brehms13

"On a sociological note, this is no fault of Sanders or Liddell, but why is sports the "way out of the ghetto"? Why does there have to be a way out and why is it always sports or entertaining? What about changing it for the better through education and being a productive citizen? Until we come to that realization senseless violence and a cycle of dependency on the government will continue." Sports alone isn't the only way out of the ghetto, it's the most ACCESSIBLE way out of the ghetto. Why not use it, as long as it gets you out, what does it matter? No one wants to stay in the ghetto. Who do we know that's successful still living in the hood and even if they are, how long will it last before the ghetto consumes them. The key is to make it out of the hood, find your own success in life and then come back to make a change. Here in Baltimore, we have ghetto's or hoods, as I say..but we have working people in the hood, retired people in the hood, we have politicians in the hood. The only time people outside of that like Media, Colleges etc want to come to the hood, is for an EXTRAORDINARY kid that's about to come up. How many of us have been in a situation where, u find yourself getting advice from the same people in the same situation as you. How did u receive their advice? Now take that same person who used to be in your situation, but is now a success story. Wouldn't u listen to him/her now? No ones gonna listen to someone who's trying to make a change and they're still in the hood, u have to show people why they need to make a change, show them what can happen if we make a change, show them you after you made a change. That's why u use your gimmick, game plan, your hustle to get out and use that same hustle to get others out. That's the way I see it. Harriet Tubman did it, many celebrities have and it actually works. That's how my family has done it for years and in my old neighborhood change is on the rise.

sorry, I meant to say (these questions aren't just directed at u...)

I couldn't understand why the fact that Reg was my brother hindered me from posting my personal opinions. But what I did realize was that even the appearance that Reg was telling me stuff wasn't good either. I honestly spoke about things that I thought was the problem. That I myself would question the coaches, or players etc..Basically from being at practices, games, talking to the coaches during the course of the year, reporters, and others outside of SLU university, but were still SLU fans. Though Taj, you and I got off to a rocky start, I didn't harbor ill feelings towards you, I got over it, I didn't curse you etc..and Ironically our dialogue was probably better because of it. But others aren't like we are and I really feel that once VTIME was suspended that things like cursing at someone and calling them out of their names, when u're clearly not joking..wouldn't be tolerated. This is beyond the statement Billsboy made for me, it's the aftermath, that has me trippin. I personally think if Brad said that, it would be quite silly on his part, but because of my interractions with him personally, maybe he could have said it, maybe not..but I'm not gonna go off about it..it's just a rumor, we don't know for sure if it's true..only the persons who were in the conversation, knows it for sure. That's Levick and Brad..so why is get bent out of shape over it?

What you've said has validity..that's why it's up to the readers of the post as to whether they'll accept the information or not. We may not even agree with the post. Saying that to say I'd rather read a post like yours Gister. You said how u feel without being mean. Different from the ones calling Billsboy names and being disrespectful. My comments in a nutshell are ...It's a way to disagree with people on here without disrespecting them..u showed us one good way, but what about those who are disrespectful..what happens then? A person may feel that if he doesn't say things the board might agree with, then he/she wouldn't be heard. We didn't even get into the issue of Billsboy and his trustworthiness to the source, that would have been a fair question, but he just immediately became the villan and regardless if it's admitted or not..disrespected. That's the only issue I have with this..when it was VTIME some pointed out his antics as the reason for his suspension. Why r we ready to let a potential poster go because he made a statement that many don't believe? Or don't agree with. Wasn't the suspension in part done so that potential posters wouldn't be turned off from the board? (these questions are directed to u perse,just general questions) So my question is..isn't this situation quite the contrary?

I really feel you..I too was in this same situation last year. Only I would post what my opinions and observations were. Because they weren't popular, I too received negativity in my post. I've contemplated not posting several times and it was suggested by several people from SLU..but I decided to continue. I said this with VTIME and I'm not trying to beat a dead horse but I would love to see that stance that will be taken for those who cursed you and called you out of your name. This is a Public board, nothing was said disrespectful, he doesn't make a nuiscance out of himself for posting so much, he's not trying to stir up the pot, Billsboy just shared some info he'd gotten. Never did he say it was true, just shared it..and all hell broke loose..Whats up with that? Again I ask you guys..why is Billsboy wrong for posting info that was shared with him? Why is he a liar..how can he lie about what was shared..now if he said this is what Brad said then that's a different story..that's not what he wrote..He clearly said a source told him. So is he lying about the source? Is that what is meant when he's called a liar? Well keep me in the know..email me Billsboy..I like getting info, I'm not so gullable that I'll just believe things without merrit but staying informed is always better than being surprised in the end. The Ironic thing is all that I stated in the post about VTIME is clearly proven in this case. Now what's the excuses..

