Bigs"R"Us
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Jan 2, 2020 16:56:56 GMT -5
Maybe, reuniting LaBlanc with his former AAU teammate wasn’t a good idea. Especially when that teammate was kicked out of LSU.
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hoyaboya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by hoyaboya on Jan 3, 2020 10:17:56 GMT -5
“I enjoyed playing for coach Patrick, and I learned a lot from him,” LeBlanc told The Advocate. “I learned a lot by going away from home and going to Georgetown. This is about me wanting to come back home to be close to my mom and the rest of my family. My mom is happiest because I get to see her every day now. “My goal is to use this year to get ahead in my studies and to work to improve my body,” he said. “I want to get stronger and put on 10 to 15 pounds.” MPA coach Jeff Jones said other schools that contacted LeBlanc were UL, Tulane, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Wichita State. “It was good for Josh to have that experience of going away from home and going to Georgetown,” Jones said. “The big thing now is that he wants to be back home, and I also think that is a good thing." “LSU will be good for Josh. They’ve got a great strength and conditioning program that will help him get stronger. He’s a versatile player who can contribute to the LSU program.” www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/lsu/article_78143d3e-2d6b-11ea-a636-c3dcd480bdc0.html
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drquigley
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by drquigley on Jan 3, 2020 10:26:27 GMT -5
Perhaps Patrick should have considered this when recruiting Josh? Sure the kid can change his mind but I fear Patrick was so desperate to get a player of LeBlanc's caliber that he ignored some warning signs of potential homesickness. Too bad Terrell Williams didn't feel the same urge to play in front of his family.
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jpj
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
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Post by jpj on Jan 3, 2020 10:37:58 GMT -5
I hope they both find the maturity and strength to eventually take ownership of the huge mistakes they made this year and the tremendous disservice they did to their Georgetown teammates and coaches. I won't be rooting for them but I wish them no ill and I do hope they both learn from their mistakes, becoming better men as a result. Amen
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HOYAPLAYA
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IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Jan 3, 2020 10:42:21 GMT -5
Perhaps Patrick should have considered this when recruiting Josh? Sure the kid can change his mind but I fear Patrick was so desperate to get a player of LeBlanc's caliber that he ignored some warning signs of potential homesickness. Too bad Terrell Williams didn't feel the same urge to play in front of his family. Are you serious? You do realize these are mostly 18 year old kids that are no different than any other student. I don't understand the feelings on this board that expect these kids to be robots and not make some of the same decisions that all prospective college students make. Somehow Patrick was supposed to have some crystal ball that a kid that obviously was excited about the prospect of leaving home and coming to Georgetown was going to get homesick a year and a half later. Perhaps, Williams will be the same way once he is far from home next year. I mean he is doing exactly what Leblanc did by branching out and getting away from where he grew up. I actually think it is a great thing to get away from where you grew up when you go to college even if it is only a few hours away. It's not for everyone and some kids don't realize that until they have been gone, come back home and had to leave again.
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bostonfan
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by bostonfan on Jan 3, 2020 10:47:02 GMT -5
Perhaps Patrick should have considered this when recruiting Josh? Sure the kid can change his mind but I fear Patrick was so desperate to get a player of LeBlanc's caliber that he ignored some warning signs of potential homesickness. Too bad Terrell Williams didn't feel the same urge to play in front of his family. Are you serious? You do realize these are mostly 18 year old kids that are no different than any other student. I don't understand the feelings on this board that expect these kids to be robots and not make some of the same decisions that all prospective college students make. Somehow Patrick was supposed to have some crystal ball that a kid that obviously was excited about the prospect of leaving home and coming to Georgetown was going to get homesick a year and a half later. Perhaps, Williams will be the same way once he is far from home next year. I mean he is doing exactly what Leblanc did by branching out and getting away from where he grew up. I actually think it is a great thing to get away from where you grew up when you go to college even if it is only a few hours away. It's not for everyone and some kids don't realize that until they have been gone, come back home and had to leave again. I am not sure that I buy the story that his transfer was solely about him being homesick and that it had nothing to do with the charges that were brought against him by another student. I hope Josh has a good career and finds the happiness he deserves. He is a very talented athlete and I wish things had turned out differently at Georgetown for him.
