Kemba Walker's Reading Habits Make UConn Look Like a Joke (because it is)

Not a member of Oprah's Book Club

Kemba Walker is graduating from UConn in three years with a degree in sociology (good for him).  Also notable about Walker is the fact that he just recently read his first book from cover to cover.

Now I'm not a star student by any means, and I'm definitely not nearly as good of an athlete as Kemba Walker, but I want to know how it's possible to make it through college (or high school for that matter) having never completed a book.


ESPN's Page 2 had this exchange regarding the situation:

1. According to Sports Illustrated, Kemba Walker recently read an entire book for the first time in his life. The Connecticut guard also is 20 years old, a sociology major and is scheduled to graduate from college in three years. Thoughts?

DJ Gallo: It's a problem throughout the whole program. No one at UConn has read the NCAA compliance manual, either.
Mike Philbrick: It takes real dedication. Think of how many times he could have accidentally finished a book but stuck to his principles. Oh one more thing ... spoiler alert, Kemba! The dude actually ends up liking green eggs and ham in the end.
Patrick Hruby: Just imagine if UConn had an "Easy A" list like Stanford. Walker already would be waist-deep in post-doctoral research.
Jim Caple: Sounds like UConn stiffened its academic standards.
Philbrick: Silver lining? This might be the greatest accidental recruiting pitch in the history of modern basketball.
David Schoenfield: I want to see Phil Jackson remain Los Angeles Lakers coach, the Lakers draft Walker and Jackson give him "Water for Elephants." I think Walker would become the first player to ever demand a trade to the Clippers.

That exchange, along with my friend's initial response of "I will not eat green eggs and ham," are obviously tongue in cheek, but they underscore a serious problem- the fact that someone can get through college without ever having read a book, especially in a major like sociology.  Having once been a sociology major, I know that the majority of the classes have at least one assigned book in the syllabus that takes up a significant portion of class discussion.  I guess I should be surprised, given the fact that Jim Calhoun is a man of boundless integrity (not). 

Just another reason why the NCAA is a joke.