Dick_in_MI
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- Aug 26, 2011
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It is true that Altman told him what he wanted to hear but at the same time he also gave him the chance to be a small forward. When Quincy showed that he was no more able to be a true Duck 3 than he was to be a true Otto 3, the house of cards came crashing down. I used the analogy of Villari coming from UM because Dino told him he would get a chance at QB. He got the chance, it didn’t work out, and now he is a tight end. Same as when he left UM.
I think Dino was being serious and I think Altman was being serious. Both coaches thought the potential was there and both players were given chances.
My feelings about Quincy have evolved over time. When he left, I felt that he was crazy to give up a starting role to go somewhere else. But in the end, he was a guy with an NBA dream who knew that his only chance at that dream was being a small forward. Hard to be critical of a guy who was betting on himself. Although I have been retired for 11 years (for those doing the math, yes I retired at 25), earlier in my career I faced the same thing. I was with a company I loved, colleagues that I loved, but I had plateaued and no longer felt the room for growth. I went elsewhere and that place sucked. After another 18 months, I moved on and the next company was where it all came together. It was like a door opened and the rest of my career was on the other side. I bet on myself and it worked out well. As an aside, thank you SU education. Also, thank you Mom and Dad.
In much the same way, Quincy bet on himself. He was maybe never going to get to the NBA at all but he definitely was not going to get there by being (at that time) a 6’7” power forward at SU. He shot for the stars. I can respect that now in a way that I could not when he initially left.
