Huggy Bear resigns

[baggerbob]

I agree that his pops burned some serious bridges with his bad faith negotiations. And yes, I know Cuse found the NIL money that his dad asked for and then they came back and asked for more, and that’s infuriating. But, again, does that mean the bridge is permanently burned in our coaching staff’s minds? Maybe. Maybe not. I feel like people are reacting with emotion not logic to the idea of Jesse returning to the fold.

He left his teammates for money, he did what he felt best for him, live with the consequences.
Don't want him back, he made his choice.

 

[miamicuse]

Do you/we really know the specifics of his NIL deal? How “set in stone” is it? Don’t we have our own situation/non-situation where our big donor negotiated a deal with an recruit and then when we ‘transitioned’ from JB to Red, that donor became persona non grata and that deal… well, I don’t know what happened to that deal.

I can imagine a situation in Morgantown where the donor(s) have a relationship to the coach more than with the collective/school.

I don’t care either way, just hoping to fill in the blanks.

We don't know any specifics, and I don't think we will find out.

What we do know, is that any NIL deal between the sponsor and the athlete cannot be tied to performance on the court, cannot be contingent on going to any particular school, or even be contingent on staying on campus or off campus or even stay in the city the school is in. So whatever deal they have signed, if they did put in on paper, could not have any ties directly or indirectly to the coach staying as the coach. Of course, may be nothing has been signed yet, or they had some wink wink hush hush verbal agreement outside of the written contract. Who knows how the 800k was put together, how many sponsors and what had to be done. Details matter.

 

[Dick_in_MI]

He left his teammates for money, he did what he felt best for him, live with the consequences.
Don't want him back, he made his choice.

Except for the degree of money, he did what every player who has transferred into or from SU has done. He also got his SU degree.

At least he didn’t bail on his teammates in mid-season like a certain former SU athlete.

All that aside, no way should Red take him back even if a way could be devised. No way.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

He left his teammates for money, he did what he felt best for him, live with the consequences.
Don't want him back, he made his choice.

NBA players ”leave their teammates for money” all the time. Some end up playing for their former teams some years later. They call it “business.” And between players, they have an internal ‘code‘—don’t mess with another man’s paper. They understand that it’s a business decision, not a matter of disloyalty. In the past, we could fool ourselves into a delusion that college sports were all about ‘the institution.’ But that was somewhat naive. And now with the quasi-free agency of the portal and NIL, we have to get used to the new facts of life. When you play for a college team, it’s not a promise of eternal fealty.

 

[Moontan]

If he bled orange he would have stayed and I’m not convinced he makes us better.

Jesse and I are Dutch, we bleed more Orange than you could imagine.

Unfortunately, there is no way for him to return.

He’s a very nice guy (based on personal conversation). Hopefully, he’ll get some good experience this coming season and gets him a shot at the NBA.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Program Culture
School
Hall of Fame Coach
Relationships with teammates


Things that are below money on the list of things that matter to the Edwards squad. Wherever he stays or goes, don’t care. I wish him health and thats it.

Easy to be cavalier with other people’s money.

 

[Jake]

we should 100% take jesse back. Someone will get the short end of this, but at the end of the day this is about winning games and jesse will help us do that better than anyone on roster. Any athlete would understand

No. Red isn’t building for next year, he’s building for the next 5-10.

JAB on a farewell season might be in a position to do this, but first year head coach AA isn’t.

Also, I would think about 1/4 of Jesse’s NIL money is guaranteed, the rest is likely incentive driven(which really should not be allowed in NIL deals, but they are).

So Jesse staying in risky if he’s not sure how he’d be used.

But if 8 players do leave (I don’t think they will), more points and rebounds for Jesse!

 

[SWC75]

MSN

No it's not JB.

 

[OrangeDW]

Easy to be cavalier with other people’s money.

I think people would have far less issue with him if he didn’t make up all that crap on his way out, to make it sound like he had no choice and it was SU’s fault.

If he was just open and honest about it, it would make a big difference in how he’s viewed.

 

[walsh2012]

No. Red isn’t building for next year, he’s building for the next 5-10.

JAB on a farewell season might be in a position to do this, but first year head coach AA isn’t.

Also, I would think about 1/4 of Jesse’s NIL money is guaranteed, the rest is likely incentive driven(which really should not be allowed in NIL deals, but they are).

So Jesse staying in risky if he’s not sure how he’d be used.

But if 8 players do leave (I don’t think they will), more points and rebounds for Jesse!

U build for the future by winning today. This isn’t a nobility contest. It’s a win/loss system. Jesse would have an idea of his usage considering he’s been coached by AA for the past four years. It’s not like they’ve never met.

It’s even more risky for him to stay at a program that doesnt have a coach or any idea of who it will be. In a place hes never lived. The NIL can figure itself out.

Get this done. We are a top 20 program with jesse back. It’s what’s good for the team. he did nothing wrong and is a good young man.

We should want him back because his speed and agility would be amazing in an up and down transition system. If you want his minutes compete for them and win them. Nothing is given, earn it

 

[two3zone]

And stand on the block in the way, calling for the ball.

That was fine when we had one guard who could dribble by anybody and thus ran a 1996 style offense

Ehhhh, I thought he was great.

 

[JustPherU]

MSN

No it's not JB.

Dick has gone off the deep end.
I could start throwing out about 100 names a day until the season starts and still wouldn’t get to Tom Crean.

 

[kcsu]

I am with Dasher on this. No interest in getting Jesse back at Syracuse.

I liked Jesse. Sorry to see him leave. But he repeatedly acted unethically with the only school that believed in him, gave him a chance and developed him from a raw player into a finished product.

We filled his spot. Sorry he took the money and ran and got burned. He made a horrible decision and is going to pay for it. It is a good life lesson for him.

WVU is a sleazy program and the school lacks ethics. Sometimes you get burned for being scummy. This is one of those times. Prayers for Huggins to finally get the help he needs so he can get his life together.

No need for us to sully SU’s reputation to try and get Jesse back. We will be fine without him.

Spot on. Tough life lesson for Jesse but a good one.

 

[Irt4su]

Work with me here….we get what we want (see Jessie wear orange) he gets what he wants (chance for big $$)….Boeheim’s Army’s new starting center??? Dammit rosters are already in. Ok onto my next idea

 

[kirbivore]

I am with Dasher on this. No interest in getting Jesse back at Syracuse.

I liked Jesse. Sorry to see him leave. But he repeatedly acted unethically with the only school that believed in him, gave him a chance and developed him from a raw player into a finished product.

 

[walsh2012]

How did jesse act unethically? He made a financial choice - i doubt anyone posting here would have chosen differently when presented with the money. It wasnt personal.

This is an acc contender with him back and i like winning basketball games more than patting myself on the back for being a good guy.

Definitely feels like an agree to disagree situation- but people make tough calls like this every day without their morals being questioned. He’s a kid, he did nothing wrong here

 

[kcsu]

And if he comes back here, we'll all be jumping up and down, no matter what we posted here.

I wont

 

[MDCuse]

I think people would have far less issue with him if he didn’t make up all that crap on his way out, to make it sound like he had no choice and it was SU’s fault.

If he was just open and honest about it, it would make a big difference in how he’s viewed.

This really bothered me too. There was no reason for the shots he took on his way out. I don't even need "open & honest". We all know why he was headed to Morgantown and 95% of fans understood. He made a decision for himself and his family. Not a single person can fault him for it. HOWEVER, a simple "I really enjoyed my time at Syracuse, but made the decision to go to WV to finish out my career" was all that was necessary. Jesse poured a lot into the SU program, but SU took a chance on a kid with very little fanfare and helped develop him into a pretty solid ball player. Why throw shade on the way out the door??

 

[Orangezoo]

U build for the future by winning today. This isn’t a nobility contest. It’s a win/loss system. Jesse would have an idea of his usage considering he’s been coached by AA for the past four years. It’s not like they’ve never met.

It’s even more risky for him to stay at a program that doesnt have a coach or any idea of who it will be. In a place hes never lived. The NIL can figure itself out.

