Saunders .. d'oh

[Harrison]

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

[79Warrior]

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.

[4everwarriors]

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.

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

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.

[bilsu]

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.

[Harrison]

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.

[ecompt]

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.

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

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.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

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.

[jtate15]

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.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

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...