[Rosiak's Blog] Interest shown in transferring Smith

[ChicosBailBonds]

Don't know why he left, but if anyone from his camp says it's because he wouldn't participate in weekly Satanic rituals at Buzz's home they'll be some here who'll insist that it's the gospel truth.

Teal is your friend, although I think you probably really believe what you wrote.  Sad.

[Skitch]

If he does not go to a school spring semester and instead waits until fall would he still be eligible to play next December or would he have to sit out the entire 11-12 season?

[Jay Bee]

If he does not go to a school spring semester and instead waits until fall would he still be eligible to play next December or would he have to sit out the entire 11-12 season?

SIT OUT 11-12

[Skitch]

SIT OUT 11-12

Wow. 2 minutes. That's pretty prompt service at 1 am.  Thanks Jay Bee

[GGGG]

+1.  Does anybody honestly believe that Reggie made this decision on his own?

Of course not....but 99% of kids his age don't make such decisions on their own either.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

What's brad forester's take on all this?

[NavinRJohnson]

From where I'm sitting, it looks pretty clearly like he read the writing on the wall, and made the decision to go someplace where he felt he would have a better opportunity to get minutes. These guys want (expect) to play. If he wasn't good enough to contribute here, then going somewhere else may be the best thing for him.

As far as the mid-season transfer thing goes, I have a hard time believing that's much of a factor as to his options. If Smith had the talent of Vander Blue, the schools on that list would be a who's who of college basketball.

I was wondering during the WVU game if aiming for a 10-man high D1 rotation is realistic in today's college ball. With so many guys wanting to come in and play right away, and having the opportunity to do so at mid-major schools, I'm just not sure you can get enough guys and keep them happy.

[Daniel]

If the stat is 45% of freshmen atheletes transfer, that is a huge problem across the board.  In this day of instant gratification, a lot of kids want it all and want it now.  It is a serious problem beyond atheletics.  I like the concept of no freshmen transfers that the coaches are pushing for.  In most cases, I would think the kids would be fine their sophomore year and glad they did not transfer.  It also removes some of the power of the handlers and others promoting the instant gratification syndrome.

[GGGG]

From where I'm sitting, it looks pretty clearly like he read the writing on the wall, and made the decision to go someplace where he felt he would have a better opportunity to get minutes.

But he would have played more (3 seasons v. 2 1/2) and had more options, if he would have just waited out this next semester. 

As far as the mid-season transfer thing goes, I have a hard time believing that's much of a factor as to his options. If Smith had the talent of Vander Blue, the schools on that list would be a who's who of college basketball. 

OK, let's say that Jamil Wilson wanted to transfer last year at this time and Maymon didn't leave.  MU would have had no room for him scholarship wise.  Unless he paid his own way, MU would not have been an option for him.  Schools that are maxed out on scholarships aren't going to look at Reggie right now.

[NavinRJohnson]

Schools that are maxed out on scholarships aren't going to look at Reggie right now.

Fine, but how many schools does that describe? I don't know, but I assure you that LaSalle, Fairfield, Tulane, etc. are not the only ones with spots open. If he's a good player, he's a bird in the hand to the schools (like Jamil Wilson for MU).

[Pakuni]

What's brad forester's take on all this?

Check youtube.

[GGGG]

Fine, but how many schools does that describe? I don't know, but I assure you that LaSalle, Fairfield, Tulane, etc. are not the only ones with spots open. If he's a good player, he's a bird in the hand to the schools (like Jamil Wilson for MU).

I don't disagree with that, but you said that "you had a hard time believe that was much of a factor."  It's actually a pretty significant factor.  You don't think Chicago area schools the likes of Valpo or Loyola might be interested, but are currently maxed out?  Sure, a school like Duke might have spots open, but aren't going to sniff at Reggie, but Reggie has mid-major talent.  The schools that might take a shot at him had he been a end of year transfer would be a significantly longer list.

[warthog-driver]

Of course not....but 99% of kids his age don't make such decisions on their own either.