Get this done. We are a top 20 program with jesse back. It’s what’s good for the team. he did nothing wrong and is a good young man.

We should want him back because his speed and agility would be amazing in an up and down transition system. If you want his minutes compete for them and win them. Nothing is given, earn it

No offense but pretty clear you have never managed a large staff and had to balance and weigh out your personnel decisions. You don't get a mulligan when you set the tone for how you manage and value relationships as a boss or a coach, especially a new boss/coach who has to establish respect and trust. You pull a 180 like this and it likely will backfire maybe not immediately but in the near term and all for a hypothetical.

 

[MDCuse]

How did jesse act unethically? He made a financial choice - i doubt anyone posting here would have chosen differently when presented with the money. It wasnt personal.

This is an acc contender with him back and i like winning basketball games more than patting myself on the back for being a good guy.

Definitely feels like an agree to disagree situation- but people make tough calls like this every day without their morals being questioned. He’s a kid, he did nothing wrong here

Nobody is questioning Jesse's "morals" or saying he acted "unethically". The issue is/was with WVU poaching (that's a WVU issue, not JE). The only issue fans are taking with Jesse was the unnecessary comments on his way out of the program. Instead of just moving on, he decided to throw darts at the program that provided him with a pretty strong development when hardly any other program was even aware of who he was.

 

[kcsu]

Give that man a couch

 

[Orangezoo]

Nobody is questioning Jesse's "morals" or saying he acted "unethically". The issue is/was with WVU poaching (that's a WVU issue, not JE). The only issue fans are taking with Jesse was the unnecessary comments on his way out of the program. Instead of just moving on, he decided to throw darts at the program that provided him with a pretty strong development when hardly any other program was even aware of who he was.

It sucks it was a parent driving this and that it impacts and reflects upon him as such. That said be it unfair as it was for his family putting him in this position- it still is what it is.

 

[jordoo]

Red taking over has sparked some excitement for me. Joe and Jesse moving on represents SU bball moving forward in a new direction. Its been cool to see Red and the Staff working the portal and recruiting. We have 13 guys already. Hima and McLeod are the only upperclassman. I feel like imprinting the new system/culture/atmosphere would be hindered having Joe or Jesse. Nothing personal.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

No. Red isn’t building for next year, he’s building for the next 5-10.

JAB on a farewell season might be in a position to do this, but first year head coach AA isn’t.

Also, I would think about 1/4 of Jesse’s NIL money is guaranteed, the rest is likely incentive driven(which really should not be allowed in NIL deals, but they are).

So Jesse staying in risky if he’s not sure how he’d be used.

But if 8 players do leave (I don’t think they will), more points and rebounds for Jesse!

Don't you have to be in a mindset to do both in the current era? No one is asking this team to contend for the ACC title but simply to be more competitive than they have been the last few years.

I'm not saying either party should be groveling to the other; If Red feels Jesse/his family burned that bridge on his way out, that's fine - Red's responsible for the results in both scenarios. FWIW, there are few enough holdovers from last year that I can't imagine anyone who doesn't stand to lose PT from Jesse coming back would object to a reunion (or have standing to object), but center and experience are the biggest question marks on this team. If we had bagged Dickinson it would make zero sense to have this discussion.

 

[Orangezoo]

Don't you have to be in a mindset to do both in the current era? No one is asking this team to contend for the ACC title but simply to be more competitive than they have been the last few years.

I'm not saying either party should be groveling, and if Red feels Jesse/his family burned that bridge on his way out, that's fine - Red's responsible for the results in both scenarios. FWIW, there are few enough holdovers from last year that I can't imagine anyone who doesn't stand to lose PT from Jesse coming back would object to a reunion (or have standing to object), but center is the biggest question mark on this team.

This burns a bridge with McLeod and possibly Brown to some extent too. Both guys who have more than just this year they could play an important role.

It also puts a question mark out there to how good is your word on the recruiting trail. So one player who may or may not be a massive difference maker in a different style at the expense of how many others?

Also I would argue the effort and focus on a strong year this year has been made. Jesse is a good big man but he's not freaking Kareem- and his impact would be different and reduced in a guard dominant system.