Well I wouldn't be surprised at anything the coach says or doesn't say, for I have learned a lot from him personally as a coach and an emotional one at that. With that in mind, it would be incredibly Silly for him to say that, even if he thought it, simply because he's placing himself at a disadvantage. If this was a private conversation, unless it's from Levick herself saying this, I wouldn't read much into it. I'm definitely not gonna curse you out because you shared some info that opposes the majority..just be carefuly sharing your info.

Am very glad u're safe, was thinking about you this morning, just got to work and immediately checked for a message from you. Will be praying for your continued safety.

I agree, AAU plays a very important role in basketball, or at least it does on the east coast. Many teams have emerged and its not only about going to tournaments that's for sure. Here many AAU programs have strict guidelines as far as academics, have SAT prep classes, they practice all the time. The reason Reg knows so many people is because of AAU. He traveled since he was 9 playing AAU ball, he played for teams from Baltimore, Washington DC, Delaware, New York and more..many players in the NBA today and in college he played against them along the way. AAU is an outlet for kids to see what it's like to work hard and to add another option to their road of life. It tells them that its not just about Baltimore, or DC, it's a whole world out there and they can be successful if they work hard. It gives the kids insight on how to handle themselves in interviews, in other cultures and more. Many coaches knew Reg before he even became eligible for college, they knew he was different, that he wasn't just your typical basketball player from the hood. He stood for something, his grades were excellent, his personality was one of politeness, quiet and friendly. Not flamboyant as most people thought he would or should be, he got along with everyone. I've heard many on the board share their dislike for AAU teams, and maybe its different in St. Louis, the Good definitely outweighs the bad here in Baltimore, but again u have to look at the situation, most of these kids r coming from all walks of life, who are we to tell them not to follow their dreams thru AAU teams, we all know that just becuase u work hard, doesn't mean anything..so I feel that's where AAU Comes in..it's a window of opportunity not to just play ball, but other sports related careers as well.

Oh Ok, I was really shocked at that comment

I am late reading this post, but OH MY GOODNESS... I cannot believe you just said..."SPIKE LEE RAPPING"...that's not good...PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?..Matter of fact Nevermind.

Well damn, that was nice. I don't care who put it together as long as it gets the job done....this could be the new fad..I see his SAT scores and GPA are what I first noticed..impressive..

Yes, Reg had surgery on his injured foot..a ripped tendon actually in his foot, has invites to camps, has an agent etc..but had to get surgery and rehab before he makes any decisions. The one certainty is he will continue to play ball on the professional level.

Reg did graduate, he's had surgery on the injured foot for the tendonitis..wasn't torn completely but couldn't bypass having surgery. He still has plans to continue Basketball, so this surgery was necessary and couldn't wait until after any camps..

Hey Good Luck on your internship..sounds like you should have a wonderful experience..be safe and try to have some FUN..

I'm glad for Izik..he deserves MVP and Drejaj was definitely the best defender on this team. As far as Coach's apology, I'm not surprised. That's the kind of man Coach is. I honestly believe he's a decent person and he wants the best for his players. Saying that, he has a lot to work on, but so do we all. As for me, I could tell u guys that a lot of the comments about the seniors last year were stated because everyone wasn't in the "know". So when we don't know, we "assume". Of course I wasn't getting into specifics about what may have been going on(eventhough I was accused of such), but I can tell you it got harder everyday to read comments about Reg, the speculation about him not being the player one thought he was, that he wasn't stepping up, that he's not a leader, that he may have an arrogant attitude,etc..even when it was known of his injuries he caught flack. I felt that Reg was the "glue" that kept the team together this year. No matter how much he got yelled at, or knocked down, injured, no matter how swollen his foot and ankle, or the pain he got right back up and always encouraged the rest of the team and played hard. He didn't get into public displays of disrespect or never said a bad word about his coach even when there were definite issues between the two. He would have interviews and still not divulge any discontent. I really think that stands for something in a day, where players are running the teams instead of the coaches, when players are getting benefits from illegal boosters, a day when players are just concerned about the game and not their education, their family. I'd definitely commend Reg for all that he has put up with and have gone thru. I'd commend Izik as well. He never gave up, when it was so easy for them to do so. To just say, we're not gonna even try anymore. They never stopped. I'm one who doesn't listen to rumors, I'm a see for yourself type of person, and based on what I saw is how I wrote my comments, I purposely played the opposer and brought up scenarios to stir up the board, but my intention was to get the board to look at the other side of a situation, not to turn posters against the Coach or Reg or whomever. Much of my comments were based on my conversations with Coach, reporters, and the rest of the coaching staff, which I've had many and my opinions of course. Someone said I wanted the board to believe I talked to the players after every game..of course not, but when I got an opportunity to see the guys and talk, you best believe I took advantage of it. To give them advice as to how I saw it, to encourage them, to ask questions. It's not beneath the Coach to apologize, as he has apologized before. It just comes a point, when the apologies are fine, but now lets see a change. Hopefully we'll see one with the upcoming season, the upcoming team. I pray the guys will not have to go through a season like this past one and that they use the experience to learn from it and rise above it.