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Fred Thatch, Jr


HoosierPal

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32 minutes ago, Billiken Rich said:

If he can't play, the Femi John plan should hopefully be available to him.  That would suck but no one wants to "kick him to the curb."

The way I read SShoes, he wants to dump him. I can’t see taking away a year of a student -athletes career. He only has this time of his life once. 

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54 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

I don't care what his role is.  I don't think kicking him into the curb is the right thing to do.  He didn't ask to get injured.  If we don't help Hankton get a waiver (again, if he is eligible - I believe he is game number's wise) then we are doing him a disservice.  IF he gets a waiver, then the question is does he stay here or leave.  I will leave that up to him, his family and the coaching staff.    

And what are the chances these days that ANY 5 year student-athlete stays at the same school for all five years. Sure there are some.  But my guess is that the number who don't stay for all available 5 years is trending up and the number staying five years is trending down.  Look at the number of GT's available last spring.  A large portion of this board says "pick up a GT big" this off season.  That GT big is currently on someone else's team.  He is almost a commodity that we are shopping for. 

Nobody said anything about kicking him to the curb.  IF he can't play, I'm sure the program can find a way for him to remain at school but not on athletic scholly (ala Femi John).  If he can still play, then he can choose between playing out his final 2 years here or transferring and getting a fresh start somewhere else. At that point, it might even be possible for him to get an extra year with that team.

But redshirting him and keeping him on athletic scholarship for an extra year only makes sense if you think he can actually be a good contributing player for 3 years.  I don't think anybody on this board (or the staff for that matter) has seen anything from him to date that would lead one to believe that's the case.

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2 hours ago, Old guy said:

To WGSTL and others with the same idea that a transfer to D2  might  be a valid option. To put it down clearly, it is not a matter of playing D1 or D2, it is a matter of the exertion level placed upon Thatch's muscles during play. This is the key factor. I think there is not likely to be a very different degree of exertion required to play either D1 or D2, and a higher level required to play NBA. Is this  clear now? Any team that takes him, and Fred himself, have to be aware of the possibility to making his disease worse by continuing to place a level of exertion he cannot tolerate upon his legs. SLU is doing all they can to see how much he can play without problems. This does not, in any way  indicate that he will recover his prior level of play. He should be aware of this and the team should be aware of this.

If he cannot do much more than a low level of minutes per game, and not at his prior level  of excellence, the team and Fred will have to jointly decide what would be best for him. This is not a disease that will kill him, just like Welmer's ankle issue was not going to kill him. In Welmer's case he would have wound up with a permanent ankle fusion and a permanent limp (and possibly a cane) if he  persisted in trying to play. In Thatch's case he may well wind up in a wheelchair, something that will not diminish his life expectancy either. This is in D1 or in D2, and most certainly in the NBA. What SLU is doing with him is is only chance he has to get back to the court which he loves. He may not be able to  play fully and may not be able to play for long, but he may be able to play. Give him time, these are very difficult decisions he and Ford have to make.

From the point of view of the team, I think they have to assume they may need to fill 3 openings for next season instead of 1. I think they need to recruit with a goal of having 3 acceptable recruits for next season, at least until the situation with Thatch is decided. We will have an opening after Weaver's graduation, and I cannot see us maintaining Hankton in the active roster another season. Fred is a different case, we are actively trying to keep him in an active position in the team. Time will tell, it is too early to say now.

However, judging by the way Fred smiles during games, I think things may be working well with the practices and therapy. We will see what happens. Again is not a matter of D1 or D2, it is a matter of play or not play.

Let the season play out and let Fred get more medical attention and pray he gets to play the game he loves again at this level.  It sounds like it’s your belief that a D1 player can just take it easy and play at a high level at D2 or a lower level?  This may be the case for an elite player to a certain extent, but for a high energy/intense player like Fred it would likely not be as fulfilling for him.  It’s actually a bit of a insult to lower level players who work that butts off, and exert a ton of energy to achieve their level of success.  Just let the season play out and pray we see him soon.  It’s actually an injustice to be talking about anything other than what’s best for Fred and his SLU career in relation to his health.  He is a Billiken. 

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3 hours ago, ARon said:

I’m thinking it will be a moot point.

 

It is easy to see that Fred’s career is at risk.  The writing would appear to be on the wall for KC.  What Hightower has accomplished is really commendable.  If all three are back next year I will be happy and happy for them.

But, as pessimistic as it may sound, I suspect that the coaching staff is recruiting as though they have up to three spots still available for next year.

Hightower should not get a schollie next year in lieu of recruiting a bonafide D1 prospect.  

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