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Post by professorhoya on Jan 3, 2020 11:28:25 GMT -5
Are you serious? You do realize these are mostly 18 year old kids that are no different than any other student. I don't understand the feelings on this board that expect these kids to be robots and not make some of the same decisions that all prospective college students make. Somehow Patrick was supposed to have some crystal ball that a kid that obviously was excited about the prospect of leaving home and coming to Georgetown was going to get homesick a year and a half later. Perhaps, Williams will be the same way once he is far from home next year. I mean he is doing exactly what Leblanc did by branching out and getting away from where he grew up. I actually think it is a great thing to get away from where you grew up when you go to college even if it is only a few hours away. It's not for everyone and some kids don't realize that until they have been gone, come back home and had to leave again. I am not sure that I buy the story that his transfer was solely about him being homesick and that it had nothing to do with the charges that were brought against him by another student. I hope Josh has a good career and finds the happiness he deserves. He is a very talented athlete and I wish things had turned out differently at Georgetown for him. Doesnt add up. (Home sickness) There was obviously the cloud of the incident. And the suspension/reduced playing time. And then the simultaneous transfer portal announcement And simultaneous new school announcement. It’s too bad he left because he was a good kid.
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drquigley
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by drquigley on Jan 3, 2020 11:32:29 GMT -5
Perhaps Patrick should have considered this when recruiting Josh? Sure the kid can change his mind but I fear Patrick was so desperate to get a player of LeBlanc's caliber that he ignored some warning signs of potential homesickness. Too bad Terrell Williams didn't feel the same urge to play in front of his family. Are you serious? You do realize these are mostly 18 year old kids that are no different than any other student. I don't understand the feelings on this board that expect these kids to be robots and not make some of the same decisions that all prospective college students make. Somehow Patrick was supposed to have some crystal ball that a kid that obviously was excited about the prospect of leaving home and coming to Georgetown was going to get homesick a year and a half later. Perhaps, Williams will be the same way once he is far from home next year. I mean he is doing exactly what Leblanc did by branching out and getting away from where he grew up. I actually think it is a great thing to get away from where you grew up when you go to college even if it is only a few hours away. It's not for everyone and some kids don't realize that until they have been gone, come back home and had to leave again. I'm sorry if I upset you. But those of us who care about this program have to start questioning what the hell has happened over the past year. Sure kids change their minds and get homesick. But this used to be a premier basketball program. Kids wanted to play basketball at Georgetown. Something has changed and pointing this out and trying to figure out how to fix it will require serious soul searching. I think a good place to start is in the recruiting process. Whether he left because he was homesick or because he didn't understand what being a student athlete at GU meant we have to face the facts. A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes has seen 5 recruits over the past 3 years leave the program under a cloud of inappropriate behavior (not including Akinjo in this). I'm not going to apologize for wondering out loud why this is.
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Post by HometownHoya on Jan 3, 2020 11:38:47 GMT -5
Are you serious? You do realize these are mostly 18 year old kids that are no different than any other student. I don't understand the feelings on this board that expect these kids to be robots and not make some of the same decisions that all prospective college students make. Somehow Patrick was supposed to have some crystal ball that a kid that obviously was excited about the prospect of leaving home and coming to Georgetown was going to get homesick a year and a half later. Perhaps, Williams will be the same way once he is far from home next year. I mean he is doing exactly what Leblanc did by branching out and getting away from where he grew up. I actually think it is a great thing to get away from where you grew up when you go to college even if it is only a few hours away. It's not for everyone and some kids don't realize that until they have been gone, come back home and had to leave again. I'm sorry if I upset you. But those of us who care about this program have to start questioning what the hell has happened over the past year. Sure kids change their minds and get homesick. But this used to be a premier basketball program. Kids wanted to play basketball at Georgetown. Something has changed and pointing this out and trying to figure out how to fix it will require serious soul searching. I think a good place to start is in the recruiting process. Whether he left because he was homesick or because he didn't understand what being a student athlete at GU meant we have to face the facts. A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes has seen 5 recruits over the past 3 years leave the program under a cloud of inappropriate behavior (not including Akinjo in this). I'm not going to apologize for wondering out loud why this is. What happened was that 3 kids were involved in a non-basketball related event that changed their experience with the school and perception of those around them. A 4th was good friends with at least one of them so felt some of the stress while also being unhappy with having to change his game/"who he is"for the betterment of the team. It doesn't have to be a huge conspiracy theory...I'm sure in your life you've been happy with something until some event causes a tipping point making you change your mind. I know I have and I don't have your life experiences. Also, I don't understand why 5 recruits leaving the program is a bad thing. Since we are "A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes", wouldn't you want those that don't meet the bar to leave the program? If you need a simple answer: We are in a rebuild, JT3 left us in a bad place, Pat has had to scramble and when that happens there are bumps in the road.
