A few months into his life as a college student, David Wear has played a basketball game in Kentucky's Rupp Arena and several others in what fans of his North Carolina team refer to as the Dean Dome.
Next week, the freshman forward from California will go one-on-one against a Spanish class final exam. He's slated for another in American history and a third in health. His first-semester work in an English course essentially ended earlier this week when he handed in a term paper.
"Exams are a new experience, but it's not bad at all," Wear said Thursday. "We get extra time to prepare for the tests, but you don't get behind as long you get in the studying as you go along. I guess I'm a little nervous, but I think I'll do OK."
Wear and his twin brother Travis arrived in Chapel Hill out of Huntington Beach (Mater Dei High School) as accomplished academic performers. Both had 3.45 or so high school grade-point averages and got a preview of college demands by taking summer school courses in sociology and athletics administration.
"Summer school helped me get adjusted, which was great. But in summer school, there weren't really what you'd call final exams," Wear said. "There were tests you had to pass at the end of the courses, but I know these will be tougher, and definitely in Spanish. I didn't take that my senior year in high school, so I was rusty in that course."
While there's no dispute that big-time college basketball and football programs operate in a distinct semipro athletic environment, the majority of players are legitimate students. They get a lot of help from academic support staffs, but academic support is there to some degree for most students.
At Carolina, freshman athletes have mandatory study halls for both semesters. Those who fail to meet acceptable academic standards face the same study hall obligations for their sophomore year. For many, the first round of exams is more intimidating than anything they face on the court or a football field.
"I hated it," Tar Heels football standout Marvin Austin said. "You've got to wake up early and make sure you are there. Most of the tests are like three hours. I need to use every second of that. It's just different from high school, especially at Carolina. This is not like community college."
And if you think the academic safety net saves everyone who slips, keep an eye on second-semester roster changes. If past trends hold, two or three ACC basketball players suddenly will turn up ineligible in January, and a small squad of football players will go through spring drills uncertain of their status for opening day of the 2010 season.
For Wear and his teammates, the next week or so will be a routine unlike any they've undergone since late summer. Although there is a game against Presbyterian on Saturday, most of the players will spend much more time taking exams and studying than in formal preparations for an important Dec. 19 game against Texas in Dallas.
It's a part of a season's journey that most fans never see and seldom give much thought to, but the players do. For them, it's a must.
