Drew is Transferring

[Old guy]

The ones that are "villanizing " the kid are the ones that need a guilty party in every issue. There are innumerable cases with no guilty parties. Things happen because there is a divergence of needs and capabilities, that is all. No one, I assume this is true, wants anything bad happening to the kid. However we all want the best for SLU. The Coach has the responsibility to balance what is best for the team and for the program, and he has taken action.

The kid did not receive the very bad news just before finals, he had a chance to do well in them and not flunk any course or any number or courses. The team, in the judgment of the coach is going for a brighter future. The kid is not lacking offers.

I do not see this as a black and white situation, or one with a bad person and a good person. I think this is just the way things happen in real life.

[slufanskip]

Skip,

I know with virtual certainty that this was not a mutual decision. What I don't know for sure is exactly why he was let go. The most likely reason reason is that we need his scholly but I suppose other factors could be in play.

Regardless of why, they should have done it the day after the season ends, not after school gets out which limits the opportunities he would have to transfer elsewhere.

It obviously wasn't mutual. However, I'm far far from one of the guys that believes that as long as you keep your nose clean and good grades the school owes you four years. The athlete also has a responsibility to work as hard as necessary to develop his skills to a competitive level with the rest of the team. If he can't or won't do that the school should tell him he should probably look for a better fit. If he doesn't care that he probably won't play and still wants to stay, the school should not renew his scholarship. The kids getting paid 40k + when you count meals and room and board to play basketball, either he can or he can't.

On the other hand, I believe the NCAA should change the transfer rules to lessen or do away with the penalty a kid incurs when he transfers. I also believe the NCAA should allow the school to continue to pay a kids tuition if they choose and he wants to stay but not play ball. If someone would sue the NCAA regarding the rules, I believe the NCAA would cave and change the rules. Not only would they not want every media outlet and sports reporter in the country condeming their unfair rules on a daily basis, I believe they couldn't win.

But until the kids and their parents force the change, the NCAA probably will never have the urgency to make it happen. Because it's right isn't something they care about. And until that happens SLU cannot play by a different set of rules than everyone else and still be expected to compete equally.

As far as the timing goes, I'm not sure I understand how yesterday was any worse than 1 month ago. He'll have plenty of offers and opportunities to go to a school he likes. It isn't like Indiana would have offered had they known earlier. SLU cannot afford to lose points due to a kid not being on track academically, and they can't afford to trust these kids will remain on track if they know their scholarship isn't renewed. He was on scholarship until school is out this year, they didn't owe him anything more than that.

[brianstl]

This is what gets me. In order to justify the move, there are people on this board who are already vilifying Drew, including wildly speculating that Drew would tank his classes and screw up the team's APR, was given an option to improve his game over the "offseason" (two months so far, people) and didn't, and/or may have done something recently that caused the staff to push him out.

If you want to see the program go big time and think this is the price that needs to be paid, fine, but let's refrain from raising BS questions about a 19-year old's character. He's the one that got screwed.

I didn't say they told him he need to improve his game over the off-season. I said he might have been told that he needed to do certain things in the off-season and might not have done any of those things. Never said they had to specifically involve improving his game in two months.

[RUBillsFan]

Here are some random thoughts:

-Drew got 1 year of free tuition at SLU which is what was really all that was promised to him when he signed

-Now he can choose a new school at which he will receive free tuition and doesn't have a lack of suitors

-He likely wouldn't have played much if at all his freshman year anyways, so he not losing a ton of PT by sitting out an additional year

-There are 400+ players transferring this year. This is not just a SLU thing.

I feel a little bad because it sounds like he wanted to stay, but I'm mostly with Skip on this one.

[brianstl]

Who has actually vilified Drew?

[billiken_roy]

which is worse: the way washington state yanked loncona's letter of intent or this?

[Pistol]

which is worse: the way washington state yanked loncona's letter of intent or this?

Washington State.

Not that this isn't at least somewhat problematic.

