Dajuan Coleman looking for Dayshawn Wright

[walsh2012]

Woah...I’d like to know how.

Gotta think if he hd ended up at a different school he wouldn’t be on the streets right now

 

[OrangeTarheel]

Woah...I’d like to know how.

Me too, that’s a pretty loaded statement. I don’t know what support the university offers to alums who played sports - we could start by discussing that. Then there is what the former player does to make use of that support, and whether they are surrounded by their own personal network of support, and that’s worth discussion as well. But just saying the university failed him is a lazy statement at best and completely unnecessary.

 

[MSOrange]

Me too, that’s a pretty loaded statement. I don’t know what support the university offers to alums who played sports - we could start by discussing that. Then there is what the former player does to make use of that support, and whether they are surrounded by their own personal network of support, and that’s worth discussion as well. But just saying the university failed him is a lazy statement at best and completely unnecessary.

I am almost positive that SU lets any guy use their scholarship to come back and finish their degree like Mookie Jones and Eric Devendorf did. Now I believe that Dayshawn was academically ineligible when he left so that might factor in if he could come back. It's a sad situation, but I also have a hard time saying that SU failed him.

 

[SU in Hershey]

He’s a player that I wonder if would have done better if he had left the area and gone away for college. Too many influences around him.

We need to keep this in mind when homegrown talent seeks to go elsewhere (Neil Nunn is a recent example).

Really hope that Dajuan can track him down. Also maybe I am bias but there are so many former SU student athletes who truly define what being a good human being is all about. Dajuans knees didn't let him be the force on the court he wanted to be but that didn't stop him from finding success and then seeing this. There are so many stories of giving back and looking to make a difference it makes me so proud as an alum to see this. Sadly we should have done better with Wright in theory, although it sounds like it may have been beyond what anything we could do but hopefully maybe something can be done now.

Dajuan and Dayshawn represent different ends of the spectrum and what can happen to our athletes off of the field/court. It's great to see and read how one end is reaching out to help the other. The best way to recognize good fortune (not necessarily money, to be clear) is to share it with others who are in need.

Me too, that’s a pretty loaded statement. I don’t know what support the university offers to alums who played sports - we could start by discussing that. Then there is what the former player does to make use of that support, and whether they are surrounded by their own personal network of support, and that’s worth discussion as well. But just saying the university failed him is a lazy statement at best and completely unnecessary.

The old "You can lead a horse to water..." argument holds pretty strong here. Resources and options are wonderful, but you have to be receptive and aware that there are better options. Sometimes we carry demons inside that will never recognize a better path, and this is truly tragic. I hope that Dajuan finds him and is able to offer help...but Dayshawn has to recognize the opportunity and embrace it. Let's all hope for a happy ending.

 

[Cuse1055]

We need to keep this in mind when homegrown talent seeks to go elsewhere (Neil Nunn is a recent example).

Dajuan and Dayshawn represent different ends of the spectrum and what can happen to our athletes off of the field/court. It's great to see and read how one end is reaching out to help the other. The best way to recognize good fortune (not necessarily money, to be clear) is to share it with others who are in need.

The old "You can lead a horse to water..." argument holds pretty strong here. Resources and options are wonderful, but you have to be receptive and aware that there are better options. Sometimes we carry demons inside that will never recognize a better path, and this is truly tragic. I hope that Dajuan finds him and is able to offer help...but Dayshawn has to recognize the opportunity and embrace it. Let's all hope for a happy ending.

Great point about players leaving the area. This is why I don’t get upset at kids like Thomas Bryant and Isaiah Stewart.

 

[gmoney44]

sounds like su failed him horribly

SU is obligated to oversee the health and welfare of every student or athlete that has ever attended the school for the duration of their life?

No wonder why tuition is so high at SU.

 

[JustPherU]

Rick Jackson would probably agree.

What does that mean? Did Rick say SU failed him or did I miss something?

 

[Cuse1055]

What does that mean? Did Rick say SU failed him or did I miss something?

Yeah it’s been noted a number of times in the past. A few years ago Rick went off in social media about how the program didn’t help him when he was injured. Hopefully things have gotten better.

 

[orangenauburn]

Yeah it’s been noted a number of times in the past. A few years ago Rick went off in social media about how the program didn’t help him when he was injured. Hopefully things have gotten better.

Yeah, Rick definitely would not be on a list of someone who'd I use as an alumni ambassador.

He did play for Boeheims Army, but that was probably more to do with playing with friends and a chance for money.

 

[MadNY3]

Gotta think if he hd ended up at a different school he wouldn’t be on the streets right now

Really? That’s the takeaway?