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TC
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by TC on Jan 3, 2020 12:34:05 GMT -5
Also, I don't understand why 5 recruits leaving the program is a bad thing. Since we are "A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes", wouldn't you want those that don't meet the bar to leave the program? If you need a simple answer: We are in a rebuild, JT3 left us in a bad place, Pat has had to scramble and when that happens there are bumps in the road. 5 recruits leaving the program in two years is a bad thing because it leaves your roster depleted, it leaves you open to academic sanctions from the NCAA, and because the goal - since this is a college program - is supposedly to graduate players. Kids getting kicked out of your program or being forced to leave is not a badge of honor. 5 recruits leaving the program in two years with disciplinary issues (Alexander, Gardner, Sodom, Walker, LeBlanc) also brings up the question whether character and the ability to stick in the program are considerations in the recruiting process. I respect a "why wouldn't you want our program to enforce standards" argument, but I see no evidence that Ewing or the program itself is enforcing standards. They played LeBlanc after a one game suspension. They played Gardner. They played Alexander. They recruited Alexander after he got booted out of LSU. There's no evidence here that the program itself forced any of those kids out, if they were forced out it probably was by the school. Why should Ewing get credit for that?
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rhw485
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
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Post by rhw485 on Jan 3, 2020 12:45:59 GMT -5
I'm sorry if I upset you. But those of us who care about this program have to start questioning what the hell has happened over the past year. Sure kids change their minds and get homesick. But this used to be a premier basketball program. Kids wanted to play basketball at Georgetown. Something has changed and pointing this out and trying to figure out how to fix it will require serious soul searching. I think a good place to start is in the recruiting process. Whether he left because he was homesick or because he didn't understand what being a student athlete at GU meant we have to face the facts. A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes has seen 5 recruits over the past 3 years leave the program under a cloud of inappropriate behavior (not including Akinjo in this). I'm not going to apologize for wondering out loud why this is. What happened was that 3 kids were involved in a non-basketball related event that changed their experience with the school and perception of those around them. A 4th was good friends with at least one of them so felt some of the stress while also being unhappy with having to change his game/"who he is"for the betterment of the team. It doesn't have to be a huge conspiracy theory...I'm sure in your life you've been happy with something until some event causes a tipping point making you change your mind. I know I have and I don't have your life experiences. Also, I don't understand why 5 recruits leaving the program is a bad thing. Since we are "A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes", wouldn't you want those that don't meet the bar to leave the program? If you need a simple answer: We are in a rebuild, JT3 left us in a bad place, Pat has had to scramble and when that happens there are bumps in the road. 5 recruits leaving is bad because it doesn't mean we are in a rebuild, it means we are restarting another rebuild. Assigning the blame for why those transfers happened is always going to be a subjective exercise, but it doesn't change the fact that we're short-handed this year and basically starting over again next year.
