SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The NCAA announced Tuesday that 77 percent of black mens Division I basketball players who entered college in 2009 earned a degree within six years, up five points from a year earlier and a record high.That improvement helped the overall Graduation Success Rate match last years record of 86 percent of athletes graduating within six years, the NCAA said. Of all black Division I student-athletes, 74 percent graduated within six years. NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a news release the improved rates were hugely significant.Over the last 15 years, the overall Graduation Success Rate has dramatically improved, but the really good news is how college sports helps more and more minority students, especially those playing our highest-profile sport, earn a degree that will help them long after their athletics career is over, he said.The graduation rate for black basketball players is up 31 percentage points over the past 15 years, the NCAA said. Overall, all black male athletes have increased their GSR by 19 percentage points to 70 percent during that time. Black female athletes improved their rate 13 points to 84 percent over that same time.For all Division I athletes, the rate increased 12 percentage points during the past 15 years.B. David Ridpath, an associate professor of sports business and president of The Drake Group, an NCAA watchdog, said the GSR provides only a partial picture, pointing to reports of athletes at North Carolina taking courses aimed at boosting their GPAs in a department popular with athletes.Are we essentially practicing eligibility maintenance, potentially in a major with friendly faculty? he said. Are these kids graduating with a very meaningful, vital degree that can benefit them for the next 50 to 60 years of their life? In some cases, yes, this is happening. But all too often -- and I know this because I worked in college athletics -- were essentially pushing these kids through, keeping them eligible and in cases where they do graduate they might not be graduating with the requisite skills.Among The Associated Press Top 25 football teams, the only teams with a GSR 65 percent or lower were No. 25 Troy at 65 percent and No. 13 Oklahoma State at 50 percent. Among Top 25 mens basketball teams, No. 4 Oregon had a GSR of 38 percent; No. 25 California 40 percent; No. 5 North Carolina, No. 18 Syracuse and No. 24 Cincinnati all had GSRs of 50 percent; and No. 13 Michigan State had a GSR of 63 percent.The University of Connecticut mens basketball team had one of the lower graduation rates at 22 percent, according to the latest results. But those 2009 numbers were actually a big improvement over previous years. The teams GSR rose from just 8 percent in 2006, 17 percent the following year and 20 percent in 2008.School spokesman Mike Enright said the poor graduation rate reflects the same time period for which UConn was sanctioned by the NCAA and missed the 2013 postseason because of another indicator, the Academic Progress Rate, which measures whether players are in good academic standing.The school has reported perfect or near perfect APR scores since 2012-13 and is expecting similar numbers this year, Enright said. He also said all current members of the basketball team are on track to graduate.The academic achievement of our mens basketball team has been outstanding the past several years and I have a full expectation that this will continue, UConn athletic director David Benedict said. Chicago Bears Gale Sayers Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Mitchell Trubisky Jersey White . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. http://www.chicagobearsshoponline.com/ . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Custom Bears Jersey Cheap . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Anthony Miller Bears Jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Its taken 18 rounds, but Hawthorn has finally climbed its way to the top of the ESPN AFL Power Rankings. The Hawks took advantage of Adelaides costly loss to Geelong to soar to the top of our form ladder with just a handful of matches to play.Hawthorn will need to maintain its recent form, however, as each of the four top-ranked teams have a dream next three weeks of football.This week, punters might want to keep an eye on West Coast who have been notoriously poor away from home this year. The Eagles next three matches (one being a Derby) are all away games, including a trip to the dreaded MCG and Spotless Stadium to play the in-form Giants.If theyre to do any damage in September, the Eagles will need the help of a home-ground advantage, and be able to snag some points away from home, to stay in the hunt.Meanwhile St Kilda continues its late march towards the top eight with a stirring win over the Bulldogs on Saturday night. The Saints find themselves in the rankings top eight for the first time thiss year, but it might be for nothing - they could be the unlucky team to miss finals while still being considered one of ESPNs form sides in the AFL come the end of the year.ddddddddddddLower down the rankings, Carlton hasnt lost any fans over its last two outings, losing to two recent Grand Finalists by seven and six points, while Brisbane jumped off the bottom with a strong win over Essendon.LegendForm: The higher the number, the better a teams recent form.Draw: The higher the number, the easier a teams upcoming draw.Fitness: Determined by the number and quality of fit players available. A list in good shape is ranked around a 7; a list missing three or four best-22 players might be considered a 3 or 4.X-Factor: The number and quality of genuine match-winning players.Attack: Potency of the teams offence.Defence: Ability of the team to prevent the opposition from scoring. ' ' '