TAFT'S HOLLAND INTENT ON MAKING THE GRADE STANDOUT ATHLETE IS FOCUSING LESS ON TRACK AND CONCENTRATING MORE ON ACADEMICS.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Jamere Holland showed up to every football game and most track meets his freshman year at Taft High of Woodland Hills and watched from the stands. It was his punishment. One of the most talented athletes in a long line at Taft, Holland began his high school career academically ineligible in·el·i·gi·ble adj. 1. Disqualified by law, rule, or provision: ineligible to run for office; ineligible for health benefits. 2. his first two semesters. His mother, Felincia Brown-Holland, didn't ground him. She didn't confine him to his room or take away his video games See video game console. . ``I made sure he was at every game to see his friends out there,'' Brown- Holland said. ``He loved sports so much. I wanted him to feel that loss.'' Consider it a lesson learned. Academics, not athletics, will be Holland's main focus this semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s - even if it costs him in defending his state sprint titles. Holland, who signed a letter of intent to play football at USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , is running for Taft, but doesn't want to find himself sitting in the Coliseum Coliseum: see Colosseum. stands next year. ``My freshman year, academics were like a big joke,'' Holland said. ``I went to class and everything, but I didn't do my work. I have to work hard because I never again want to be in the bleachers In The Bleachers is a podcast and website that focuses on Division I-A college football. It is recorded and aired weekly during college football season and features college football experts from the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC, Pac 10, and Big 12 conferences. watching the show.'' Holland said that Greg Burns
Height: 178 cm Weight: 76 kg He was a tough centreman for St Kilda. , the USC assistant coach who recruited him, told him that the Trojans' scholarship offer was contingent on Adj. 1. contingent on - determined by conditions or circumstances that follow; "arms sales contingent on the approval of congress" contingent upon, dependant on, dependant upon, dependent on, dependent upon, depending on, contingent Holland passing all of his classes with at least a C grade this semester. Burns has since moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers With his future in the balance, Holland doesn't want to take any chances. He received a D last semester in an English course. When Holland had his freshman-year troubles, he was tested to see if he belonged in special education classes. He did not. His intelligence wasn't the problem. He proved that again in December by passing the ACT, leading to his offer from USC. Many colleges had been taking a wait-and-see approach with Holland because of his questionable academics. ``If he can pass that test, he can pass any test,'' said Brown-Holland, a single mother of four in Pacoima. ``It was so frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: with him. He'd be playing PlayStation at home. I'd say, 'Don't you have homework? No? Well, why is it that you don't have homework when everyone else does?' '' To make sure he doesn't have any more academic lapses, Holland plans on limiting his training time in track. He will spend sixth period practicing in his track class. No longer will he stay after school running every day. Instead, he is being tutored for the first time. ``There's grades, then there's track,'' Holland said. ``My grades have been slipping, so I need to focus on grades more and then practice whenever I can. Academics are more important to my future than winning another state title.'' Entering the season, there was some doubt as to whether Holland would run at all. His sprint coach at Taft, Richard Rucker Richard Parnell Rucker Sr. is a former Twin Cities school instructor who was accused, in May 2006, of having sexual contact with two female students. As of May 2006, he is being held in the Washington County Jail. , brought up the possibility of sitting out the season to focus on academics. ``He already proved he can run fast,'' Rucker said. ``To me, there's nothing more for him to prove. I told him to think about his future. It's not all about athletics.'' Brown-Holland said she is impressed by the way her son has matured. Things she used to harp on him about, he does without her asking. That doesn't mean she won't be watching him closely during this important semester. She said she is going to call Taft for weekly reports on his progress, making sure he isn't missing assignments. If he has any grades under a C on the five- or 10-week report cards, she won't let him run on the weekend. That would mean no participation in big midseason meets like Arcadia and Mt. SAC Sac: see Sac and Fox. SAC - 1. An early system on the Datatron 200 series. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. , and potentially the postseason. Holland, who received the scholarship for his football talents at wide receiver, won state titles in the 100- and 200-meter races as a junior. ``I stay on him so much, he probably gets tired of it,'' Brown-Holland said. ``But he has to get those grades. To become a better man, you have to go to college. You really do. I think college makes a difference in a lot of people's lives, especially in the area we live in.'' Matthew Kredell, (818)713-3607 matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Taft's Jamere Holland is working hard on academics this spring to make sure he keeps his scholarship offer from USC. |
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