Gary Parrish on The Mayor/Royce; dumbest student-athletes

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Lol .. this article could almost be read like this ..

It's the latest sign that Tubby Smith understands he must take risks to succeed at Minnesota, and that he's willing to use his can-do-no-wrong reputation around campus to make things happen, which is why I like the move. Let's be honest: Minnesota is a difficult job, and there's probably no way for the Gophers to get a prospect the caliber of White unless that prospect is flawed (and by flawed I mean a convicted criminal who is, best I can tell from his actions of the past year, a little crazy).

I can't promise this will work for either side, or that White won't end up kicked off the team before ever playing a game. But too often guys like Smith think they can rely on their coaching background and celebrity to succeed; they don't understand the grind or what it takes to jumpstart a career. Clearly, Smith is different. He recognizes his administration isn't going to stand in the way of trying to make Minnesota relevant again, and so he's doing what he thinks is necessary to make the program relevant again.

It could backfire, as I'm sure Smith knows, and he probably doesn't need to fill his roster with criminals (See: Gonzalez, Bobby). But taking White is a move that suggests the future hall of fame coach at least understands the risks required to push the Gophers to the top half of the Big 10 and that's something I can respect because I like people who "get it." Smith seems to "get it." It's an approach that won't guarantee success, but it should at least give him a chance.
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Actually It Says That About HOIBERG Not Tubby
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Yes, thanks for the newsflash FOT. My point simply is that this article could have been written about what people were saying when we signed Royce and Trevor. Many of the same sentiments were expressed. Not an indictment of either coach, only the risks posed when signing players of questionable backgrounds, though I believe Trevor's case to be a bit different.
 

Reserve said:
Yes, thanks for the newsflash FOT. My point simply is that this article could have been written about what people were saying when we signed Royce and Trevor. Many of the same sentiments were expressed. Not an indictment of either coach, only the risks posed when signing players of questionable backgrounds, though I believe Trevor's case to be a bit different.
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Neither would have been signed if their (alleged) transgressions occurred before NLOI signing date.

Trevor had nothing in his past like the alleged assault. Royce had some HS difficulties but nothing like MOA incident (theft, assault) or the dormitory issues.
 


"Trevor had nothing in his past like the alleged assault."

You say that as if you know it for a fact. There's no way you (or I) know that or not, and if there was something (else) in his past it's certainly not something your "friend" would share with you.
 

SelectionSunday said:
"Trevor had nothing in his past like the alleged assault."

You say that as if you know it for a fact. There's no way you (or I) know that or not, and if there was something (else) in his past it's certainly not something your "friend" would share with you.
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If there were, Minnesota wouldn't have signed him (nor would Marquette). I'm quite sure there wasn't.
 

What the article DID say

Let's be clear - the risk Hoiberg's taking and the risk Tubby took are significantly different.
Royce White was a home-grown talent with family ties to the U, who as far as we know, did not have any arrests. Monson failed to secure the "borders" and Clem was criticized for ignoring local talent (perhaps we now understand why). Can you imagine the outrage if Tubby had not recruited White??
(I for one am breathing a sigh of relief. Can we just have Basketball next year? Please?)

4. Any thoughts on Iowa State enrolling Minnesota's Royce White?

It's the latest sign that Fred Hoiberg understands he must take risks to succeed at Iowa State, and that he's willing to use his can-do-no-wrong reputation around campus to make things happen, which is why I like the move. Let's be honest: Iowa State is a difficult job, and there's probably no way for the Cyclones to get a prospect the caliber of White unless that prospect is flawed (and by flawed I mean a convicted criminal who is, best I can tell from his actions of the past year, a little crazy).

I can't promise this will work for either side, or that White won't end up kicked off the team before ever playing a game. But too often guys like Hoiberg think they can rely on their NBA background and celebrity to succeed; they don't understand the grind or what it takes to jumpstart a career. Clearly, Hoiberg is different. He recognizes his administration isn't going to stand in the way of "The Mayor" trying to make Iowa State relevant again, and so he's doing what he thinks is necessary to make the program relevant again.

It could backfire, as I'm sure Hoiberg knows, and he probably doesn't need to fill his roster with criminals (See: Gonzalez, Bobby). But taking White is a move that suggests the first-year coach at least understands the risks required to push the Cyclones to the top half of the Big 12 and that's something I can respect because I like people who "get it." Hoiberg seems to "get it." It's an approach that won't guarantee success, but it should at least give him a chance.
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