Perfecting the pass

Shaquille Thomas had his share of doubters, but not for his skills on the basketball court. People around UC’s 6-7 guard from Paterson, N.J., questioned if he could handle college academics.

Thomas, however, soon proved he was far more than a jock who could take it to the rim. He has also shown he can hit the books. And interestingly, the freshman credits 63-year-old retired Cincinnati Public teacher Pat Neidhard for the “assist.”

“When I came here, many people didn’t think I could do the work, but I’ve proved them wrong,” he smiles. “I have a 3.5 GPA, and I have to give Mrs. Neidhard a lot of credit for that.”

Thousands of fans in Fifth Third Arena and other college venues, plus millions more sitting in front of TVs, love to watch Bearcat basketball teams. But what they don’t see is the off-court hard work of student-athletes in classrooms and study labs, learning at the side of academic tutors such as Neidhard who are concerned with their future after basketball.

A Bearcat sports fan her whole life, Patricia Gabel Neidhard, Univ ’76, Ed ’79, discovered something about herself when she began attending UC Evening College after several years in the workforce. She realized she loved education and teaching even more.

‘Knowledge is a wonderful thing’

“I learned that knowledge is a wonderful thing. So I enrolled full-time, put myself through school with grants, scholarships, loans and part-time work,” she says. “And I quickly found that I wanted to teach young people.”

Her UC degree in education led to a 32-year career spent entirely in the same Cincinnati Public School system where she had grown up. It was truly a case of an alumna doing what she must have been put on earth to do.

In 2011, retirement finally beckoned, yet the vibrant Neidhard (pronounced with a long i, “as in DieHard battery,” she says) was far from leaving students behind. At 63, her regular workouts still include swimming a mile — and doing “flip turns” at the end of each lap, she proudly says.

Barely a year into retirement, the same zest and spirit that propelled her outside of the teaching environment made her say yes when a UC friend told her about the part-time academic-tutor position for the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

“They were looking for an ‘older adult,’” she recalls. “Prior to that, student-athletes were tutored by peers, but the athletics department was looking for a different approach. They liked my experience working with urban students in the Cincinnati publics, and I started in January of 2012.”

When Neidhard walked through the doors, Shaq Thomas was in the middle of his first year at UC, sitting out as an academic redshirt. “My first impression was how energized and happy she was to be here,” remembers Thomas, a criminal justice major.

“We have developed a great relationship over the past year. In helping me with schoolwork, she has pushed me to work harder in the classroom, take extra notes and just do more to be a better student.”

System designed to help them

Thomas’ achievements represent the expectations for all incoming student-athletes when they join the UC family. “As they are being recruited, regardless of their sport, student-athletes understand what is required academically, what their coaches expect from them and how the system is designed to help them,” says Joe Luckey, senior associate director for student-athlete support services.

“And it’s not always easy, given what their lives are like. They are 18 to 22 years old, and they have so much on their shoulders that mostly they just want to be the best they can be today. And they’ll do it again tomorrow, and the next day.”

For Neidhard, that means encouraging some students to excel at the college level despite challenging backgrounds and heavy workloads. Consequently, the greatest victories do not always come on the basketball court, but through academic growth.

During the 2012 fall semester, Neidhard worked with Titus Rubles, a 6-7 forward in his first year at UC after two years in junior college. When he needed to write a criminal-justice research paper, Neidhard put him in touch with Judge Robert Ruehlman, Ed ’74, JD ’77, of the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, to discuss real-world perspectives.

“Hearing directly from such a person helped Titus,” the tutor says, “but it also reinforced the idea that great resources are available everywhere, not just through Google. That’s learning to be resourceful.”

She also showed Rubles how to tackle a big assignment that mandated complete and total accuracy. Afterward, he told her, “Mrs. Neidhard, I couldn’t have done this without your help. Thank you!” Then he added, “And you’re not allowed to leave until after I graduate!”

Neidhard beams when she explains, “He said that in front of one of his teammates.”

‘Treating players like rock stars

Part of Neidhard’s success helping students meet their academic responsibilities comes from her genuine connection with them as people, not just as basketball players. Luckey cherishes that trait in her.

“Athletics can be such a roller coaster,” he says. “You win; everyone’s happy. You lose; everyone’s frustrated.

“Along the way, people sometimes treat basketball players like rock stars, but Pat treats them as human beings. She brings the same demeanor to work with these students every day, and they need to experience that.

“Her background also brings her instant respect,” he adds. “When you meet Pat, you know right away she has a love for students, education and UC. She always has a smile, a happiness about her. The students feed on that.”

Neidhard acknowledges that she separates the “student” from the “athlete.” “When they’re heading out of town for a game, I don’t tell them, ‘Bring home a winner.’ I tell them, ‘Have a safe trip,’” she says.

“They understand where my focus is. I am here to help them succeed academically, and they appreciate it. I love to teach, to motivate students and to get them excited about their work.”

That doesn’t mean Neidhard isn’t a hoops fan. She has regularly and excitedly gone to Bearcat basketball and football games with her husband, Jim, Bus ’76, MBA ’78, for decades.