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HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Jan 3, 2020 13:15:59 GMT -5
What happened was that 3 kids were involved in a non-basketball related event that changed their experience with the school and perception of those around them. A 4th was good friends with at least one of them so felt some of the stress while also being unhappy with having to change his game/"who he is"for the betterment of the team. It doesn't have to be a huge conspiracy theory...I'm sure in your life you've been happy with something until some event causes a tipping point making you change your mind. I know I have and I don't have your life experiences. Also, I don't understand why 5 recruits leaving the program is a bad thing. Since we are "A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes", wouldn't you want those that don't meet the bar to leave the program? If you need a simple answer: We are in a rebuild, JT3 left us in a bad place, Pat has had to scramble and when that happens there are bumps in the road. 5 recruits leaving is bad because it doesn't mean we are in a rebuild, it means we are restarting another rebuild. Assigning the blame for why those transfers happened is always going to be a subjective exercise, but it doesn't change the fact that we're short-handed this year and basically starting over again next year. I guess I'll reserve judgment on what we are next year until that roster is finalized. I believe we will have the best returning scorer in the Big East, 2 seniors that can hit from the outside and add different other elements to the team, and at least two big men that I think are going to surprise fans by their development of their game over next 10 months. We've got enough spots open to fill with some experience as well as possibly another couple freshman. We will know in May what we are looking at but I'll take that roster over what Pat inherited as we aren't likely to be running unprepared freshmen in the starting lineup out of necessity.
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Post by HometownHoya on Jan 3, 2020 13:20:03 GMT -5
What happened was that 3 kids were involved in a non-basketball related event that changed their experience with the school and perception of those around them. A 4th was good friends with at least one of them so felt some of the stress while also being unhappy with having to change his game/"who he is"for the betterment of the team. It doesn't have to be a huge conspiracy theory...I'm sure in your life you've been happy with something until some event causes a tipping point making you change your mind. I know I have and I don't have your life experiences. Also, I don't understand why 5 recruits leaving the program is a bad thing. Since we are "A program that for almost 40 years was respected for not just the caliber of our play but for the integrity of our athletes", wouldn't you want those that don't meet the bar to leave the program? If you need a simple answer: We are in a rebuild, JT3 left us in a bad place, Pat has had to scramble and when that happens there are bumps in the road. 5 recruits leaving is bad because it doesn't mean we are in a rebuild, it means we are restarting another rebuild. Assigning the blame for why those transfers happened is always going to be a subjective exercise, but it doesn't change the fact that we're short-handed this year and basically starting over again next year. I will agree that we are still within the rebuild. Pat took some chances and some (Mac, Blair, Pickett, Malinowski) have paid off to an extent and some who are no longer with the program have not paid off. He will have to take some more chances with the newly opened spots so I won't be surprised if some don't work out again. That said, I agree with HOYAPLAYA in that we have a good core for next year. Get me a PG and some depth players and we will be just fine to go with Mac, Blair, Pickett, Wahab, and Timmy I.
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Post by professorhoya on Jan 3, 2020 13:26:14 GMT -5
5 recruits leaving is bad because it doesn't mean we are in a rebuild, it means we are restarting another rebuild. Assigning the blame for why those transfers happened is always going to be a subjective exercise, but it doesn't change the fact that we're short-handed this year and basically starting over again next year. I will agree that we are still within the rebuild. Pat took some chances and some (Mac, Blair, Pickett, Malinowski) have paid off to an extent and some who are no longer with the program have not paid off. He will have to take some more chances with the newly opened spots so I won't be surprised if some don't work out again. That said, I agree with HOYAPLAYA in that we have a good core for next year. Get me a PG and some depth players and we will be just fine to go with Mac, Blair, Pickett, Wahab, and Timmy I. YurtSeven has paid off. So has Allen. Both were transfers like Galen Alexander.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Jan 3, 2020 13:35:05 GMT -5
YurtSeven has paid off. So has Allen. Both were transfers like Galen Alexander. Some major differences here. Yurtseven played two years at NC State, sat out the transfer year, and will graduate with a Georgetown degree. Allen graduated from UCF and is a fifth year M.A. candidate. Not all fifth years graduate, but to play a year in the DC area and earn a grad degree from Georgetown is a great opportunity for him. By contrast, Galen Alexander was asked to leave LSU after one semester, played a year at junior college, and then made it less than a semester at Georgetown. With three semesters of eligibility remaining, his trajectory is very different from Yurtseven or Allen.
