Wendell

[small tyme baller]

Well put Maggie... He's a good guy and gifted athlete

[DaShox]

Last year, I said Wendell needed a bus ticket home. Nothing personal.

[ISASO]

I cannot imagine anyone thinks it's personal. There just has to be a way to raise this program's margin of error from 0.00 to +1.

Maybe an example is in order here:

OK, so there's three guys in your group at work. The boss adds a fourth person to help raise the group's output, and he performed well in the interview so everyone is eager to get cranking. He's a really great guy and he works hard to learn the job. After a year on the job he has learned the job and still works hard at it, but he never seems to finish anything and therefore hasn't really helped the group as much as everyone had hoped.
But, he is a pretty nice guy and doesn't cause any trouble and there are some wicked deadlines coming up so the boss decides to hire a temp person to get the group through this rough time. Well, the temp comes in and despite the handicap of lacking in experience and training he actually performs really well. Eventually, the boss gives the temp one of the assignments the 1-year veteran just wasn't making any progess on. Lo and behold, the job is done within a week and with pretty good quality too.
With the temp's help, the group makes the deadlines and everyone is happy - until the boss has to cut the group back down to four people because the budget just can't support 5 workers.

Who gets the ziggy? The ineffective guy who tries hard or the up-and-comer who has a lot of upside and made the most of an opportunity?

You make the call.

[ShockCity]

Saying something like "maybe Wendell isn't cut out to be a D-1 basketball player and the coaches should look at getting him an opportunity to play somewhere else." is one thing. Saying "Get him a bus ticket back to Texas" is disrespectful and degrading to someone who, as far as I can tell, hasn't done anything negative to anyone on this board.

[ShockCity]

Last year, I said Wendell needed a bus ticket home. Nothing personal.

Coming from someone who tried to steal someone elses work and sell it on Ebay, this doesn't surprise me one bit.

:roll:

[1972Shocker]

A little bit from Wendell's bio:

Averaged 12 points, five rebounds and four assists for Westbury Christian High School which won its third-straight Texas Association of Parochial Schools Class 5A title in 2005... Four other of his teammates played Division I basketball... Was ranked as the No. 63 senior by texashoops.com, and was one of 20 players named TAPPs All-State for classes 4, 5 and 6A...

Wendell may or may not have been a high-risk recruit, but it was a risk the WSU coaching staff took. They made him an offer to play basketball at WSU in exchange for an education. As far as I know he has given his best effort as a student and as an athlete.

If the Coaching staff made a mistake in recruiting Wendell then that should have been addressed after his first year or second year at the latest. I simply do not care for cutting Seniors loose for no other reason than to correct a recruiting mistake that, if it was going to be corrected, should have already been taken care of.

Now Wendell has to understand that he probably will be relegated to a practice player. If he wants to finish his career at WSU and is ready to continue to give everything he has to be the best practice player he can be (and I think he can be a valuable practice player) then I say let him finish.

I don't see having Wendell at the end of the bench next year, when we have our full complement of 13 scholarship players will make a huge difference in the outcome of our season or in the rebuilding we hope to see occur under HCGM. Realistically, 9 to 10 players will see the bulk of the playing time. In fact, an argument could be made that this gives HCGM a full year to evaluate this year's class so he has a better feel for what kind of player(s) he needs to add to the mix the following year.

Now if Wendell wants to actually finish his College career conttributing on the court during games, then Wendell should, of his own accord, move on to a D-II or NAIA school to finish out his career.

The guys I think HCGM needs to take a serious look at are JT Durley and Graham Hatch. They both have 3 years of eligibility remaining and I would rather cut them loose now, then to wait until after their Junior seasons to be having this same "Wendell" conversation. HCGM needs to evaluate whether or not these guys can cut the mustard over the next three years. If not, he should convince them it is in their own best interests to move on where they will be happier. Otherwise, make a commitment to try and develop them as best you can and stand by it as long as they give there best effort on and off the court.

JT's question is not talent. It is toughness and work ethic on defense and rebounding.

If HCGM continues to recruit at a high level, I can see Graham in the same boat as Wendell a couple of years down the line. To me it would be preferrable to deal with that situation now, and not after the young man has given three years of his college career to your progam.

One other bit from Wendell's bio:

A member of National Honor Society, the Honor Roll and Student of the Week six times...

Allowing Wendell the opportunity to finish his career as a Shocker if he so desires, is IMHO, a matter of honor.

:posterwu: :goshocks: :posterwsu:

[C0|dB|00ded]

Nobody is advocating kicking Wendell out of college but he definitely has no place on the team. I'm sure Wendell can secure other sources of financing to complete his academic endeavors.

