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Parker has Grade 1 hamstring strain

By WTOP Staff

JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Basketball Writer

Breathe easy, San Antonio. It looks as if Tony Parker is going to be just fine.

Parker has a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring, the least severe level of the injury and he is listed as day-to-day, the Spurs announced Thursday.

The team had the day off after eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night, but Parker came in to get an MRI exam of the injury that caused him to miss the entire second half of the clincher.

Just as the Spurs appeared to be finding their playoff legs and asserting themselves as the team to beat in the powerful Western Conference, Parker’s gave out. He felt his left hamstring tighten early in the second quarter, went to the locker room to get it examined and only played briefly before calling it a night.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old Parker missed 14 games with various injuries during the regular season, but the Spurs went 11-3 in those games and still managed to post the best record in the NBA. Still, the prospects of losing Parker — the inexhaustible throttle on the Spurs’ relentless engine — was enough to make a team hell bent on returning to the NBA Finals a little nervous after their 104-82 victory over Portland sent them back to the Western Conference finals.

“If we want to have a chance to make it to the Finals, we need him healthy,” guard Manu Ginobili said.

Parker suffered a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring in Game 3 of the NBA Finals last season against the Miami Heat. He didn’t miss a game because of it, but the discomfort definitely limited effectiveness as the series wore on. He was 9 for 35 in the last two games, including 3 for 12 for 10 points in the Game 7 loss at Miami.

But Parker told the San Antonio Express-News that his latest injury wasn’t as serious as the one that bothered him last June.

“It’s OK; not too bad,” Parker told the newspaper. “Not as bad as the NBA Finals. NBA Finals was a Grade 2. This one is Grade 1. So should be fine for Monday.”

The Spurs will host Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday against Oklahoma City, which beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 on Thursday night to win the series.

The makes the Spurs’ five-game victory over the young Trail Blazers even more important. Parker will have at least four days off, and perhaps as many as six, to rest and rehab his hamstring.

Parker averaged 23.0 points on 52 percent shooting with 6.5 assists in the first four games against Portland before the injury. In the next round, the Spurs will be facing Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, so a limited Parker would have been devastating.

“Luckily we have a couple of days,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said after the game. “It worries us, obviously. But he’s been going hard, he’s had a great series thus far, and it just kind of caught up with him.

“They pulled the plug on him before he hurt himself. He started to feel a little weird and they did the right thing. Hopefully that helps; hopefully there’s nothing there.”

___

AP freelance writer Raul Dominguez in San Antonio contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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