The other board has a poster who's reported that Damian Saunders has been arrested on drug charges. :o
Looks like it's getting confirmed from various places.
http://forums.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=415#S=415&F=2850&T=671845
Could solve our scholarship problem. If you had to pick one of the four he or Hazel would be the one to go anyhow.
no way either one of those two can be any more ...than Blackledge.
Color me skeptical. I can't find anything online.
Yeah, Blackledge....
I have no respect for guys who don't get it done in the classroom.
Edit: Yeah, that's pretty unnecessary.
I resemble that remark, did graduate eventually.
Quote from: ozmetal71 on June 29, 2007, 03:11:41 PM
Yeah, Blackledge . EDITED
I have no respect for guys who don't get it done in the classroom.
Should Blackledge get his grades in order and eventually contribute to the program, good for him and good for Marquette. In that instance, it would be a clear example of someone using Division 1 basketball to get a quality education, despite limited contributions on the court.
<corrections made. good show by mods and oz>
Quote from: Henry Sugar on June 29, 2007, 03:49:48 PM
Quote from: ozmetal71 on June 29, 2007, 03:11:41 PM
Yeah, Blackledge EDITED
I have no respect for guys who don't get it done in the classroom.
Wow... In that instance, it would be a clear example of someone using Division 1 basketball to get a quality education, despite limited contributions on the court.
Are you talking about Mike Kinsella?
Quote from: Harrison on June 29, 2007, 02:45:52 PM
no way either one of those two can be any more ... than Blackledge.
Seriously, do we have to talk about 18 and 19 year old kids this way?
then Crean has to have the kahunas to kick him to the curb.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on June 29, 2007, 05:01:32 PM
then Crean has to have the kahunas to kick him to the curb.
Not quite that simple...an arrest doesn't mean he's found guilty, etc, etc.
Something to watch for certain....I'm a zero tolerance guy myself on drugs, but I also realize that many folks are in the camp of second chances (and third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc chances).
I apologize for the terminology that I used to describe Blackledge.
However, I don't respect athletes who are on full scholarships who don't get it done in the classroom. I hope that Blackledge gets his grades in order, and if he does, that is great.
I don't see him contributing much to the team right now other than taking a scholarship that we could use.
If I offended anybody, I apologize, but I expect Marquette athletes to perform in the classroom. Its one of the things that separates us from the Cincis and Memphises of the college world.
I'm not sure it offended anyone .. well, no, strike that, it probably did. There are plenty of folks who really frown upon talking poorly about teenagers.
It just doesn't need to be said. -- Also, I do worry about exactly what kind of issues these kids have. We really don't know if Trend is trying hard, but just doesn't have the horsepower to get it done. There's a world of difference between a screwoff and a guy who struggles in class.
I am shocked. Saunders is the first 18 year old I have ever heard of that used poor judgement. Seriously, this is unfortunate. What are the current rules at MU for students caught with illegal recreational pharmaceuticals? Does he qualify as a MU student yet? Are our rules as stringent as ND's? What are the NCAA's rules and regs on this? Does he count as a student under the NCAA's definition? I would red-shirt him, let the legal process play out, see if this is an anomaly or an indicator, and make a final decision at the end of the 07-08 academic year. If he is a kid who did something dumb but is redeemable, keep him. If not, turn him loose.
update. I picked up a hardcopy of the Waterbury paper this afternoon
http://marquettebasketball.blogspot.com/2007/06/issue-with-mu-signee.html
Hilltopper....I understand, and apologize again.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on June 29, 2007, 05:13:06 PM
Quote from: 4everwarriors on June 29, 2007, 05:01:32 PM
then Crean has to have the kahunas to kick him to the curb.
Not quite that simple...an arrest doesn't mean he's found guilty, etc, etc.
Something to watch for certain....I'm a zero tolerance guy myself on drugs, but I also realize that many folks are in the camp of second chances (and third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc chances).
I'm a second chance kind of guy -- especially for kids. When it comes to folks in the spotlight or adults, I too get pretty close to zero tolerance. I think one-and-done in the NFL/NBA would do both leagues a world of good. But for college kids, I have a hard time not allowing a mulligan.
Hell, at Madison, he'd be suspended for a practice.
TC is in a no-win situation here. He'll be called a hypocrite by his haters no matter what he does.
Wasn't B Bell gone for similar offenses?
Quote from: MUDPT on June 29, 2007, 11:07:59 PM
Wasn't B Bell gone for similar offenses?