This appears to be a sad story, but that’s like blaming the existence hospital for people getting hurt. What is a school supposed to do in a case like this? I genuinely would love to know.

 

[walsh2012]

SU is obligated to oversee the health and welfare of every student or athlete that has ever attended the school for the duration of their life?

No wonder why tuition is so high at SU.

when you pitch your program as a "family" it's kind of implied that you will make sure they're never living off the street.

way to make a false generalization about the point I was making, you did a very great job

 

[walsh2012]

What is a school supposed to do in a case like this? I genuinely would love to know.

make sure their former players aren't homeless

 

[Ghost]

In hindsight, the Stan Kissel reference is cringeworthy.



Hopkins spoke the world of Wright's skills, but he did seem like a strange fit for the system. I will say that, like Harris, he was undersized but with freakishly long arms. Probably 6'10" wingspan or more. So that would've helped. And he was very savvy - like Carmelo and later Rick Jackson, he used his body well as a rebounder; like Dajuan Coleman, he had nice court awareness and was a good passer.

Yeah, I'm surprised people don't remember him well. He seemed like a really good prospect, but things went awry quickly. I remember being frustrated by him and that departure in the tourney (BET or NCAA?).

Great summary on him. He did seem to have a really good skill set already when he arrived- maybe a much smaller, but solid and bit more athletic DaJuan Coleman. I don't know, hard to remember good comps this much later.

 

[gmoney44]

when you pitch your program as a "family" it's kind of implied that you will make sure they're never living off the street.

way to make a false generalization about the point I was making, you did a very great job

How do you know SU or former players haven’t reached out. A significant portion of the homeless population won’t let their family or friends help them. It’s hard to help those that don’t want it.

Way to jump to conclusions that it’s SU’s fault for a horrible situation though.

 

[walsh2012]

Way to jump to conclusions that it’s SU’s fault for a horrible situation though.

i didn't say it was SU's fault I said SU failed him, because they did, and there's a difference.

 

[two3zone]

make sure their former players aren't homeless

Especially when they’re walking on the streets a mile or two from where you fill a place with 30k people to watch a game.

 

[JustPherU]

i didn't say it was SU's fault I said SU failed him, because they did, and there's a difference.

How did they fail him?Plenty of people have tried everything they can to help loved ones, but sometimes there is nothing you can do if they don’t want to help themselves.Can we get some examples of how they failed him?

 

[walsh2012]

Especially when they’re walking on the streets a mile or two from where you fill a place with 30k people to watch a game.

how much does an apartment in Syracuse cost? can't be that much.

 

[walsh2012]

How did they fail him?Plenty of people have tried everything they can to help loved ones, but sometimes there is nothing you can do if they don’t want to help themselves.Can we get some examples of how they failed him?

the example of him being homeless 3 miles away from where they play their homes games that generate millions in revenue a year is enough.

 

[two3zone]

how much does an apartment in Syracuse cost? can't be that much.

I can’t imagine more than 600 a month in a bad area, maybe 900 in a suburb.

 

[SU in Hershey]

the example of him being homeless 3 miles away from where they play their homes games that generate millions in revenue a year is enough.

Those are bad/sad optics, but that still doesn't show how SU "failed" him. Is he more special than any other student? Does the University "owe" any/all students down on their luck, wherever and whomever they are?
I know many examples of good people, good families, who have children (or other family members) who cannot find the right path no matter how much help is offered. They, too, may feel that they "failed" their loved ones, but this is often unfounded guilt. The two most common examples are drug abuse and mental illness. I don't know how you can find the University culpable in these matters.
Sometimes there isn't enough love or money to help. I cannot stress enough how horrible this is, but it doesn't make it any less true. A "free" apartment is a nice gesture, but removing him from the street doesn't fix everything. It's an umbrella in a never-ending storm. It may help others in not having to see the problem, but then who are we helping? We are merely assuaging our guilt at that point.

 

[JustPherU]

the example of him being homeless 3 miles away from where they play their homes games that generate millions in revenue a year is enough.

That’s the university’s failure?Apparently his friends can’t even reach him, but you expect the school to be able to solve his problems?

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

How early did we lock up Paul in recruiting? Off the top of my head I recall knowing Harris would be coming here for a while. Crazy if he chose to play here with such a hyped recruit that played the same position coming a year later.

Wish him the best.

 

[MadNY3]

make sure their former players aren't homeless

Being homeless is nothing to joke about. To think that’s the responsibility of Syracuse University is a bit of a reach at best.

 

[jgeorge322]

Cold hard (and sad) truth about dayshawn, he never worked hard. that being said, I do have empathy for his situation although I’m not sure why I should care less about any other person living unfortunate circumstances.