There was a time when people said the term student-athlete was an oxymoron; you could either be a student or an athlete, but not both. The term student-athlete is, in fact, the farthest thing from an oxymoron that can be found. Athletes who are also fine students are thriving all across the country.

Student-athletes must deal with factors such as: the strict rules of scholarship, the pressure to win, physical exhaustion, and they must accomplish the seemingly insurmountable task of also getting an education.

For the average college student the day begins around 10 a.m. and includes a few classes and coming home and taking a nap. Then, after a few hours of napping it’s time to grab dinner and be off to the bars. This past weekend, Billiken basketball senior Maurice Jeffers took the time to keep a daily journal for this article.

Friday, Feb. 9

8:45 a.m.: I woke up and took a shower, got dressed and ate breakfast.

10:00: I am in the training room getting my knee worked on because I have a case of tendonitis. If you have an injury, you must make time for treatment, or else you are not considered to be injured.

11:00: In social psychology, after spending 45 minutes in the training room.

11:50: Class is over, and I am on my way to the gym. We have weightlifting at noon, and I can’t be late or I’ll have to do extra running.

1:00 p.m.: I am about to eat lunch and then go back to the training room to get treatment once again on my knee before practice at 2:20.

4:30: I just finished practice, but I had to do an interview with a sports reporter, so now it’s almost 5:00 and I have to sit around for 20 minutes with an ice-bag on my knee.

5:30: On my way home for the first time since I left this morning.

8:00: I went to dinner with some of my teammates. For the rest of the night I just relaxed at home and watched some TV. It would be nice to go out, but we have practice at 10:00 tomorrow morning.

Saturday, February 10th

8:30 a.m.: I just woke up and am on my way to the film room because we are watching film on Marquette to be prepared for tomorrow’s game.

10:00: We practiced until about 11:45. We have a half hour to get showered and dressed, because at 12:15 we are leaving to eat lunch as a team.

12:45: We are eating at Chevy’s and getting ready to head for the airport.

1:45: We are loading the charter plane for Milwaukee, and as soon as we get in the air I am going to sleep.

3:45: We just landed in Milwaukee, and now we are getting onto a bus to go to the hotel.

4:00: I am in my room with my roommate, Marque. I have homework due on Monday and a test on Wednesday, so I am about to do some homework.

6:00: It’s time to go to dinner; enough homework for now.

8:00: I just got back from dinner and it is time to relax. I need to rest for tomorrow, and curfew is 10:00 so I am not going to go out.

Sunday, Feb. 11: Game Day

7:30 a.m.: The phone is blaring in my ear, and I have to get up because breakfast is at 8:00.

8:30: It is time for my pre-game shower, which is a ritual I do before every game.

9:40: It is time to get dressed and time to put my game face on. We are leaving for the game in a half hour, but I have to go and get my ankles taped first.

10:20: We are on the way to the game, and the bus is pretty silent. Everyone is concentrating and getting focused for the game.

12:00 Noon: Game time, St. Louis vs. Marquette for first place in Conference USA.

2:30: Played in front of 13,000 people, and the game was broadcast on Fox Sports. We lost the game 75-69, and now everyone is showering so we can leave.

5:30: We just got back to St. Louis, it will be a little while before we get home. Then, I have to study.

No matter what the outcome was of the game on Sunday, two things were still going to be true for Maurice Jeffers when he walked into his apartment on Sunday night. He had homework due on Monday and a test on Wednesday.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” For student-athletes like Maurice Jeffers succeeding on the court and in the classroom is too important to give up on. That is why for the student-athlete of today anything is possible.