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emkmd
Century (over 100 posts)
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Post by emkmd on Jan 3, 2020 13:56:03 GMT -5
I am not sure that I buy the story that his transfer was solely about him being homesick and that it had nothing to do with the charges that were brought against him by another student. I hope Josh has a good career and finds the happiness he deserves. He is a very talented athlete and I wish things had turned out differently at Georgetown for him. Doesnt add up. (Home sickness) There was obviously the cloud of the incident. And the suspension/reduced playing time. And then the simultaneous transfer portal announcement And simultaneous new school announcement. It’s too bad he left because he was a good kid. I heard thru the grape vine, Kristy Swanson Ferris Bueller style, that a student athlete or athletes were allegedly purchasing something from a student who subsequently filed a restraining order against the student athlete/athletes. The alleged purchased item was not a legal substance, at least not in DC or on campus. There are plenty of players in Hoya History who have not worked out for either on the court or off the court reasons. Just not good with so many at one time.
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Jan 3, 2020 15:52:31 GMT -5
Assigning the blame for why those transfers happened is always going to be a subjective exercise, but it doesn't change the fact that we're short-handed this year and basically starting over again next year. I agree, and I am really surprised this hasn't gotten more traction among our fans. I think it's likely because of our winning streak, but nonetheless it's hard to treat next year as anything but a near full rebuild. Perhaps others are just more optimistic but aside from McClung, we will have a roster with no players that are Big East caliber starters. All of the bigs are raw (Wahab, Ighoefe, Wilson) or freshman (Sibley). Right now, Pickett is the only wing, and while somewhat improved (yes, I know he starts but he really isn't a Big East quality starter), he's really never broken out, and the same could be said for Blair. Perhaps Harris helps as a guard, but he's a freshman. I realize Ewing is going to add pieces, but that's not a good base to start from, especially when you need graduate transfers if you want them to play immediately. Now...could things turn out okay? If: - McClung continues to improve and becomes more dominant. - Pickett actually turns into a high level Big East player. - One or more of the bigs develops quickly. - Sibley comes in ready Day 1 and helps. - Ewing picks up graduate transfer guard(s) who can immediately help. - Ewing picks up decommits/other good freshman. This is asking a lot though. It's not impossible, but highly improbable that we make the tournament next year, unless we get either (a) a major freshman recruit or (b) a major graduate transfer next year, or someone makes a McClung type jump. Without that, I think it's highly unlikely we get to the tournament next year on McClung alone, which means at best we will have made the tournament in 1 of 4 years (the same situation JT3 was in when he got fired).
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SDHoya
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Post by SDHoya on Jan 3, 2020 16:04:03 GMT -5
Jeez this board suffers from a serious case of manic-depressive disorder.
We have won six of seven. The one loss was on the road without our best scorer. The sky is falling.
If we beat Hall tonight people on this board will be posting about reserving their Final Four tickets.
Maybe we just wait and see a little? The ride has been pretty enjoyable since these guys left. It ain't gonna be perfect, but it wouldn't have been anyways.
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iowa80
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Post by iowa80 on Jan 3, 2020 16:08:12 GMT -5
Jeez this board suffers from a serious case of manic-depressive disorder. We have won six of seven. The one loss was on the road without our best scorer. The sky is falling. If we beat Hall tonight people on this board will be posting about reserving their Final Four tickets. Maybe we just wait and see a little? The ride has been pretty enjoyable since these guys left. It ain't gonna be perfect, but it wouldn't have been anyways. I'm not sure that lamenting the "state of the program," which includes a reasonable assessment of prospects going forward into next year, is manic depressive. I don't see a whole lot of doom and gloom about this year's team, but I suppose that may come later.
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calhoya
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Post by calhoya on Jan 3, 2020 16:40:54 GMT -5
I am still dealing with depression from this year without worrying about next year. Finding talent, keeping talent, developing potential--it's all part of the coach's job. If the Hoyas win and make the tournament--still a long-shot in my mind--then talent will find them. If they show promise and noticeable development, as was the case in 6 of the past 7 games, then they will attract quality players. Only if this season craters completely, do I think that the Hoyas fall into the DePaul/St. John's rut that held those programs down for so long. Each of those two teams is in the same position as the Hoyas this year--trying to show the potential for success that will attract players. Unlike the Hoyas, they are not doing it with a decimated roster.
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