Post by Jack on Mar 21, 2005 14:05:03 GMT -5
I doubt if anyone is suggesting that JT3 should not recruit players who might have the ability to go pro before their eligibility expires. I don't have a serious problem with a young man deciding that he is physically and emotionally ready for the NBA after 2 or 3 years of full investment in the college experience. My problem comes when you recruit a kid who says he needs to go to college to work on his low post moves before he goes to the NBA, but says nothing about working on becoming a more complete person. I have never seen Georgetown recruit a student-athlete like that, and I don't know enough about Odon or Rush or whomever to say that they are not a good fit for the university. I do know that Memphis brings in kids like Wagner and signs kids like Stoudamire who view their university as no more than a stopover on the way to the big time, and those are not the types of people I want wearing the colors of my university.
I love basketball at Georgetown, but I love Georgetown as a place and an idea much more. If the choice is between winning a national championship or protecting the integrity of the university, I choose the latter. I do not believe it must be an either/or situation and I do not think JT3 will give us any reason to worry about it, but if it ever comes to that point I know where I stand.
As for the litany of transfers, I agree that they are inconsistent with the educational mission of the university, but they don't provide an excuse to knowingly bring in other players who will never graduate. I don't know whether to blame Pops and Esh specifically, but it is clear that they took a few too many risks and did not recruit young men who were up to the challenge of Georgetown academics. JT3 was certainly aware of the expectations at Georgetown, and those who hired him must have been sufficiently impressed with his commitment to all 3 pillars of Georgetown basketball when they made their choice.
I love basketball at Georgetown, but I love Georgetown as a place and an idea much more. If the choice is between winning a national championship or protecting the integrity of the university, I choose the latter. I do not believe it must be an either/or situation and I do not think JT3 will give us any reason to worry about it, but if it ever comes to that point I know where I stand.
As for the litany of transfers, I agree that they are inconsistent with the educational mission of the university, but they don't provide an excuse to knowingly bring in other players who will never graduate. I don't know whether to blame Pops and Esh specifically, but it is clear that they took a few too many risks and did not recruit young men who were up to the challenge of Georgetown academics. JT3 was certainly aware of the expectations at Georgetown, and those who hired him must have been sufficiently impressed with his commitment to all 3 pillars of Georgetown basketball when they made their choice.