Talented men's basketball recruit Leon Pattman '07 came to Dartmouth ready to represent the Big Green. But in December, the sophomore and former Ivy League rookie of the year quit, much to the surprise of many fans.
Athletic recruiting at Dartmouth faces a range of challenges, the greatest of which may be a program's ability to retain recruited athletes once they accept admission.
To many athletes, the attrition represents a failure on the part of Dartmouth athletics.
Pattman expressed frustration with an inability to maximize his athletic prowess as well as his academic aptitude.
"From talking to both athletes and ex-athletes and in my own personal experience, you come to a realization that because so many people's mental gifts heavily outweigh their physical gifts, people really don't take sports seriously," Pattman said. "For those with legitimate athletic talents, it makes it that much more difficult."
A poor record can compound the frustration felt from an apparent lack of seriousness within athletics.
In Pattman's case, Dartmouth men's basketball suffered an overall record of 3-25 in the 2003-2004 season, ranking last in the Ivy League. Unlike other NCAA schools -- which hold sway over their athletes by their institutions' ability to revoke monetary funds, Dartmouth, in accordance with the Ivy League standards, does not offer scholarships to recruits.
Still, the College does what it can to encourage recruits to consider their commitments.
"I received a letter before I applied early decision saying that by accepting 'help' in the admissions office, I was morally bound to row for four years," Julia Saraidaridis '05 said. A recruited rower, Saraidaridis has seen her team lose six of last year's nine recruits.
Despite the best intentions of both coaches and students, scholar-athletes routinely decide to abandon their sports while at Dartmouth.
Although each sport has experienced the loss of at least one athlete, some sports receive higher-than-average numbers of athletes who refuse to continue. In one extreme case, the entire recruited women's basketball class of 2005 quit.
"I believe that a recruit has an obligation to a program so long as that program fulfills its obligation to the recruit. There is sacrifice in being an athlete, but it should never outweigh the benefits of being part of a team," Katherine Frett '05 said. Although she was recruited for basketball, Frett left the team and finished out her Dartmouth career playing volleyball instead.
The Dartmouth coaching staff generally agreed that if an athlete no longer wants to play, he or she should not be overly encouraged to do so. Some coaches even felt attrition could be positive.
"I usually just talk to them but don't try to keep them on the team. It is their own prerogative whether to be there," said Chris Wielgus, the head coach of the women's basketball team. "Attrition will occur, especially without scholarships. It is the natural order of things, a competitive pecking order that allows openings and is not such a bad thing when it happens."
Theories on quitting vary, especially between students and coaches. Wielgus cited not enough playing time as the most common reason for quitting her team.
Scott Armstrong, the head coach of the men's heavyweight crew team, offered a different perspective. Armstrong's team is known for its high retention rate.
"I feel that it is my responsibility to run a program that is appealing and exciting, and if a kid doesn't want to row I put the blame on myself," Armstrong said. "I recruited the kid, and it is my job to give them a program they wouldn't even think about quitting."
For the majority of recruited student-athletes, quitting is the last thing on their minds when they are admitted. The unfortunate consequence is that once in certain programs, many athletes find themselves closely tied to their programs, and quitting becomes an unfeasible option.
"Recruited students feel a strong commitment that is self-initiated. These athletes have been on teams through high school, and once they have been at Dartmouth, their closest friends are on their teams, and they're reluctant leave them," said Barry Harwick, the head coach of the men's track and cross-country teams.