But she is a different fan today than she once was. “I cheer more intensely for them now,” she says.

‘I know how hard they work’

“Of course, I appreciate their athletic ability and how they represent my school, but I also know what wonderful young men they are. I know how hard they work off the court, juggling classes, study time, assignments, travel, practice and games, yet they continue to come to me with respect and a positive attitude toward their studies. In that regard, I’m fortunate to be able to combine the athlete and the person whereas the typical fan doesn’t have that opportunity.”

Neidhard’s affection for the students is reciprocated. She was talking with some of the women’s basketball team after one of their games, and quite a few members of the men’s team walked through the arena.

“Once they saw me, every one of them came over and gave me a hug,” she says. “Now, they didn’t have to do that. They could have just walked by, but they understand and value the relationships we’ve built together, and why it’s so important.

“I take great pride in the gains they have made as they apply themselves and accomplish new things — for example, when they’re doing an exercise and suddenly they no longer need my help because they have learned how to do it on their own.

“Recently I was working with a female basketball player on rephrasing some of her writing. As she discovered a new, more effective way to write, she smiled and said, ‘Oh, I like that!’ She was excited to learn how you write in college as opposed to high school.”

For UC’s student-athletes and devoted fans, there will always be “the next big game.” Yet for those on the athletics department’s student-athlete support staff, the “end game” is the most important thing.

'Knowledge is a wonderful thing’

“I learned that knowledge is a wonderful thing. So I enrolled full-time, put myself through school with grants, scholarships, loans and part-time work,” she says. “And I quickly found that I wanted to teach young people.”

Her UC degree in education led to a 32-year career spent entirely in the same Cincinnati Public School system where she had grown up. It was truly a case of an alumna doing what she must have been put on earth to do.

In 2011, retirement finally beckoned, yet the vibrant Neidhard (pronounced with a long i, “as in DieHard battery,” she says) was far from leaving students behind. At 63, her regular workouts still include swimming a mile — and doing “flip turns” at the end of each lap, she proudly says.

Barely a year into retirement, the same zest and spirit that propelled her outside of the teaching environment made her say yes when a UC friend told her about the part-time academic-tutor position for the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

“They were looking for an ‘older adult,’” she recalls. “Prior to that, student-athletes were tutored by peers, but the athletics department was looking for a different approach. They liked my experience working with urban students in the Cincinnati publics, and I started in January of 2012.”

When Neidhard walked through the doors, Shaq Thomas was in the middle of his first year at UC, sitting out as an academic redshirt. “My first impression was how energized and happy she was to be here,” remembers Thomas, a criminal justice major.

“We have developed a great relationship over the past year. In helping me with schoolwork, she has pushed me to work harder in the classroom, take extra notes and just do more to be a better student.”

“It’s our job to help them understand that they’re building toward something,” Luckey says. “On the court or on the field, the goal may be a championship. Off the field, we’re helping them become positioned for life after UC.”

“I always emphasize with them, ‘I will see you in that cap and gown,’ and they share that vision,” Neidhard says. “They may have aspirations to keep playing basketball after college, but we talk about Plans B, C and D — working in their degree field or coaching or whatever else life offers them.

“Regardless, the degree is not optional. And this isn’t just me saying this. That is how our whole department operates.” Shaq Thomas and his fellow Bearcat basketball players are grateful for support staff like his tutor Pat Neidhard.

Tutoring part of Bearcats’ academic success story

The entire fifth floor of the Richard Lindner Athletics Center makes up the spacious Nancy Hamant Academic Center, where Pat Neidhard tutors student-athletes. To help make the academic experience as enriching as possible, the facility comprises a large study room with 34 work areas, 14 tutor rooms for more focused attention, a computer lab equipped with 71 workstations and five group meeting rooms. In all, the center can accommodate 530 student-athletes with more than 80 of them at computers at the same time.

The effectiveness of UC putting an emphasis on academic achievement was obvious last academic year when UC’s 17 varsity sports averaged a 3.0 grade-point average. Of UC’s 532 student-athletes, 215 were nominated for the 2011-12 Big East All-Academic Team. UC coaches have indicated that the Hamant Academic Center and its academic services staff were vital to the Bearcats achieving that goal.

Nancy Hamant, A&S ‘57, M (Ed) ‘61, D (Ed) ‘67, and her husband, Tom, have been devoted season-ticket holders who made a substantial gift to the Varsity Village and established the Nancy and Tom Hamant Endowment Fund.

Nancy’s portrait hangs on the wall of the center, which virtually allows her to overlook Pat Neidhard’s mentoring work. That seems pretty appropriate considering that Hamant is the retired UC education professor who placed student Neidhard in Cincinnati’s Aiken High School for her first student-teaching assignment.

“In a way, look where Dr. Hamant led me!” Neidhard says with a grin.

Links:

• Read more about the academic center. 
• Read more about Shaq Thomas.
  
• Read more about Titus Rubles.
  
• UC Alumni Association website  
  

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