My Perspective on a Few Things...

[newmexicuse]

1. I have never been a big believer in disparaging other programs, particularly UConn & Kentucky. It is pretty apparant that we are no better than they are & we should mind our own business at least until our own house is in order.

2. It is ridiculous to call for Jimmy's head because of the Melo situation. He has earned and deserves better.

3. On the other hand, let's not saint Jimmy either. There have been too many things that have arisen recently. It seems obvious to me that Jimmy is willing to close his eyes to cetain things if he thinks it will help to garner a few more W's. We have a coach who has many wonderful attributes, but he is also willing to pay the devil his due at times. He is human and he makes choices. Some of those choices work out & others backfire. Let's leave it at that.

4. I believe the suspension of Melo at this time is a message to the athletic programs of this University. I believe there are people up high who will no longer tolerate embarrassing incidents. This was a university suspension. therefore, it did not have to happen at this time unless there is a sense upstairs that something has gone awry in a big picture way. A FF appearance would would be a huge kudo. The fact that the university chose to suspend a player, whose absence almost insures that this will not be a FF season, tells me that there is something bigger at play here.

5. In terms of Fab, we do not know the truth. But it seems to me that if we are simply talking about a kid not attending classes who might flunk out at the end of the semester that we would not be suspending any kid in that situation, especially with apossible FF at stake. There is something more here whether it be drugs or some other unacceptable incident that has not yet become public.

6. In summation, all I can say is that as an alum I find this embarrassing. As a fan I find this extremely disappointing. I think Melo's teammates deserved and earned better. This will greatly impact their chances for glory and in the cases of Kris and Dion (if he leaves) it may well affect their draft status and future paydays.

This is simply the sort of thing that should not have happened. Something is wrong here, and I would wager that it is something more than a kid not attending classes.

 

[Cusefan95]

4. I believe the suspension of Melo at this time is a message to the athletic programs of this University. I believe there are people up high who will no longer tolerate embarrassing incidents. This was a university suspension. therefore, it did not have to happen at this time unless there is a sense upstairs that something has gone awry in a big picture way. A FF appearance would would be a huge kudo. The fact that the university chose to suspend a player, whose absence almost insures that this will not be a FF season, tells me that there is something bigger at play here.

You may be correct. I believe there are potential on-field consequences to that. I was looking forward to competing with Duke in basketball and hoping we could improve in football to the point we compete regularly with Clemson when we join the ACC. If the University administrators are going to micromanage the athletic department, it's far more likely we compete with Duke in football and Clemson in hoops.

It may be the right thing for the University to do at this point in time. If we see JB is still here next year, but Mike Hopkins isn't, that would be a sign to me that Your point above has hit the mark.

 

[kingtidge]

This is simply the sort of thing that should not have happened. Something is wrong here, and I would wager that it is something more than a kid not attending classes.

I wonder if Melo's issue may be cultural as much as anything else?

I've read that in Brasil, if you are considered a promising young soccer talent, you are often taken from school and placed in a special soccer-focused academy... and at the academy, the athlete does pretty much one thing - plays and is coached on soccer full-time...

So 12 and 13-year old soccer prodigies go to development academies for years in their teens where they live and breath sport non-stop and academic education is sparse or none.

Anyone think Fab thought academics were simply and afterthought?? Something he really did not have to do or make any effort at because he was a Tier 1 athletic talent and culturally, he is somewhat programmed to expect little focus on academics?

I guess one would hope he would figure out that some amount of academic effort is required in D1 NCAA athletics... or at least that someone in our organization could make sure he understood that.

Maybe that stereotype is wrong... just going by various articles and opinions I've read.

 

[newmexicuse]

You may be correct. I believe there are potential on-field consequences to that. I was looking forward to competing with Duke in basketball and hoping we could improve in football to the point we compete regularly with Clemson when we join the ACC. If the University administrators are going to micromanage the athletic department, it's far more likely we compete with Duke in football and Clemson in hoops.

It may be the right thing for the University to do at this point in time. If we see JB is still here next year, but Mike Hopkins isn't, that would be a sign to me that Your point above has hit the mark.

I am not understanding your point on Mike.

I can see both back, both gone, or Jimmy retired & Mike as coach. I am not understanding the scenerio of Jimmy back & no Mike.

Please clarify.

 

[Cusefan95]

I wonder is Melo's issue may be cultural as much as anything else?
...Maybe that stereotype is wrong... just going by various articles and opinions I've read.

I considered posting along these lines but figured it would bring the PC police out in full force and wasn't worth the hassle.

On the other hand, the issue may be that Melo is not particularly academically gifted and tends to be lazy, which isn't a great combo. There are people like that in all cultures that seem to be determined to waste their God given gifts.

 

[BleedsOrange44]

Had not heard that perspective before kingtidge. But it sounds reasonable. Doesn't mean that's what's going on, but it's as reasonable (if not more so) than other theories out there.

 

[Cusefan95]

I am not understanding your point on Mike.

I can see both back, both gone, or Jimmy retired & Mike as coach. I am not understanding the scenerio of Jimmy back & no Mike.

Please clarify.

I could see the University not wanting to fire JB because it would somewhat validate the sketchy stories with incomplete facts that have come out in the last six months, but wanting to assert greater control over the athletic department. In that case I could see JB sticking around for one more year (he's basically got a good team returning even if Dion and Fab are both gone), but Hopkins starting to shop himself around because he would know that he would be taking over a program that the University doesn't plan to invest in or support the way they have historically.

This NOT happening doesn't mean you're not right that the administration is going to control the Athletic department more, but if it did happen there would be virtually no other way to explain why it went down.

 

[kcsu]

Nice post. I believe that this is a simple situation. My understanding is that Melo had his situation reviewed after his first suspension and upon review the suspension was lifted. Upon a deeper or further review somethings came into question. Based on those new findings i believe the University felt that he would be found ineligable and took the precautionary step to suspend Melo so that we would not have to vacate any victories post tournament.

 

[newmexicuse]

Nice post. I believe that this is a simple situation. My understanding is that Melo had his situation reviewed after his first suspension and upon review the suspension was lifted. Upon a deeper or further review somethings came into question. Based on those new findings i believe the University felt that he would be found ineligable and took the precautionary step to suspend Melo so that we would not have to vacate any victories post tournament.

If true, there must have been some sort of an incident/catalyst to trigger that further review other than Fab not attending classes. It is mid-semester. He has not flunked anything yet, at least not anything new.

I would wager that if Dion is intending to leave that he is also not attending classes, and I would bet the same for 50 other kids across the D1 landscape who have early entry thoughts. I do not believe that is the reason that Fab has been "picked on."