I'm a hardliner when it comes to athletics. Athletes are recruited to win games. Athletes are not recruited to achieve academic success. It is expected that they will make the most of their OPPORTUNITY in the classroom and if they struggle there are guidelines (punishments) in place to help rectify the situation. In big time college basketball, athletes are recruited to win basketball games -period.

We need to be bringing the best players we can find in the world to win games for WSU. WSU's success in athletics has a huge impact on the overall reputation of the university to alums as well as would-be students. College athletes provide a service for the university and they are rewarded with free tuition. If they aren't providing the service they get unsuckled from their tuitional tit.

I've said if before and I'll say it again, I could care less if our players can spell their names or count to ten as long as they have soft hands, jump out of the gym, are tall, and have a real mean streak when they get on the court. Hearing that a player was a student athlete of the week means absolutely zero to me. How many times was Xavier and Antoine student athletes of the week? Who cares...

It's basketball players first for me, nice boys and students a distant second...

I'll even take guys on my team so dumb that they confuse towels with urinals if they can get 20/10 every other night and catch the eye of the national media...


T


...8)

[ISASO]

Cold, graduation is very important. Being a great representative of the school is important. Winning is important.

Anyone on scholarship not able to contribute in a significant way on all three of those levels has no place at WSU.

Marshall's job is to find 13 of those guys. It is the players "job" to perform those three very difficult tasks.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Cold, graduation is very important. Being a great representative of the school is important. Winning is important.

Anyone on scholarship not able to contribute in a significant way on all three of those levels has no place at WSU.

Marshall's job is to find 13 of those guys. It is the players "job" to perform those three very difficult tasks.

Graduation is very important to you and I but may not be to a guy that has played basketball his whole life with dreams and aspirations of going pro. College to him is a technical experience in his trade and not necessarily a general philosophical experience.

If I have a choice between Michael Jordan (who did not graduate with his geology degree until wayyy later) or a solid three star who goes on to be a doctor I will pick MJ every day and twice on Sunday.

If I have the choice between a Rob Kampman (real nice guy) and a guy who pees in towels but has awesome skill and talent I will take the latter on the same intervals as mentioned earlier.

Nobody remembers a DUI or a fight outside a club for very long but they do remember an Elite 8 or a first round draft pick. My opinion sounds harsh and prehistoric but it is brutally honest and is shared by the majority of college basketball fans.

Let me clarify further:

If I have a choice between a mid-level Valley team with a spotless arrest record, multiple active bible study groups, and several academic all-americans, or a 3rd place BIG 12 team with a couple malcontents and the ability to put 100 on Missouri I would take the latter... sorry...


T


...8)

[dregn]

ISASO, in your example about the guy at work did he sign on while being told that he'd be there for 4 years working? Didn't the Dodgers still have to pay Dreifort for 5 years of playing even though he played 1 (or something along those lines)? I know people say a scholarship is a year to year thing, but I've never known anyone who's signed on without expecting it meant they will be given that aid for 4 years. My personal opinion is that it's not ethical if you don't renew it.

[wxkid23]

I really hope JT can figure it out because I personally believe he could be very good.

Hatch on the other hand ... I hope he's not on the team next year or I take that as a sign we still have depth problems. He is simply not quick enough for D1 ball.

[SFL]

Cold, graduation is very important. Being a great representative of the school is important. Winning is important.

Anyone on scholarship not able to contribute in a significant way on all three of those levels has no place at WSU.

Marshall's job is to find 13 of those guys. It is the players "job" to perform those three very difficult tasks.

Graduation is very important to you and I but may not be to a guy that has played basketball his whole life with dreams and aspirations of going pro. College to him is a technical experience in his trade and not necessarily a general philosophical experience.

If I have a choice between Michael Jordan (who did not graduate with his geology degree until wayyy later) or a solid three star who goes on to be a doctor I will pick MJ every day and twice on Sunday.

If I have the choice between a Rob Kampman (real nice guy) and a guy who pees in towels but has awesome skill and talent I will take the latter on the same intervals as mentioned earlier.

Nobody remembers a DUI or a fight outside a club for very long but they do remember an Elite 8 or a first round draft pick. My opinion sounds harsh and prehistoric but it is brutally honest and is shared by the majority of college basketball fans.

Let me clarify further:

If I have a choice between a mid-level Valley team with a spotless arrest record, multiple active bible study groups, and several academic all-americans, or a 3rd place BIG 12 team with a couple malcontents and the ability to put 100 on Missouri I would take the latter... sorry...


T


...8)

[SFL]

He is simply not quick enough for D1 ball.

Neither was Larry Bird. :D

[KC Shox]

But at least Larry was tall (6'9") and could shoot a BB into a thimble. Both things Wendall is not and cannot.

[Ricky Del Rio]

I'm not sure L. Bird v. W. Preadom comparative analysis is the way we want to go right now.