Commitment is a 2 way street

[Stretchdeltsig]

The rodents suit up 18 to 20 players per game.

Marquette should give scholarships out to the best players possible that give us the best chance to win. Wally was given three scholarships (2 years for basketball and now 1 year track).  We need to improve the roster err r to compete in the tough Big East.  This isn't the slow and dull Big Ten.  I hope we have another player  changeover coming. 

[mu03eng]

I will reserve final judgement until all the facts come out, if they do.  But it certainly isn't hang wringing to say that an institution that I care about should hold itself to a standard higher than "only winning matters."  If Wojo even insinuated that Wally would have been allowed to stay on the team and still try for the Olympics, than Wally should be on the team.  If Sunday was the first time this issue came up, than Wally should still be on the team.

**I don't care if we need a power forward.  That's Wojo's fault for poor roster construction.

**I don't care if Wally still can go to school for free.  He came here to play basketball at Wojo's invitation.  If he just wanted to be a track athlete, he would have either stayed at Minnesota or gone somewhere else.

**I don't care if the Ellensons give Wojo a headache.  That's not Wally's fault.

I don't like the rationalizations.  I don't like the condescending attitude about Wally.  I want Marquette to be the institution *it claims* to be.  Now I will still root for them to win, but I think this is a black mark on both Wojo and the program IF this was a "cold, calculated move" as keefe puts it.

Sunday was not the first time this came up, it had been talked about all through the process. Wally was never guaranteed a spot, he had to mature as a player and develop...Wojo felt he hadn't matured enough and would not with his limited summer involvement up coming, the parents disagreed. Largely the "disagreement" stems from the evaluation of Wally's basketball talent.

[martyconlonontherun]

Remember that the guy that is getting millions got to that position by starting off as one of those guys just getting a free education.  He used that free education to position himself for a lifelong career that is now getting him paid millions.

Many would kill to have the opportunity these gets get to have for free.

I would agree with you if it wasn't for a dumb rule that prevented him going pro in the first place. Nothing was special about MU that made him into a lottery pick. If he would've not even played this year (just trained), went d-league, or went to china he still would have been a top 20 pick.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

That's a my gripe right now. Wally will come out of this fine, but he came here because he wanted to play basketball, and that's now no longer an option, not here or anywhere. I have a feeling there's no way that happens if Henry stays.

You are right. Had Henry stayed, Wally would have stayed. And then Sacar or Sandy would have gotten the axe so we could pick up Reinhardt. And no one would have cared.

This is the part that bothers me the most. Players get cut all the time. We didn't bat an eye when Jamal Ferguson or Scott Christopherson or others were let go. But because Wally has a famous brother, we think this is the worst thing in the world. Wally doesn't deserve special treatment because his brother is a budding NBA star. If you are the 13th man on the roster and there's someone else who's better than you who wants to sign, you're going to get cut. Most of the time you don't get a full ride in another sport so you have the option to stay at your current university.

[MerrittsMustache]

And for those talking about team chemistry....how's the chemistry work out if you keep Wally which may hamper the opportunity for guys like JjJ and Luke to make their first ever tournament as well as making them do all the work while Wally gets to skip out on stuff so he can try in a different sport with a different team?

What if there was an issue with team chemistry because teammates believed Wally was getting preferential treatment? As in, the players are there every single day taking shots, running drills, lifting weights, busting their a$$es to improve their game while Wally was off jumping over a bar.

Admittedly, I have no idea if this is the case and I don't mean to insinuate that track athletes don't put in hours of hard work but the Adam LaRoche situation made me wonder about this. In that case, there was a ton of immediate backlash against the FO before it came out that some teammates had voiced displeasure about Drake's constant presence.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Why is is not cool? The Ellensons will have one kid graduate debt free with a college degree while having a good shot at the olympics and the other will be making millions in the NBA. Wally wasn't fully committed to the basketball program (perfectly understandable) but he also didn't have the talent that justified such an extravagance so we've moved on.

Wojo had to get to the dance next year anyway, now he's just given himself a shot to do so.

Do we know that Wally was given the choice to go "all-in" on basketball or not?  If he was given that choice and said "nah, I'm still going to do track" knowing what that would mean (off the b-ball team) then there is absolutely no issue at all.  If he wasn't given the choice, or didn't fully understand what that choice meant to his basketball future, then I think I might feel a little differently.

Not sure anybody knows the above, but pretty important to fully judge what went down.

[GGGG]

You are right. Had Henry stayed, Wally would have stayed. And then Sacar or Sandy would have gotten the axe so we could pick up Reinhardt. And no one would have cared.

This is the part that bothers me the most. Players get cut all the time. We didn't bat an eye when Jamal Ferguson or Scott Christopherson or others were let go. But because Wally has a famous brother, we think this is the worst thing in the world. Wally doesn't deserve special treatment because his brother is a budding NBA star. If you are the 13th man on the roster and there's someone else who's better than you who wants to sign, you're going to get cut. Most of the time you don't get a full ride in another sport so you have the option to stay at your current university.

No what bothers me is that Wally was cut with no basketball options available.  Sacar and Sandy would have had plenty.

[GGGG]

Sunday was not the first time this came up, it had been talked about all through the process. Wally was never guaranteed a spot, he had to mature as a player and develop...Wojo felt he hadn't matured enough and would not with his limited summer involvement up coming, the parents disagreed. Largely the "disagreement" stems from the evaluation of Wally's basketball talent.

