Benny Williams dismissed from program | Page 9 | Syracusefan.com

Benny Williams dismissed from program

I wasn't saying or even implying that Benny shouldn't be released. I was just commenting on whether the bump was intentional.
I don't think anyone knows that the bump was or was not the final straw, or it could have even been something else that happened when they talked about it. We don't know what the final thing was. Just guessing that is was part of it.
 
Does he though?

He's played 3 years and still shoots line drives. I do wish him the best though truly. I rooted hard for him until the 1st suspension this year, then I wanted him gone since.
I think his talent has been vastly overstated here because he can jump high when he has a clear path. His shot, handle and court sense never really improved.
 
Can something be both shocking and entirely predictable?

Surprising, because he surely must have understood what he needed to do and the standard is only one that any child involved in a team activity could meet. Predictable, because he’s been on this path for a while, and hadn’t course corrected before this year.

As said, lots of maturing to do. But, it’s hard to even call this a ‘maturity’ matter. There’s something else. I don’t know what,, never having met or conversed with him but I saw some ‘stuff’ in a simple warmup video that I didn’t like. Call it ‘reading too much into it,’ but it just made me think he was desperate to be/represent himself in a way that seemed ‘inorganic.’ Pretending in that way is a character matter—the surface of the real issue.

I hope this is ‘rock bottom’ enough to stimulate real change. It’s not the end of the world. Just the start of the next era. I hope his family helps him to recognize help is needed, he gets it, and succeeds at the next stop.
 
I wasn't saying or even implying that Benny shouldn't be released. I was just commenting on whether the bump was intentional.
Its certainly possible, however I think it shows a lack of respect for your coach when you see him walking down the sideline towards you and you don't really even move out of the way, just looked bad.
AA handled this fine. He and another member of the staff or all of them probably sat down with Benny on Sunday or Monday and maybe didn't like the response they got from him, thought about it and made their decision.
 
Benny comes from an upper middle class family. He attended St. Andrews Episcopal school. It’s the same school that former President Trump‘s son Barron attended. He has had a privileged life.

Too many people judging a book by its cover.
Not all athletes are fighting for survival. Everyone has different circumstances.
 
WWBD-What would Boeheim do if a player bumped him like Benny did Red? Definitely not the only reason he was let go, but just wondering what the Heimster’s course of action would of been.
 
WWBD-What would Boeheim do if a player bumped him like Benny did Red? Definitely not the only reason he was let go, but just wondering what the Heimster’s course of action would of been.
JB wouldve screamed at him on the bench, 100%. But no one would've dared do that him.
 
It’s sad it didn’t work out, but after what we have seen these past two games, it wouldn’t surprise me if higher ups in the university basically forced this decision to happen now. It got to the point where we couldn’t handle another incident during a game with him representing the university on national TV. It was an embarrassment to the University. I hope that he is able to overcome this and do great things in his life whether basketball is involved or not. As for us, I think we’re seeing our program transform its culture for the better and hopefully we look back at this time in several years and point to this past week as the turning point of seeing the very consistent success and excitement from the late 70s-2014 again that we took for granted. Yeah we had some great moments from 2014-now, but the program hasn’t felt the same since Boeheim got ejected in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
He’s had three years to get his act together and he hasn’t.

Spare me the mental health issues stuff. Lots and lots of people his age have mental health issues. Some are incredibly serious. That doesn’t mean one gets a pass for being ridiculously immature.

Best of luck to him. I hope for his sake he wises up before too long.
From Drew Magary at Defector

Beware Of A#$%^&*(@ Trying To Co-Opt Mental Health Awareness​


Time for your weekly edition of the Defector Funbag. Got something on your mind? Email the Funbag. And buy Drew’s book, The Night The Lights Went Out, while you’re at it. Today, we're talking about the two-minute warning, T-Larry, rocks, Lou, washing machines, onerous fruits, and more.

Your letters:

Anon:

To what extent does someone disclosing that they have a mental health issue absolve or excuse their behaviour? In this case, a former colleague of mine always says, "you know I have [this particular mental illness], and because of that you know that when I feel backed into a corner I lash out.” This person then proceeds to send countless unhinged emails to dozens of people, including some that threaten to show up at people's offices and houses because those people are, "out of time." He has not taken any steps to address those underlying mental health issues. I try to be sensitive to others' struggles, but am I the for refusing to engage with this person today and for probably never forgiving this person for the threats they've made against me and my family?
You are not the . I’ll refer you to this passage from James Robins’s recent review of Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk:

Isaacson suggests Musk lacks an empathy gene, or might just be wired differently. At multiple points he implies Musk may be autistic. Musk himself has claimed that he has Asperger’s, though he hasn’t revealed whether a doctor told him this. (Asperger’s is an outdated diagnosis anyway, its characteristics since folded into the autism spectrum.) Again, Isaacson is asking the wrong question. It is not a trait or feature of the condition of autism to be cruel.
Same deal here. Just because you suffer from a mental illness doesn’t mean that everything you do is the fault of that illness, nor does that illness always absolve you of the worst things you do. In the case of—for example—certain retired NFL players who are suffering from severe brain damage, the line there can be indistinct. In the case of Musk, and your co-worker, it’s not. You can be mentally ill and still be a complete .

