audrey and Cora both made All-District this year, and I’m on the All-State first team for 3A, while these two are on the second All-State 3A team, there’s no telling for football! Heather ruminates as Kent vacates the stage, leaving her front and center, wearing the purple and green jersey on air.
“Although it seems like I was more heavily followed by basketball fans from outside the Jefferson Davis parish than from the parish, and I wasn’t the most heavily recruited player in the state either, here we are today. As the sole Venomous Agenda student-athlete to sign on with a college this year, and the first one post-pandemic, I’m sorry, Rams fans in Rhode Island, but the team’s dire academic situation would add unnecessary off-court pressure that would prevent me from producing on the court!” She then puts the URI cap under the table.
Really? I didn’t know Rhode Island’s girls’ basketball team was in academic trouble! She’s making it sound like URI admitted players that had no business studying in college! URI is a mid-major operating in an area where college sports just aren’t in the spotlight, and flies under the radar of so many, Kent ruminates while he tries to make sense of what Heather said about URI.
“As for Columbia, as much as the possibility of getting meaningful playing time for all four years, and get an Ivy League education, could be tantalizing, the level of competition is a little low. Berkeley promises me the same academic rigor, playing time, and at a higher level of competition to boot! And, for the majors I am interested in, I would get to the same academic result at graduation!” Heather then puts on the Cal cap on her head, under the applause of the attendees, while putting the Columbia cap under the table as well.
But the non-seniors on the girls’ team come together after the parish has filmed Heather’s hat ceremony, along with their soon-to-be ex-coach.
“You all played the best basketball of your lives. However, with Heather and Carrie gone, there are several question marks”
“I think I can play as a big if that’s necessary to help the team, given next season’s roster” Audrey comments on what next season will hold for them. “In that case, Cora would move to power forward; she can play on either wing”
“And then one might be wondering whether one between Vanessa and Tamara is either significantly better than the other at passing and dribbling, or at pressuring and/or protecting the rim…” a second-string small forward comments about what to do with both shooting guards for next season, believing that either one could play either point guard or small forward depending on how their skill sets differ.
“Oh for sure colleges love players who can play more than one position well, but if what Heather said is correct, sometimes grades can make a difference in the colleges you can play for” Kent explains to his players.
Meanwhile, Malcolm and Pablo start planning for their summer camps, while Pablo receives an email from Northwestern, asking for his questionnaire. Damn… Northwestern must be burning through TEs like crazy, in that the prospects they find just don’t have the grades, or commit elsewhere, a stream of thoughts cross Pablo’s mind as he fills out NWU’s questionnaire. And also fills out the ones for Duke, Vanderbilt, believing that, if NWU was interested in him, perhaps Duke and Vanderbilt would be worth trying. Stanford, on the other hand, he knows is no use.
“I think we’re both due to go to a college camp or two this summer. You didn’t do so last summer, and yet we’re VA’s best football players that will return next season” Malcolm pleads with Pablo.
“Malcolm, I wonder if you have the grades to play for Tulane. If you do, Tulane’s camp is worth attending for you. For both of us, it might be our only shot at even G-six FBS, so, if you have the grades for Tulane, please send your questionnaires and highlight reels at all five of the following: Tulane, Rice, Northwestern, Duke and Vanderbilt”
“At a camp, coaches in attendance tend to come from either the same conference or the same geographic area. If we were to attend Tulane’s camp, we’ll get looks from either AAC coaches or the rest of the state’s FBS coaches” Malcolm explains to him. “If we wanted to play for Vanderbilt, we should then attend LSU’s camp, too”
“There are times when I realize that high achievers just have it rougher in the arena of love. After all, when you have someone like Myriam break up with Valter, it makes me feel like the only way I could remain with Audrey in college would be to play for the same college as she does, and probably the same would hold of you vis-à-vis Cora”
My own basketball teammates tended to date girls in their academic range, like, the next-smartest on the team doesn’t aspire to more than just attending LSU, Malcolm ruminates, realizing that high achievers have it rough come Ivy Day.
At the same time, Kent takes Carrie to his office, realizing quickly that… Heather is right. He shows her a news release from URI.
“Heather is right. URI has taken drastic action: their women’s basketball head coach has been fired, because half the team has been failing. And they even expelled the failing players!” Kent tells her, while no decision has been made to replace the Rams’ head coach yet. “You know what this means? We must send a highlight reel, your questionnaire and your transcript to Rhode Island immediately!”
“And their commits then? How do I stack up to their commits?” Carrie asks, while filling out the URI questionnaire.
“They all de-committed, except one for whom URI was her sole offer” Kent answers her while he compiles Carrie’s highlight reel.
Rhode Island won’t be getting much help from the transfer portal this year, especially not when the university made it clear that it won’t provide any safety net to their players, Kent then proceeds to compare Carrie’s play to other players URI fielded offers to.
“You may consider Rhode Island the same as LSU as far as getting in is concerned. This means that you’re a little weak, and also that you must cross your fingers that your basketball skills will be enough to compensate for your low-ish grades” Kent reviews Carrie’s transcript, so while she has shown improvement late in junior year as well as senior year, 3.0/23 makes URI dicey at best. “I hope you’re comfortable being the weakest academically on the Rams!”
“I was already pretty weak academically compared to the rest of the team here, I sure as hell wouldn’t be the team’s resident brainiac in college!” Carrie starts feeling inferior. “And Rhode Island is up north, it’s going to be cold!”
“Carrie, the only reason I am going through all this trouble to get these materials to Rhode Island is because of how important you have been to VA’s successes on the court!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, this state title is a team-wide effort. Passing, dribbling are my big two contributions! I can shoot some, but defensively, I’m better on the zone and the perimeter” Carrie describes how she plays.
“I’ll even coach you on the ACT personally! The booster club will pay for you to retake it on standby, and we’ll register for it right away!” Kent then opens the page for the ACT.
“Why should I retake the ACT?” Carrie’s face shows signs of annoyance.
“I believe Rhode Island will be a little iffy to let you play with a twenty-three, and you have learned something since the state-sponsored date last year!”