Actually Sultan, there are a couple hundred thousand kids Reggie Smith's age who are in combat in the Southwest Asia Area of Operations making life and death decisions daily, sometimes hourly. These young men and women have my deepest, most profound respect.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Amen to that, warthog

[Skatastrophy]

Actually Sultan, there are a couple hundred thousand kids Reggie Smith's age who are in combat in the Southwest Asia Area of Operations making life and death decisions daily, sometimes hourly. These young men and women have my deepest, most profound respect.

Good lord, give it a rest already.

[warthog-driver]

Good lord, give it a rest already.

I was raised to ask, How have I served today?

[BrewCity83]

If you buy into the fact that Buzz thought he was soft, than the reason for transferring was that he did not want to work so hard. Assuming that is the case then he is going to transfer down to a less demanding program. I still think he was physically sick and probably would not have played much the rest of the year anyways, so there was no reason for him to stay.

8.  Reggie was not willing to work as hard as Buzz demands for 3-1/2 more years so he bailed now.

[Skatastrophy]

I was raised to ask, How have I served today?

Then start a thread in the Superbar about it.

[PBRme]

I took it to mean your 99% was absurd

[martyconlonontherun]

I'm not saying this is the reason but I can't believe that people here completely discredit anyone who suggests Smith may not have wanted to play for Buzz. To be honest, I think Buzz is a great coach, but not sure I would enjoy playing for him. Would I want to play for a coach who stops practice to pray for a player who made a shot? Or who is eccentric in many ways? Or consistently says he loves every player that plays for him? Some players like that and some don't. I can see players thinking he is over the top. This isn't dissing Buzz, just saying you can't win over every player.

[Henry Sugar]

Good lord, give it a rest already.

Amen

[Benny B]

Actually Sultan, there are a couple hundred thousand kids Reggie Smith's age who are in combat in the Southwest Asia Area of Operations making life and death decisions daily, sometimes hourly. These young men and women have my deepest, most profound respect.

Understood, but aren't all enlisted personnel (and even most officers, for that matter) supposed to be acting only under the instruction of their superiors?

In any event, let's not discredit our troops by comparing them to Reggie Smith (or vice versa).  Buzz's boot camp isn't the Crucible, and Reggie obviously defines dedication and hard work differently than our men and women in uniform.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Actually Sultan, there are a couple hundred thousand kids Reggie Smith's age who are in combat in the Southwest Asia Area of Operations making life and death decisions daily, sometimes hourly. These young men and women have my deepest, most profound respect.

And everyone here (I suspect) is extremely grateful for those kids, their sacrifices, their families sacrifices.  They have a special calling that few do.

Let's stipulate moving forward, Colonel, that you and others have the metal that few on this board or this country do.  For that, thank you.

With that stipulation, perhaps we shouldn't be comparing our student athletes (even those that "abandoned" their team) to those soldiers or other military personnel.  They aren't of the same metal and few are, but that doesn't mean they aren't very hardworking kids, good people, etc.

[GGGG]

Actually Sultan, there are a couple hundred thousand kids Reggie Smith's age who are in combat in the Southwest Asia Area of Operations making life and death decisions daily, sometimes hourly. These young men and women have my deepest, most profound respect.

OK...congrats!  Irrelevant to my point, but congrats!

My point is that very few kids make decisions about where to go to college on their own.  Most have their parents input in varrying degrees.  So when someone says "Does anybody honestly believe that Reggie made this decision on his own?"  My answer is "No...most kids that age don't make decisions about where to attend college on their own."

[warthog-driver]

Understood, but aren't all enlisted personnel (and even most officers, for that matter) supposed to be acting only under the instruction of their superiors?

The concept is Centralized Command, Decentralized Execution. A hallmark of the US military is that officers and NCO's are expected to operate independently and to exercise judgment in the face of rapidly changing situations...Adapt, Adjust, Overcome. This is in marked contrast to the Soviet Armed Forces or the Luftwaffe/Wehrmacht. Our approach to war fighting reflects our society and, quite frankly, not only suits the American psyche but is superior to totalitarian models.