I know because I’ve used my own brain damage as a crutch to excuse my own poor behavior. I didn’t threaten people or anything that severe, but I definitely lashed out and was a general dick, even to those I love. Blaming all of it on my mental health issues was a cheap way of excusing myself and to avoid proper treatment. I didn’t deserve a Get Out Of Jail Free card for any of that, and many other heads do not.

I don’t think that’s a controversial thing to say, even in the age of mental health awareness. The goal behind the current movement is to get everyone to recognize mental health problems both in others and in themselves. That recognition requires nuance. It involves familiarizing yourself with a loose range of mental health issues, where they originate from, and how to potentially treat them. It doesn’t mean making “mental health issues” a blanket term for an impossibly wide range of conditions, because that allows for shitbags to game the system. It’s incumbent on the rest of us to intuit when such people are leaning on that crutch far too hard, and for their own ends. Musk is a perfect example of this, as is a work colleague who makes direct threats to his colleagues and should be disciplined for it. (I also wouldn't hesitate to notify law enforcement in this instance.) It’s no sin to call those people out on their . It’s necessary, in fact.

that guy, is what I’m saying.
 
Its certainly possible, however I think it shows a lack of respect for your coach when you see him walking down the sideline towards you and you don't really even move out of the way, just looked bad.
I just think there's a huge difference between (a) someone who is immature, is a potential cancer to team chemistry and mouths off to authority figures, and (b) someone who is physically aggressive toward authority figures. We pretty much know that A is true, but I don't think we need to embellish B to fit a narrative.
 
As someone who really, really preached patience with Benny, this bums me out.

But, I get it.

As I mentioned a while back, a friend with good seats, told me about some very questionable things Benny has done. One example is refusing to go back in the game, when Red wanted him to. Another is being berated by Red, and having an inappropriate emotional response (basically staring off into the distance, instead of rallying or changing behavior).

Frustrating. Wish him the best.
Same here. I also preached patience with Benny and it was given. But patience doesn’t mean you keep getting chances forever. There has to be patience with consequences. And we’ve reached that stage. I really really hope he can continue to play basketball and use all of that talent productively somewhere.
 
I wasn't saying or even implying that Benny shouldn't be released. I was just commenting on whether the bump was intentional.

Yeah, I think the "bump" is a big nothingburger.

The technical, the walking off the court, they probably led to another one on one conversation. (especially given previous issues). And after that conversation, Red had had enough.

Malcontents can bring the team down. I'm sure the team still supports their friend and former teammate, but I'd bet they're not altogether surprised.
 
I suppose that they could feel sorry for their teammate, while at the same time feeling relieved that he is gone. I think many of us have thought that there was a “cancer“ on the team, and perhaps more than one. We are a young team, and our other very young team had Kueth Duany to settle the youngsters down. I also remember that there was some unease when Billy enter the program late, and JB handled this very well.

Although it is true that we have some limitations on the team that are physical – like not being able to shoot – I wonder how many are psychological? That is always an issue when people work together, and a basketball team is no exception. I hope so much we can come together for the rest of the season. If anyone in the know could reassure us about that possibility, I for one would really appreciate it.
My read would be that they feel sorry for their teammate, but understand why he is gone. I wouldn't say 'relieved'. They don't strike me as dudes who didn't like him. If they were relieved, I think they would not have a reaction. But, anyhow, he's gone & we will never know.

You are spot on about how chemistry plays into a sport like basketball. Its a huge factor.

The team had more problems than Benny, and before the upcoming offseason is over, I suspect there will be more changes.
 
agreed. just mentioning it. hope it doesn't portend any sort of issues with copeland going forward.
I hope Cope got the message. He was out of line and character for the first time I've seen. I don't think we will see him approach that line again. Red pissed that red line out in case anyone was confused with this decision. Now cross it if you want. Sad for Benny, right decision by red and we'll see if anyone else want to test him.
 
I suppose that they could feel sorry for their teammate, while at the same time feeling relieved that he is gone. I think many of us have thought that there was a “cancer“ on the team, and perhaps more than one. We are a young team, and our other very young team had Kueth Duany to settle the youngsters down. I also remember that there was some unease when Billy enter the program late, and JB handled this very well.

Although it is true that we have some limitations on the team that are physical – like not being able to shoot – I wonder how many are psychological? That is always an issue when people work together, and a basketball team is no exception. I hope so much we can come together for the rest of the season. If anyone in the know could reassure us about that possibility, I for one would really appreciate it.
This is a relatively young team, but Benny was the 'veteran' on this team as a junior, and might have been the one providing leadership in that scenario. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

From the standpoint of team chemistry, removing Benny from the mix is probably a plus in the long term. From the standpoint of winning games for the balance of the season, this additional hit to the team's depth will likely be disastrous.
 
You're talking about a college kid. he doesn't' work, he doesn't pay bills, he doesn't have his own insurance. he's still being claimed as a dependent. come on. give it a rest.

you told me about your personal life bud.
This dude calling him a kid is seriously triggering me. Sad ass helicopter parents today man...
 

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