[SLUDrew]

which is worse: the way washington state yanked loncona's letter of intent or this?

I would say this because the kid was already here AND has already sat out a year

However, like many have sad, this kind of thing happens all the time ESPECIALLY as a program gains some notoriety and higher caliber players begin to take notice of your program. Its the price of raising the level of your program

[jimbofive]

Not a fan of this. Not a fan when Majerus did it, like the Greek kid last year. Not a fan now. Too much like SEC football. And not all big time programs do this. All have transfers. But not all are as cutthroat as cutting kids they offered full scholarships. Recruiting looks a lot better when you can just get rid of mistakes.

And now the kid is making a big enough deal of it to get bad press.

The only positive thing about this is that it is one thing that shows Crews is a tough enough coach to handle the position, similar to Majerus.

I think in some ways, the AD has to step in and control the coach here. The coach has to win games and if this is not breaking any rules, he will do it just not to get fired. The program probably should step in and say this is not acceptable.

jared drew, an adult male, signed a binding legal contract to procure $160k+ free education in exchange for his contributions to a university's division 1 basketball program. in that contract it was clearly stated that the university's obligation to him was on a purely year-to-year basis and that he was in no way guaranteed that his scholarship would be renewed, at the university's discretion, of course. his contract was terminated, but only after he was put in the best position to succeed at the main endeavor he should have been tasked with (academics), and as an adult, he will have to go sign another amazing contract for free education somewhere else more commensurate with his athletic abilities.

i personally wish him luck, but no one pulled the plug on his life support machine here. it sucks for him, but if anything, get mad at the ncaa for allowing things to be run like such a business. i got no pity when my dad had a stroke halfway through my junior year and couldn't afford to pay the remainder of my SLU tuition, about $10k per year after my academic scholarship and federal student loans. i took out private student loans, i kept going to work and school, i got my degree and i got the fuok out.

it's the real world here. MAD real.

[slufanskip]

Shoe dont sidestep the issue. Crews was a greedy a$s that screwed this kid. The rule shouldn't have governed crews being a good person or not.

Yes, and then if he didn't finish his classes and our apr took a hit. you'd be one of the first raising hell about that and the negative consequences of us getting penalized. SLU did not make the apr rules which are stupid, but they have to play within them

[JettFlight5]

Yes, and then if he didn't finish his classes and our apr took a hit. you'd be one of the first raising hell about that and the negative consequences of us getting penalized. SLU did not make the apr rules which are stupid, but they have to play within them

Another case of the NCAA not being able to get out of its own way. Ben McLemore gets paid? Who cares, it's Kansas.

[Littlebill]

which is worse: the way washington state yanked loncona's letter of intent or this?

Wazzu. With this, Drew got what he signed for. These scholarships are one year deals, and only go longer if they get renewed.

[slufanskip]

Who has actually vilified Drew?

No one.

No one said Drew didn't do this or that. It was said that had he not completed his studies it would have hurt SLU's apr which is a fact. Maybe he would have anyway. Maybe he wouldn't have. SLU is not in a position to nor should they have taken a chance.

The idea he won't have the same opportunities is wrong. Some doors may have shut as positions were filled, but new ones opened as more players decided to transfer.

I really don't get why college students have become so foucking entitled. Most Americans do not get nor do they deserve a free University education along with room and board. I went to work out of HS, then decided the military was a good opportunity for me. I had to obey rules and give my best. Some of the rules were fair and right, some were not, yet I had to obey them. In fact if I didn't, I could have been given a dishonerable discharge for doing something that was legal everywhere else in the USA and had my life ruined. Tough.

These guys get it because they can play basketball well enough to make it worth it to the school that gives it to them. When the time comes that they cannot play basketball well enough to deserve it at a school, why does that school still owe them anything. Jared Drew still has more educational opportunities than well over 90% of Americans. He just doesn't get free school from SLU. Why? because that free school was given to him due to his ability to play basketball at a certain level. When that ability no longer fits, he doesn't get the free school.