Essentially yes. Bell wasn't caught, but you used the key word in his case, offenses. It wasn't a one time thing for him, he was given more than one chance. We don't know yet if its the same for Saunders.
i agree, he deserves a second chance, but i think our punishment ought to mirror that of NDs. we have very similar standards for our university and how it is represented. that being said, saunders should be suspended for a semester and then allowed to re-enroll.
this may have determined who gets to redshirt, if anyone.
I agree, if it turns out that all this was is a little weed and that there are no deeper issues, no mid-night madness, no canada trip, no island trip and no games until X-mas vacation might be just what is needed to get the point accross.
Quote from: ilovefreeway on June 30, 2007, 09:17:34 AM
I agree, if it turns out that all this was is a little weed and that there are no deeper issues, no mid-night madness, no canada trip, no island trip and no games until X-mas vacation might be just what is needed to get the point accross.
I agree with punishing him, but that long of a punishment can really make a kid jaded and dislike being at MU. I say, TOUGH CRAP, KID...we have standards to uphold. Yet the hand "that strikes" must also be the hand "that encourages." I hope Saunders can see that he made a mistake, accept responsibility and the accompanying punishment, and have a positive attitude about letting his teammates, his coaches, his family, and himself down.
EDIT: Didn't see it posted, but Todd Rosiak wrote about it in the JSonline.com website: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=626545
Recruit arrested on drug charges
Saunders still awaiting scholarship
By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 29, 2007Damian Saunders, a member of Marquette University's 2007-'08 recruiting class, was arrested earlier this week on drug charges in his hometown of Waterbury, Conn.
According to a police report in the Waterbury Republican American on Friday, Saunders, 18, was charged by Waterbury Police with possession of a controlled substance other than a narcotic or hallucinogen, or less than 4 ounces of marijuana.
Waterbury Police provided no additional details when contacted Friday evening, and Saunders could not be reached.
Golden Eagles coach Tom Crean learned of Saunders' arrest Friday and spoke with the 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward.
"We were broadsided with this," Crean said. "I have expressed my disappointment to Damian and have reiterated to him the high standards we have in this program for responsibility and accountability.
"From this point on, it will be a private matter that we will follow closely."
Saunders was the final member of a four-man recruiting class for the Golden Eagles, and signed in November even though they technically had no scholarship to offer him then.
With Dominic James returning to MU for his junior season, the Golden Eagles still are one scholarship short and would need to make some sort of roster move in order to accommodate Saunders, assuming he qualifies academically and deals sufficiently with his pending case.
Saunders played last season at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., where he averaged roughly 8.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and close to 3.0 blocked shots per game as a part-time starter on a team that finished 32-3 and won the national prep-school championship.
Next season, Saunders would figure in the mix at both small forward and power forward at MU, and have the potential to play early on because of his ability to guard bigger players and rebound.
Crean said he had no idea how quickly Saunders' legal problems could be ironed out.
"That's between him and his family, to work on that," Crean said.
18 yr olds make mistakes - probation for 1st offense. Probably good this happened now and not in Milwaukee.
i think the punishment would have to be worse if it had happened in milwaukee as a student. since this happened in CT prior to enrolling at MU its not as big of a deal imo.
I would like to respond to my comment on Blackledge that was so aggressively analyzed and deemed innapropriate.
I think people jumped to incorrect conclusions here.
I was simply responding to the previous poster that said, in effect, good that frees a rideand either he or Hazel are the ones that would least help us.
I posted...neither one of them was possibly more worthless than Blackledge.
Everyone should take it easy. it had nothing to do with him a s aperson or had any inkling to wards his grades. In fact his efforts to get his grades in order and regain his eligibilty and graduate are totally commendable.
My comments only focused on the fact that the two incoming kids are by all accounts much more prepared to help MU. Both have 30-50 lbs on Blacklegde, both are significantly higher rated and both have by all accounts come from signifcantly better prgrams and appear to be more ready to contribute despite their youth. My comments had absolutely nothing to do with Blackledge the indicvdaul or his charater. I simply used the word by it's definition...that being " with out worth"...which is how i see him to the 2007- 2008 squad. I am sure he is a great kid, Saunders and Hazel too...just of more "worth". 2 spots 3 guys
Quote from: 4everwarriors on June 29, 2007, 05:01:32 PM
then Crean has to have the kahunas to kick him to the curb.
what???????? Get a grip dude. There would barely be a 77 team if that was the criteria.
