This ripping of JH

[slufanskip]

makes us look like a bunch of whiney little 3rd graders.

Do I wish he had chosen SLU ... yes of course

Do I think his family problem was the sole reason or even the main reason he wanted out at WIU ...No. But, he played a year at Juco and WIU was being ridiculous. He said himself he didn't blame them and deserved to lose the year.

He chose Kentucky ... good for him, it's a great basketball school that should have him playing in the SEC and the tourney for 3 years.

I do personally think playing at home would be great for any kid, but thats my perpective. SLU will win some of these battles, as we improve we'll get even better kids than we have coming now.

Should we follow Josh's career and welcome him home like a hero if he does great... No. There are certain things you give up when you choose to leave.

I don't think we should trash him and act like poor losers either. Where were these opinions before he made his decision. Had he chosen SLU, the fact that he didn't keep his committment and used a family situation to get a release he should have already gotten would be a moot issue. We'd have a 5 page thread on how good he is and how he's the difference in our being a good team and a tourney team.

Josh's facebook page may be immature, and so may he be. I don't know the kid ... hell he's 19. Most of us adults on here have him beat, at least since he made his decision

What Josh should get from SLU fans s nothing, no recognition, no adoration, nothing .... but he doesn't deserve to be trashed.

[Box and Won]

You'd think after being snubbed by recruits every year, we'd be used to it by now. Oh well, life goes on. I would be more optimistic for our chances next year with Josh, but I still think the 08-09 team will be fun to watch.

I hope that in a few years, the kid has no regrets about his decision. It sounds like he actually gave us some serious consideration, and I would guess that in the end, SLU's advantages still don't outweigh those of a prestige program like UK.

[Taj79]

I think most of the mature posters ------ no that sounds wrong because it implies immaturity and that is not what I mean -----

I think most of the older posters ---- no, that is age discrimminate and I don't mean to do that either ----

I am stumbling for the right word because no matter the choice, it comes out wrong.

I think most of those folks with more life experiences in their world log are apt to be less critical of this kid than others. How about that?

I think he would have been a fine addition to the team and might have given us some valuable minutes and contribution. Now? Not. Just another example of the sordid world of collegiate athletic recruiting. Neitehr good not bad -- just reality. I'm thinking in the long run more Jeff Carey than Jahidi White. Only time again will tell but we can revisit in a couple-two-three years down the road.

[Dungeon Yankee]

makes us look like a bunch of whiney little 3rd graders.

Do I wish he had chosen SLU ... yes of course

Do I think his family problem was the sole reason or even the main reason he wanted out at WIU ...No. But, he played a year at Juco and WIU was being ridiculous. He said himself he didn't blame them and deserved to lose the year.

He chose Kentucky ... good for him, it's a great basketball school that should have him playing in the SEC and the tourney for 3 years.

I do personally think playing at home would be great for any kid, but thats my perpective. SLU will win some of these battles, as we improve we'll get even better kids than we have coming now.

Should we follow Josh's career and welcome him home like a hero if he does great... No. There are certain things you give up when you choose to leave.

I don't think we should trash him and act like poor losers either. Where were these opinions before he made his decision. Had he chosen SLU, the fact that he didn't keep his committment and used a family situation to get a release he should have already gotten would be a moot issue. We'd have a 5 page thread on how good he is and how he's the difference in our being a good team and a tourney team.

Josh's facebook page may be immature, and so may he be. I don't know the kid ... hell he's 19. Most of us adults on here have him beat, at least since he made his decision

What Josh should get from SLU fans s nothing, no recognition, no adoration, nothing .... but he doesn't deserve to be trashed.

Good post. We have to let this kid go. It makes us look bad to keep slamming him.

[brianstl]

makes us look like a bunch of whiney little 3rd graders.

Do I wish he had chosen SLU ... yes of course

Do I think his family problem was the sole reason or even the main reason he wanted out at WIU ...No. But, he played a year at Juco and WIU was being ridiculous. He said himself he didn't blame them and deserved to lose the year.

He chose Kentucky ... good for him, it's a great basketball school that should have him playing in the SEC and the tourney for 3 years.

I do personally think playing at home would be great for any kid, but thats my perpective. SLU will win some of these battles, as we improve we'll get even better kids than we have coming now.

Should we follow Josh's career and welcome him home like a hero if he does great... No. There are certain things you give up when you choose to leave.

I don't think we should trash him and act like poor losers either. Where were these opinions before he made his decision. Had he chosen SLU, the fact that he didn't keep his committment and used a family situation to get a release he should have already gotten would be a moot issue. We'd have a 5 page thread on how good he is and how he's the difference in our being a good team and a tourney team.

Josh's facebook page may be immature, and so may he be. I don't know the kid ... hell he's 19. Most of us adults on here have him beat, at least since he made his decision

What Josh should get from SLU fans s nothing, no recognition, no adoration, nothing .... but he doesn't deserve to be trashed.

If Josh doesn't want to get ripped he shouldn't have played the game he played. Don't use an tough family situation to leverage your way out of what you think is a bad basketball situation. It was all BS and that is a pretty low thing to do.

[Pistol]

Josh's facebook page may be immature, and so may he be. I don't know the kid ... hell he's 19. Most of us adults on here have him beat, at least since he made his decision

As for the Facebook page, I don't think you can hold that against him as immaturity. Facebook seems to be almost universal for those in high school, college, and out of college under 30, and a lot of people outside of educational affiliation now. And most of the rest have Myspace or both. There's a funny generational disconnect right now when it comes to these things, even as more people over 30 jump on board with social networking sites (though I probably wouldn't have a Facebook page if I were a few years older and it would take me a while to get comfortable with friends' parents). The reality is that schools embrace the sites now out of necessity and employers are largely learning to deal with their existence as well. Anyway, kids are going to put stuff on their pages that might seem surprising, but that's just the way it is now.

[GreyGoose711]

I don't mean to look suspicious as this is my first post on the board... but I'm a longtime reader (way past the days of the old board), and finally you guys got me riled up enough to post.

You people don't know Josh, and he IS NOT lying about family problems. This isn't the place to disclose them; you may or may not believe me but don't think that all is peachy in the Harrellson household(s). Josh is good kid and made the choice he believes is right for him. You guys don't have the right to call him a liar when you have no idea what the true circumstances are. He may have used SLU to get his release, but put yourself in his position. When UK comes calling, you are going to listen if your opinion is unbiased at all. I would've loved to see Josh in a SLU uniform, but us message board lurkers have no say in that. Be happy for a hometown young man who has a great opportunity in front of him.

Hey, cool it. Let's not be like KY fans who would have blasted him if he chose SLU. We'll move on. Good luck to JH at KY. Am sure the bright lights of Rupp got in his eyes, and he couldn't turn them down. This is the second time though that SWIC has not turned a player our way. When RM brings us to the top, I'd tell those SOB's to bite my a**. And while Broy and others will jam me on this, it was UB's fault for not signing him in the first place.

There are definitely fans of other programs watching this board and finding it strangely entertaining. Trust me.

go cats.

[jjray]

I wish Josh well in Kentucky. Rickma will succeed at SLU, with or without Josh.

[brianstl]

There are definitely fans of other programs watching this board and finding it strangely entertaining. Trust me.

go cats.

Good luck to you guys. You landed what turns out to be a low charecter guy who is willing to exploit his family for what he thinks will be a better situation for himself. I now understand why Rickma didn't put the hard sell on the kid.

[MB73]

If Josh doesn't want to get ripped he shouldn't have played the game he played. Don't use an tough family situation to leverage your way out of what you think is a bad basketball situation. It was all BS and that is a pretty low thing to do.

Agree. Didn't he recently acknowledge that the "family issue" is still there? Yet he goes to KY. I guess it was only bad enough that he could still go to KY, but not bad enough to have to go to SLU. If it was not as bad, he could go to UCLA.

[Dungeon Yankee]

There are definitely fans of other programs watching this board and finding it strangely entertaining. Trust me.

go cats.

You are right about that. But let me ask you a question. What would the UK board be like today if he had chosen SLU?

[OC]

Try to figure this out, folks:

Those of us "complaining" are not doing so bc he picked Ky over SLU.

We're doing so bc he used his family situation as a crutch and then did a 180.

[Majerus Magic]

Try to figure this out, folks:

Those of us "complaining" are not doing so bc he picked Ky over SLU.

We're doing so bc he used his family situation as a crutch and then did a 180.

There are still family issues there. That was the only reason he was considering SLU. He got his family's blessing to go away and he took it. Brian and others, we gotta let it go. It seems as if there is a double standard. If Rick wants to do "questionable" things such as release 4 players in a year to reach a high level of basketball, shouldn't Josh be able to do whatever it takes to get to a high level of basketball?

[brianstl]

There are still family issues there. That was the only reason he was considering SLU. He got his family's blessing to go away and he took it. Brian and others, we gotta let it go. It seems as if there is a double standard. If Rick wants to do "questionable" things such as release 4 players in a year to reach a high level of basketball, shouldn't Josh be able to do whatever it takes to get to a high level of basketball?

I would have no problem with Josh's decision if he would not have made a public plea through the madia for support for his cause because of his family. If he wanted to go futher away then he should have been upfront about why he wanted to leave WIU. He should have also been man enough to meet face to face with Derek Thomas and explain his decision truthfully in the first place.

[ACE]

You are right about that. But let me ask you a question. What would the UK board be like today if he had chosen SLU?

You should have seen some of those yahoos earlier in the day yesterday when it looked like he might not go there. Many of them were ripping JH. Saying he was slow, not that good, might not even help them next year, no better than one of their walk-ons, would only play a couple of minutes next year, is just a stop gap, etc. They are pretty desperate these days. Programs in their region like Memphis, Louisville and Tennessee are getting the elite recruits that used to go to UK.

[kmbilliken]

The kid should go where he wants to go. The decision effects him far more than anyone else. In the fall we signed the best recruiting class we've had in years. Spring signing period usually has slim pickings and we picked up two more good players. Things are looking up with or without him. He sounds like a good prospect, but not the next coming. Maybe things will workout for him there, but he'll have to show more to earn minutes there. If he thinks he's up to it and welcomes the challenge, good for him. Apparantly the chance to get more national exposure was more appealing to him than the chance to be a hometown hero. If I were his parent I'd say I'd love for you to stick around so I can see you play every game, but if thats what you want go for it.

[Postcard]

Good luck to you guys. You landed what turns out to be a low charecter guy who is willing to exploit his family for what he thinks will be a better situation for himself. I now understand why Rickma didn't put the hard sell on the kid.

Dude, get over it. If JH had chosen SLU you'd be the first one in line ready to smooch him. You'd be telling everyone on here about how he has a good chance to be an All American. You'd be telling us all about how he might even be good enough to start for that powerhouse Monmouth that you like so much. He's going elsewhere. Forget about it.

[brianstl]

Dude, get over it. If JH had chosen SLU you'd be the first one in line ready to smooch him. You'd be telling everyone on here about how he has a good chance to be an All American. You'd be telling us all about how he might even be good enough to start for that powerhouse Monmouth that you like so much. He's going elsewhere. Forget about it.

Glad to see you are your normal self today.

[satrap]

Dude, get over it. If JH had chosen SLU you'd be the first one in line ready to smooch him. You'd be telling everyone on here about how he has a good chance to be an All American. You'd be telling us all about how he might even be good enough to start for that powerhouse Monmouth that you like so much. He's going elsewhere. Forget about it.

^^^ This I agree with. I never had much use for Josh either way, after the completely false and pathetic "Josh as Patriarch" story that Miklasz bungled through in his column. But he would be a stud if he came here in the eyes of SLU fans, and he's a bum now that he's going to UK. I think he is NOT a difference maker- emphatically- at UK (as it applies to the SEC in general) but certainly would have helped SLU.

