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From the Court to the Classroom, Teamwork Counts
Teamwork is the common denominator in the Business School/ Basketball equation for Yair Harari, a junior Business Honors and Finance major from Houston. "This is more obvious on the basketball court than in group work at school," he says. "But the same concept applies: understanding the roles of everyone on the team and how they come together to produce a result that is greater than the sum of its parts."
Harari is one of three Business School students balancing a spot on the UT Basketball team with their studies this year. The others are Chris McColpin, a third-year PPA from Carrollton, and William Wyatt, a freshman from Dallas majoring in ERB (Engineering Route to Business). "I believe the hardest thing about being a student athlete is learning how to juggle your schedule," says Wyatt.
McColpin agrees, "To stay competitive in either environment, you can't afford to take time off. Time management becomes so important." With a season that lasts nearly six months, basketball players have it particularly rough. "I find myself studying when I should be sleeping. I study at hotels and on airplanes," says Harari. "I feel like a traveling businessman already!"
Besides becoming better at managing their time, student athletes may be developing skills that will give them a competitive edge once they're in the workforce. "Playing basketball is very instinctual and situational-you react to what is in front of you without having much time to analyze," says Harari. He believes schoolwork, on the other hand, calls for a more calculated approach to solving problems. "You have more time to react and make the right decision based on the numerous variables you've analyzed." In today's fast-paced business world, a blend of intuition, the ability to make reasonable decisions under pressure, and the discipline to carry out considered analysis is a winning skill set.
"For Chris, Yair, and William to be able to be on the team and do well in school really says something about their quality and commitment," says Arthur Allert, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Student Services. "We don't make exceptions based on someone's athletic abilities, so these three students are true scholar athletes."
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