And as Jimbo said, he's an adult signing an agreement. If he's not smart enough to understand what he's signing ... should he even be in college? Probably not

[Bizziken]

I definitely feel sorry for Drew (he seems like a great kid) but I don't necessarily have to despise Crews for this incident. Crews was only made official a month ago, didn't recruit Drew, and perhaps didn't want to distract Drew from his finals. It IS possible to feel bad for Drew and NOT hate Crews...All I can say is that I hope Crews will help Drew find a new home...

Drew got to practice, learn, and condition his body during his redshirt year. Hopefully this improvement will allow him to succeed at another university.

[slubilliken09]

i personally wish him luck, but no one pulled the plug on his life support machine here. it sucks for him, but if anything, get mad at the ncaa for allowing things to be run like such a business. i got no pity when my dad had a stroke halfway through my junior year and couldn't afford to pay the remainder of my SLU tuition, about $10k per year after my academic scholarship and federal student loans. i took out private student loans, i kept going to work and school, i got my degree and i got the fuok out.

it's the real world here. MAD real.

Jimbo wins again.

[slu72]

Not a lawyer but when you break this event down to the basic issue, ie Whether or not SLU had the right to pull a kid's scholie?, They do. Case closed. Now as to why it was pulled is all speculation at this point. Doc B seems to know the facts, but he's playing the role of insider to us message board morons, so we'll just have to wait to find out what really happened here. But the knocks on JC and sympathy for JD should cease.

I'd wager if this was done to open up another scholie that allows us to land both the Nova and IU kid, this thread will be abandoned w/in a nano second. And JD will become a trivia question for Billiken fandom.

[moytoy12]

I'd wager if this was done to open up another scholie that allows us to land both the Nova kid and Jolly, this thread will be abandoned w/in a nano second. And JD will become a trivia question for Billiken fandom.

fyp.

[BilliKat]

vilifying Drew, including wildly speculating that Drew would tank his classes and screw up the team's APR..

It's not necessarily that he would purposely mess up exams, but yes, having basketball on his mind might really tank his concentration on the subject at hand.

Also, McCall tweeted: Everything isn't always how it reads. There's a lot more to being a division one basketball player than basketball.

It's clearly beyond what any one of us on the board knows.. It probably has a lot of different things involved. Problem is that a lot of people's arguments so far are based on others speculation. Pretty much any opinion formed on either side could be completely wrong... For all we know, the kid was a shathead. Maybe he was an academic scholar. He just might have punched someone in the face... Point is, probably shouldn't be so stuck to your guns on this one when there are very few facts available.

[JettFlight5]

There's a lot we don't know right now.

[JMM28]

You message board morons have allowed this thread to reach 11 pages without blaming the person responsible.

BIONDI.

No Drew? No confidence!

[The Wiz]

What happened here is not that unusual....a coach leaves (in this case dies) and the recruits leave....either because the recruits don't fit into the new coach's plans or the recruits decide this is not the guy that recruited me .... this is not the experience I planned for..

As for Drew's offers as listed by the P-D

Ball St................F

IUPUI................F

SIU-E.................F

New Orleans.....F...2nd worst Div 1 team

FAU...................D

UC-Davis...........D+

[slubilliken09]

You message board morons have allowed this thread to reach 11 pages without blaming the person responsible.

BIONDI.

No Drew? No confidence!

So we should bring Biondi back?

[jimbofive]

I'd wager if this was done to open up another scholie that allows us to land both the Nova and IU kid, this thread will be abandoned w/in a nano second. And JD will become a trivia question for Billiken fandom.

[BACKHANDtheRICAN]

This better not ###### up team chemistry

Seriously? cmon. This doesnt affect anything on the basketball court. In fact, we'll be better.

[BACKHANDtheRICAN]

Per the twitters

Although the timing sucks for Drew. If true, this does change my outlook on Crews and his intent to win. I like any move we make to become a better program. Winning isnt easy and you don't always make friends in doing it. That is why everyone loves losers.