I know we’re excited about the possibility of a 5-star kid coming here, but this guy sounds like he’s been in some trouble. Pearl booted him off the team, and I don’t think it was entirely due to low production. It sounds like this guy was a trouble maker and made some REALLY dumb decisions (but how many college kids don’t?). Yet as CharSF pointed out, we’ve already got some great chemistry going on our squad with some really class guys, and I’d hate to screw that up.
This from the Daily Press, a newspaper from where Duke Crews grew up, last month…
[B][SIZE=5]Chatter on Crews continues[/SIZE][/B]
[I]May 6, 2008[/I]
There’s plenty of talk on The LC, a message board you can call up at dailypress.com/thelc, about Duke Crews’ departure from the University of Tennessee and what he might do next and whether he might consider [URL=http://www.dailypress.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/hampton-university-OREDU0000113.topic][U][COLOR=#0066cc]Hampton University[/COLOR][/U][/URL]. Poster [I]AEK[/I] weighs in:
"Some of us are jumping the gun and drawing conclusions out of a hat. There really is no need to go flying off the handle here! The questions that marty and blue magic posed are absolutely legitimate and have to be addressed before any consideration can or should be given to taking on any transfer who has some baggage. … We all have to be willing to extend the opportunity for “redemption” to any athlete who we can determine to be deserving of that chance. You might get one guy like that one year, two the next, and none the year after that!
"Let’s not forget that this was a young man who was extremely highly recruited out of high school. And how many times have we bemoaned the fact that Hampton has not gotten a top rated basketball recruit from the local area since who knows when?
"Think of what it would mean for HU and our future recruiting in the area if HU was the place where the local high school legend redeemed his college career and helped to lead his hometown school to unprecedented post-season success while finishing school with his degree!
"Where I come from, we call that a “win-win.”
Hampton University play-by-play announcer Rob Dixon, posting as [I]r.dixon[/I], gives his view:
[B]“I truly believe this is a good kid who was in a situation he probably hadn’t found himself in before. Away from home, free and able to do whatever, a star on a high profile basketball team. … If they tested college students the way they do student-athletes, how many would test positive for marijuana? I think he has learned his lesson and I believe[/B][B] under the guidance of HU and Coach Nickelberry this kid will flourish and dominate.”[/B]
Uhh…ok…?? :huh: