Malek Harris - Reason for suspension

[LAZER]

In this type of situation, you really have to ask yourself: What would Coach Bobby Finstock do?

The answer: If the kid can help you win basketball games, bring him in.

We can all ride in here on our high horses and claim that Marquette is above bringing in potentially risky players, but if Buzz was bringing in choir boys and finishing around .500, we'd be calling for his termination. Buzz's job is to win basketball games and if this kid can help him do that, bring him in and help him get straightened out. If he's a reach as a Big East player or doesn't want to straighten up, cut him loose.

Buzz and MU will have no problem winning games without Malek Harris.

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

I trust Buzz to make the right call, either way it goes.

[humanlung]

I'm just throwing this out there as a parent of a high school football player.

According to the rules in Wisconsin (and I know Illinois could be different), if my son is at a party where someone, somewhere is drinking or smoking weed and the party gets busted, my son is guilty and punished..  Even if he was doing nothing and was at the other end of the house/apartment/building and was completely unaware of the behavior, he is guilty.

I don't think anyone actually knows the circumstances of what happened here but we do know this is not a Montralle Clark-type situation.

Just my opinion but I think we need to take a step back and calm down a little.  Should Malek been a little more careful regarding who he hangs with and what he does given he already had an issue?  No doubt, absolutely.  Is this the kind of thing that should warrant losing his shot to attend MU?  Not so sure.  As we all know, teenage males are usually NOT shinning examples of good judgment (I know I wasn't...) and I think the punishment needs to fit the crime.  Does he deserve the same treatment (relating to MU) as Clark?

Finally, I will defer to others on this one but...what serves this young man better?  Kicking him out before he gets here or having him attend a university like MU where he can be exposed to values, morals and life-lessons that he may never have been exposed to before?

[MUfan12]

This has gotten completely out of hand. We don't know what the violation was. One person says weed, one drinking, another is hair pyrotechnics.

Here's what we know- The guy screwed up, and allegedly for the third time. He'll have to deal with the consequences. Buzz has a decision to make, and we'll know soon enough.

All this speculation serves no purpose and it reflects very poorly on MU.

[willie warrior]

Ask yourself what Coach K would do? Probably cut bait.

Don't know all the facts, but if this is his third offense with alcohol/drugs and Buzz decides to bring him and give him a full schollie privilege, then redshirt the guy the first year to see how he adjusts in college. That should answer the character question. He likely would not play much his first year anyway.

[🏀]

If you get busted in dorm room three times with drugs and/or alcohol three times while at MU, you are kicked out permanently. Regardless if you are participating or not.

[LAZER]

If you get busted in dorm room three times with drugs and/or alcohol three times while at MU, you are kicked out permanently. Regardless if you are participating or not.

How recent is that rule?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

If you get busted in dorm room three times with drugs and/or alcohol three times while at MU, you are kicked out permanently. Regardless if you are participating or not.

I'm not sure on this one. I was an RA and plenty of students got caught with alcohol in their rooms more than three times. They kept coming back. Drugs, yes. But not sure about alcohol. Things could have changed.

Either way, it doesn't matter in this case. He is not a marquette student, he's not even signed. Our student code doesn't apply to him until he is on campus.

[🏀]

I'm not sure on this one. I was an RA and plenty of students got caught with alcohol in their rooms more than three times. They kept coming back. Drugs, yes. But not sure about alcohol. Things could have changed.

Either way, it doesn't matter in this case. He is not a marquette student, he's not even signed. Our student code doesn't apply to him until he is on campus.

I'm positive on it and saved the letters from ORL. This was...2005-2006 academic year, and it was all alcohol.

[mr.MUskie]

This has gotten completely out of hand. We don't know what the violation was. One person says weed, one drinking, another is hair pyrotechnics.

Back in my altar boy days the kid in front of me looked up at the clock to see if it was time to march out to the altar.  The back of his head connected with my candle and started his Brylcreem-laced hair on fire.  Just sayin' this could have been an accident.

Oh, and we put it out with holy water.

[GGGG]

Ask yourself what Coach K would do? Probably cut bait.

Is that why Buzz walks around with a "WWKD?" bracelet?

Seriously, I don't think we should necessarily ask that question at all.  Buzz isn't Coach K and Marquette isn't Duke.

[🏀]

Ask yourself what Coach K would do? Probably cut bait.

Buzz also isn't cornering a student reporter in the locker room and degrading him in front of the whole team.

Coach K is not a measuring stick nor should he be.

[MerrittsMustache]

Ask yourself what Coach K would do? Probably cut bait.

If the kid was a good enough player, Coach K would keep him.

[Tugg Speedman]

Can someone reconcile this article with this tweet?

Paint Touches‏ @PaintTouches 2h
Word on 2014 recruit Harris is nothing illegal warranted suspension. Made a mistake. Not indication of who he is. #mubb

[humanlung]

Wrong place, wrong time.  Like I said a little earlier, he MAY have been doing nothing wrong but was in the vicinity of those who were.