You may be right about the '77 Warrior team. However, to the best of my recollection no member of that team was ever caught and charged. My point is that here's a recruit, who hasn't even set foot on campus, and he's already in trouble with the law. I don't care if he's the second coming of Michael Jordan, no program needs to start off with a freshman who already has one tit in the wringer. If the allegations are correct, the smart money says Saunder's scholarship is revoked.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on July 02, 2007, 09:11:29 PM
You may be right about the '77 Warrior team. However, to the best of my recollection no member of that team was ever caught and charged. My point is that here's a recruit, who hasn't even set foot on campus, and he's already in trouble with the law. I don't care if he's the second coming of Michael Jordan, no program needs to start off with a freshman who already has one tit in the wringer. If the allegations are correct, the smart money says Saunder's scholarship is revoked.
Bo Ellis?
Late edit as I was watching some of the Bulls press conference with their draft picks. How about JamesOn Curry? Seems a somewhat similar situation except that Curry was a little more serious because he was caught selling the herb whereas Saunders was caught simply possessing the herb. Regardless, Curry's scholarship offer was rescinded by UNC and he ended up at OK State. Not 100% sure but I believe Curry did alright by the standards set by that program and it looked to be a simple high school kid-type mistake.
It's entirely possible that this is an isolated incident for Saunders and it will provide him with the lesson learned that allows him to look back in 4 years after his time at MU and is grateful the program and school stuck by him.
So you are suggesting we should strive to be like the coach that put Kentucky on probation and then jumped to another school to avoid punishment. I had no respect for him or the current Indiana coach. Yes there are second chances and Saunders deserves one, but at another school.
I personally beleive MU should honor his scholarship offer, but the whole 1 too many makes things tricky. I really beleive that if we were ok in that regard we should honor the offer. Simply sit the kid down and say " that was a big f'up and one single stray whther it be acedemically or anything else and you will be gone, we will do everything to help make you successful but you must realize you one chance has been spent".
However given the scholarship situation this might just be the thing that tips the scales. That is all eligibilty issues come together and the arrest causes Saunders to be the odd man out. Even worse, not having Trevor and Damian this year would be scary.
Could MU wait to see if Trevor qualifiies before deciding on Damian? I know it's not exactly right and proper (you'd like the school to take a stance immediately), but I'm just wondering.
Quote from: bilsu on July 03, 2007, 07:19:18 AM
So you are suggesting we should strive to be like the coach that put Kentucky on probation and then jumped to another school to avoid punishment. I had no respect for him or the current Indiana coach. Yes there are second chances and Saunders deserves one, but at another school.
I didn't suggest that. You did. I agree that Eddie Sutton lost a lot of respect for his actions at Kentucky and he seemed to take that to heart Oklahoma City as he gave a lot of kids a second chance. Now, a few of them burned him and that's bound to happen when you follow that policy. However, there were/are success stories. I don't advocate Crean going down that road and he certainly won't (as he's turned down kids looking for a 2nd chance) as I think he learned his lesson with James Matthews. I think this truly blindsided him and the program as Saunders has gotten high marks from Bill Barton who delivered a wonderful character kid in Lazar Hayward.
Some people are taking a hard line on this kid and I guess I just don't see the need for it. If he was involved in some sort of physical assault or sexual misconduct I agree about dropping him without thought but this is a transgression that many high school kids have committed in their past. The majority of them have turned out well. I like Saunders and hopes he stays. I also think it would be cowardly to drop him not as a result of punishment but as a result of being one scholarship over the limit.
I don't know if MU will have a hard and fast rule for this or not.
I mean let's face it... if the kid is a great kid who just made a mistake... well then he deserves a second chance... and MU will get an extremely loyal person/player who is grateful that he received a second chance.
IF this is just s signal of a bigger pattern risky behavior, well... then its probably best to part ways and let him get his life in order.
The coaching staff investigate the situation and come up with their decision.
I don't know enough about Saunders to really speculate if this is a pattern or not. I've never read anything negative about him, but that doesn't mean that there aren't issues.
they'll probably base the decision on the severity of the charge. If it only possession then they may let him stay with with a suspension for some time, if he's charged with moremlike intent to sell, then i don't see him being given another chance.
the first can be a one time mistake, the latter indicates a pattern.
Quote from: jtate15 on July 03, 2007, 12:41:09 PM
they'll probably base the decision on the severity of the charge. If it only possession then they may let him stay with with a suspension for some time, if he's charged with moremlike intent to sell, then i don't see him being given another chance.
the first can be a one time mistake, the latter indicates a pattern.
Agreed. Intent to distribute is a good indication of a pattern... possession could be viewed as a one time (albeit large) mistake.
I'm sure the coaching staff is all over this...