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Weeks has been the Minutemen's steadying influence the past two seasons as team captain.
(David E. Klutho)
| Tyrone
Weeks,
Massachusetts
Class:
Senior Position:
Forward
Height:
6'7" Weight:
258
DOB:
April 30,
1974
Hometown:
Philadelphia
High School:
Franklin Learning
Center
Vital
Stats: 10.3 points per game, 8.6
rebounds
by Chad Millman
As a misdirected high schooler in North Philadelphia, UMass
forward Tyrone Weeks was a basketball prodigy who once
missed 30 consecutive days of school. Five years later he's
a scholar with little hope of an NBA career. Because of
that, years after he
has played his last game and decades after his contributions
on the basketball court have been forgotten, Weeks will be
remembered as a pioneer.
As a freshman in 1993-94, Weeks was a Proposition 48
casualty, unable to play for the Minutemen that season
because he failed to meet minimum academic standards during
his senior year at Philadelphia's Franklin Learning Center.
Embarrassed by this
shortcoming, Weeks dedicated himself to his education. During his
sophomore year he made the dean's list with a 3.5
GPA.
With Weeks in mind, UMass administrators petitioned the
NCAA to grant a fourth season of eligibility to Prop 48
candidates who complete their degree in four years. The
NCAA passed what became known as Proposition 68, and Weeks
became the first former
Prop 48 student to take advantage of the rule.
"When I recruited him," says UMass coach Bruiser
Flint, "there were people in Philadelphia who told me
he'd never make it in college. There were times when he
struggled, but he worked hard and turned himself
around."
Weeks has been primarily responsible for the Minutemen's
turnaround the last year and a half. After coach John
Calipari left for the NBA, UMass lost nine of its first 15
games of the '96-97 season. Since that point, the team is
34-14. Weeks, in his
second year as team captain, has averaged 11.3 and 8.7 rebounds
over those two seasons.
Weeks graduated with a degree in education in 1997. So,
with his extra year of eligibility, he has completed a
second undergraduate degree in African-American studies.
Because chronic heel and ankle injuries limit his mobility,
he knows a career in the
pros is unlikely. Instead Weeks has his sights set on
becoming a teacher. He'll spend the rest of his life in
school, making up for lost
time.
"I'm doing some positive things in my life," says
Weeks. "It's been special just to show people how
grown up I've become. I can't stop
smiling."
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