There are a ZILLION JH's walking around. He will not be missed.

[Postcard]

Glad to see you are your normal self today.

Same to you. I love this hilarious dance we do with recruits. First off, they're are the best in the world and will lead us to the tourney. Then when they decide to go elsewhere, they all suck and are of questionable character. What a fool you are. It's funny to see 19 years olds play with your emotions so. When you grow up, it won't be so bad.

[Pistol]

Same to you. I love this hilarious dance we do with recruits. First off, they're are the best in the world and will lead us to the tourney. Then when they decide to go elsewhere, they all suck and are of questionable character. What a fool you are. It's funny to see 19 years olds play with your emotions so. When you grow up, it won't be so bad.

Postcard and satrap are back! Cue "Endless Love."

[brianstl]

Same to you. I love this hilarious dance we do with recruits. First off, they're are the best in the world and will lead us to the tourney. Then when they decide to go elsewhere, they all suck and are of questionable character. What a fool you are. It's funny to see 19 years olds play with your emotions so. When you grow up, it won't be so bad.

Did I ever say Josh was the best in the world? No. I thought he would have been a nice stopgap until Willie Reed and Brett Thompson would be able to contribute at a higher level. We could have definitely used him next year. I don't think he sucks as a player and have not posted that anywhere on this board since he decided on UK. You are pretty good at putting words in people’s mouth.

I am glad that responding to my posts helps you get through the day and that I can contribute to your misplaced feelings of superiority.

[Clock_Tower]

makes us look like a bunch of whiney little 3rd graders.

Do I wish he had chosen SLU ... yes of course

Do I think his family problem was the sole reason or even the main reason he wanted out at WIU ...No. But, he played a year at Juco and WIU was being ridiculous. He said himself he didn't blame them and deserved to lose the year.

He chose Kentucky ... good for him, it's a great basketball school that should have him playing in the SEC and the tourney for 3 years.

I do personally think playing at home would be great for any kid, but thats my perpective. SLU will win some of these battles, as we improve we'll get even better kids than we have coming now.

Should we follow Josh's career and welcome him home like a hero if he does great... No. There are certain things you give up when you choose to leave.

I don't think we should trash him and act like poor losers either. Where were these opinions before he made his decision. Had he chosen SLU, the fact that he didn't keep his committment and used a family situation to get a release he should have already gotten would be a moot issue. We'd have a 5 page thread on how good he is and how he's the difference in our being a good team and a tourney team.

Josh's facebook page may be immature, and so may he be. I don't know the kid ... hell he's 19. Most of us adults on here have him beat, at least since he made his decision

What Josh should get from SLU fans s nothing, no recognition, no adoration, nothing .... but he doesn't deserve to be trashed.

I have never posted anything negative about a young kid picking another school over SLU. Here, I have, not because of his selection but because of his lying and poor character. Funny how several on this Board cited JH as proof that Brad (a man of character) publicly lied on many occasions. The JH saga is much more than a young kid picking a school other than SLU. If you cannot see, then I'm sorry.

[Postcard]

Postcard and satrap are back! Cue "Endless Love."

Pistol never went away! Cue "Loser" by Beck.

[DoctorB]

2 things, a statement and a question:

1. the horrible things being said about this guy, a mere adolescent after all, are shameful. These comments reveal a hateful, deeply critical spirit wrenching at the hearts of many of the members of this board. It really is rather sickening, and as far as I can tell, these violent outbursts are all or mostly just based on hearsay and internet innuendo. Chill out, and really, really, REALLY try to get a life, guys.

2. Where in blue blazes has an official announcement actually appeared? Am I missing something? I may be, simply because I refuse to sift through the layers of animosity and alienation masking as moral uprightness in all of these whiney posts about the life decisions of a teenager. Can someone please direct me to some offical source?