And if this is the case, then I am fine. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

No what bothers me is that Wally was cut with no basketball options available.  Sacar and Sandy would have had plenty.

I wouldn't be certain that Wally doesn't have any basketball options.

[jsglow]

This has been interesting.  There are some here who seemingly believe that MU must commit to a player for the full term of his basketball eligibility from day #1.  I'd argue that a surefire way to finish 8th every year in what has become an annual competitive environment for the best players.  Kids are now using the Graduate Transfer option to position themselves.  So schools can't?

I'd be the first to say Wally was getting a raw deal is his scholly had been yanked and he had no recourse to graduate from MU or any other institution (because of the 6 year limit) without paying the freight.  But that's not what happened at all.

So let's take this to the next logical level.  Let's say Sacar doesn't progress at all this year and it become apparent that he won't get above 12th man during his 4 years here despite being a great kid and a credit to the university.  Wojo should honor that bench spot for two more years so the kid can graduate?  Or should he make a ton of phone calls on Sacar's behalf trying to help him land a transfer spot at a school where he can contribute on the basketball court while at the same time excelling in the classroom toward his degree?  I'd argue Wojo's (and Marquette's) moral obligation would be complete following step #2.   It would seem some disagree.

[jsglow]

I wouldn't be certain that Wally doesn't have any basketball options.

TAMU, Sultan's right.  Wally doesn't have D1 basketball options as far as I can calculate.  He doesn't qualify for graduate transfer status, would have to sit out a year, and won't be eligible the year after that.  That part does suck.

[MerrittsMustache]

I wouldn't be certain that Wally doesn't have any basketball options.

He'd have to drop from D1 to a lower division.

[GOO]

Look, this is not ideal.  But commitment is a two way street.  At any school, including the one to the west.  Wally, rightfully, based upon his track potential is not fully committed to basketball.  But some on here think Wojo should be fully committed to him, even if he isn't fully committed to the team.  All the other players have to be fully committed.  Welcome to D-1 basketball.   Wally has not lost the love for basketball, but he isn't totally 100% in love with basketball either. 

I can see both sides, but it truly is a two way commitment.  Kind of tough on Wally as he wants to play basketball, but isn't going to be fully committed to the team like the other 12 players.  Kind of tough on Wojo to say all others have to be fully committed, attend summer school, work outs, etc, but not for Wally...

Both sides need to take a deep breath and realize this is not clear cut. For those who think black and white, there is a lot more grey here.   

For those that disagree, the next time a player decides to not be 100% committed, has other interests first, the coach at MU should say great, let's help you out with that and of course we'll keep you on scholarship and you do your thing.  Not happening anywhere at the higher D-1 level. 

[Marcus92]

That's a my gripe right now. Wally will come out of this fine, but he came here because he wanted to play basketball, and that's now no longer an option, not here or anywhere. I have a feeling there's no way that happens if Henry stays.

No doubt in my mind — if Henry didn't declare for the NBA draft, Wally is still on the roster for the 2016-17. So it's obviously not just about Wally's basketball abilities. But I'm not sure it ever was. Would we have pursued Wally as a transfer if he wasn't Luke's brother? I don't think so. I hoped that Wally could translate his athleticism into becoming a high-energy role player, defender and rebounder off the bench, but he never showed much in the way of development.

The fact is that Henry did declare for the draft. And that changed everything. It changed the roster and focus of the entire team. And if we signed Wally in part to make his brother happy — well, his brother's not on the team anymore.

If you have issues with Wally losing his MU basketball scholarship, I think you also have to question whether he should have gotten one in the first place.

[DienerTime34]

There's only one thing I know for sure, and it's the majority of players on this team won't be losing any sleep over not having any Ellenson's on the team any longer. There's a lot going on here, but that's one thing you don't need to worry about. Team unity will be fine.

[GooooMarquette]

Of course Wally would still be on the team if Henry was.  But then again, we'd have 36 minutes of our #4 covered and his sitting at the end of the bench wouldn't be an issue.  That's definitely not the case today.

Agreed.  If Henry had stayed, we would have no need to replace Wally.

[Lennys Tap]

I wouldn't be certain that Wally doesn't have any basketball options.

Right - he can play at the rec center and go after all of Ners's single season records.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Right - he can play at the rec center and go after all of Ners's single season records.

Maybe he can go play with his other brother.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

He'd have to drop from D1 to a lower division.

That is an option. I think there might be other options as well.

[mu03eng]

Maybe he can go play with his other brother.

That brother graduated

[mu03eng]

Do we know that Wally was given the choice to go "all-in" on basketball or not?  If he was given that choice and said "nah, I'm still going to do track" knowing what that would mean (off the b-ball team) then there is absolutely no issue at all.  If he wasn't given the choice, or didn't fully understand what that choice meant to his basketball future, then I think I might feel a little differently.

Not sure anybody knows the above, but pretty important to fully judge what went down.

Yes

[Henry Sugar]

There's only one thing I know for sure, and it's the majority of players on this team won't be losing any sleep over not having any Ellenson's on the team any longer. There's a lot going on here, but that's one thing you don't need to worry about. Team unity will be fine.

that's a pretty bold statement there

[MuMark]

that's a pretty bold statement there

Travis Diener wouldn't lie would he?

[mu03eng]

that's a pretty bold statement there

bold and correct aren't mutually exclusive terms FYI

[Golden Avalanche]

that's a pretty bold statement there

Bold as in BOLD, yet it will get lost in the drivel of moral existentialism.