He's a kid.  It happens.

Can someone reconcile this article with this tweet?

Paint Touches‏ @PaintTouches 2h
Word on 2014 recruit Harris is nothing illegal warranted suspension. Made a mistake. Not indication of who he is. #mubb

[warriorchick]

Back in my altar boy days the kid in front of me looked up at the clock to see if it was time to march out to the altar.  The back of his head connected with my candle and started his Brylcreem-laced hair on fire.  Just sayin' this could have been an accident.

Oh, and we put it out with holy water.

Similar thing happened to my daughter during a candlelight vigil.  Except I put it out with my bare hands.  That Mom instinct kicks in so quick I didn't even realize what I was doing until the whole thing was over.

[THRILLHO]

Ultimately Buzz will have to decide based on the specifics of this kids circumstances. We can speculate all we want based on the general guidelines in the code of conduct, but the specifics of the infraction matter. Even when I was in high school I remember thinking the expectations were not realistic and the punishments were draconian. And being in high school does not always afford you the freedom that you have in college - you cannot dump all your partying friends your senior year and make all new friends from the teetotalers club. If your friends are all going to a party, your options are to stay home by yourself, go and not drink, or go and drink. The latter two are not very different in the code of conduct, but I think going to a party and not drinking is actually being very responsible.

This is one instance where privacy laws can cut the wrong way, and if Buzz does allow the kid to enroll, I hope they will somehow make public the reasoning so fans can form intelligent opinions about whether that will harm the program's reputation.

[Lennys Tap]

Can someone reconcile this article with this tweet?

Paint Touches‏ @PaintTouches 2h
Word on 2014 recruit Harris is nothing illegal warranted suspension. Made a mistake. Not indication of who he is. #mubb

This is interesting. Drinking under age or weed, period, is illegal. If this is nothing more than wrong place, wrong time it changes things.

[willie warrior]

Buzz also isn't cornering a student reporter in the locker room and degrading him in front of the whole team.

Coach K is not a measuring stick nor should he be.

Hmmm. Recall an incident with Buzz and McIlvane. Not defending Coach K, but most "basketball gurus" would tell you that Coach K is definitely a measuring stick.... NC's, grad rate, pros turned out, recruitment success, Coach of National Teams, etc. Guys like Knight, Vitale, Raftery, Lakers management, CBS sports etc. and the list goes on rave about K. You cannot argue with his success, and he has done it without cheating.

[muhoops1]

If we kick off all the hoops players who like weed...we would have plenty of open spots.  Don't kid yourself.  Not judging anyone, just pointing out a truth.  MU is no better or worse and a coach can only do so much...

[MerrittsMustache]

Hmmm. Recall an incident with Buzz and McIlvane. Not defending Coach K, but most "basketball gurus" would tell you that Coach K is definitely a measuring stick.... NC's, grad rate, pros turned out, recruitment success, Coach of National Teams, etc. Guys like Knight, Vitale, Raftery, Lakers management, CBS sports etc. and the list goes on rave about K. You cannot argue with his success, and he has done it without cheating.

Just like Wooden, huh?

[tower912]

Can someone reconcile this article with this tweet?

Paint Touches‏ @PaintTouches 2h
Word on 2014 recruit Harris is nothing illegal warranted suspension. Made a mistake. Not indication of who he is. #mubb

In the previous, now locked, thread, I matched the above statement with the school's disciplinary code.   If the above is true, then he was at a party where alcohol/weed/tobacco products were being used.  

[Tugg Speedman]

Hmmm. Recall an incident with Buzz and McIlvane. Not defending Coach K, but most "basketball gurus" would tell you that Coach K is definitely a measuring stick.... NC's, grad rate, pros turned out, recruitment success, Coach of National Teams, etc. Guys like Knight, Vitale, Raftery, Lakers management, CBS sports etc. and the list goes on rave about K. You cannot argue with his success, and he has done it without cheating.

Duke and Bama have shown if you get really good, you can cheat and not get prosecuted.

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/dukenow/former-duke-basketball-player-lance-thomas-settles-jewelry-lawsuit

So do not assign them the moral high ground because they can get away with it.

[mu03eng]

What happened about caring for the whole person?  We are so quick to cut bait on a kid that may or may not have had a lapse in judgement that may or may not have involved being around drugs or alcohol.  Personally, if the kid has some issues to straighten out I can't imagine a better program or coach than Buzz and MU.  Buzz and Larry will do the right thing and until than this is all just a giant circle jerk for you guys.

[ATL MU Warrior]

What happened about caring for the whole person?  We are so quick to cut bait on a kid that may or may not have had a lapse in judgement that may or may not have involved being around drugs or alcohol.  Personally, if the kid has some issues to straighten out I can't imagine a better program or coach than Buzz and MU.  Buzz and Larry will do the right thing and until than this is all just a giant circle jerk for you guys.

+ 1,000,000