D-I

“The root of education is bitter, but sweet are its fruits,” said Isocrates. While the process of learning can be dull, sometimes boring, and sometimes difficult. What you get out of it, however, is what matters. The knowledge you gain, the experiences you have, that is what’s important.

 

As Seattle U transitions into Division I, it would be wise of all of our athletes and the general student population to keep this saying in mind. We’re still essentially learning to be a D-I school. Just because our basketball games aren’t broadcast nationally and our locker rooms and sports facilities aren’t world-class doesn’t mean that they won’t be in the future, and just because our students don’t get revved up about the games and come out in large numbers to support the sports teams doesn’t mean that nobody cares.

 

Our sports teams are the ones doing the bulk of the learning: learning how to be on the road for most of their games, learning how to play under the pressure of a television broadcast, and, most importantly, learning how to play basketball with the big boys. While most of the student body may see the matchup with University of Washington coming up as a joke, the players in the game need to see it as a chance to prove themselves. Even if they lose, the team can still prove that Seattle U can put up a decent fight against a Pac-10 powerhouse. Our records are close to the same, but the teams we’ve been playing pale in comparison to them

 

Along the road to success there’s bound to be some hard times. While SU sports may struggle in the coming years to find their place in NCAA division 1, they deserve time to learn. And just like the quote says, while the learning period may be bitter, the fruits will be very sweet. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Seattle U in NCAA March Madness in the next 10 years. Those would be fruits worth eating.