KP

Swaggerson

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How does it go from academically ineligible to not being back with the team next year?
 

Is there something new? I thought KP was just indefinitely suspended for academic reasons, not necessarily gone for good.
 

I don't believe he's academically ineligible, unless you have some new information to share. I thought the suspension was team/school driven, not through the NCAA.
 

From no less of an authority than 'The Oracle'

Is there something new? I thought KP was just indefinitely suspended for academic reasons, not necessarily gone for good.

From the man who Bobby Knight said just celebrated his 89th birthday for the 4th time...


Kevin Payton, a redshirt junior who was suspended for academic reasons, won't be back with the Gophers basketball team next season. ... Chad Calcaterra, the 6-11 Cloquet sophomore center, recently got a scholarship offer from Auburn.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/38196669.html?page=3&c=y
 

We now have room for Trevor

Just need one more scholarship for Justin
 



"Busch will revert to walk-on status."

Big L's got it. We have two scholarships open from JAS and Big Jon graduating (Royce and Rodney to fill), a scholarship from Busch going back to being a walk-on next year (Cobbs to fill) and the fourth scholarship appears to be Payton's (Mbakwe to fill).

Honestly, I know a lot of people feel like Payton was wasting a scholarship and space on the Gopher bench, but he was also probably the most affable of all the Gopher players - just a really nice guy. He never pouted on the bench and was always the first guy on the floor after a big run caused a timeout, chest-bumping, high-fiving. When the crowd was building, he was the one swinging the towel and encouraging the noise. I'm not saying any of this deserves a basketball scholarship, but it is a shame for Payton if it ends this way.
 

Just becasue Sid wrote it......

it doesn't mean it's necessarily true! He can't quite reach the top shelf any more.
 

parkinglot,

Nobody's ever said that KP isn't a nice guy and "affable" or that he doesn't hustle in practice. But playing time clearly isn't a priority for KP or he would have read the writing on the wall by now and found a program where his ability is a much better fit. I have little stomach for spending a scholarship on a guy who fellow who appears satisfied to just ride out the season on the bench...at least not if we're trying to improve our roster so we can move up the conference standings.
 



But playing time clearly isn't a priority for KP or he would have read the writing on the wall by now and found a program where his ability is a much better fit. I have little stomach for spending a scholarship on a guy who fellow who appears satisfied to just ride out the season on the bench...at least not if we're trying to improve our roster so we can move up the conference standings.

G4L - if you know. What is the average playing time in minutes for the 13th ranked player in playing time on an NCAA Div I team?
 

it doesn't mean it's necessarily true! He can't quite reach the top shelf any more.

Sid's Journalistic Jotting Logic sometimes escapes me.

My memory of Logic goes something like this ...
If A>B and B>C then A>C.

For Sid it is more like
A reliable source told me the sun will come up tomorrow.
It will be colder next year.

Or, KP is ineligible for this season -
he won't be back next year.
 

rrjack,

Zero minutes per game, but I don't think that proves the point you're proposing.

Lots of D-I scholarships are tied up year after year on what turns out to be D-II talent or lower. That's one reason why NCAA scholarship agreements are limited to a one-year duration.
 

But playing time clearly isn't a priority for KP or he would have read the writing on the wall by now and found a program where his ability is a much better fit. I have little stomach for spending a scholarship on a guy who fellow who appears satisfied to just ride out the season on the bench...at least not if we're trying to improve our roster so we can move up the conference standings.

I see your point and understand it perfectly. Still think it's a shame to end a career on an academic suspension, but the team will certainly find someone better suited for Big 10 basketball (Mbakwe) to use that scholarship. Strictly speaking about the quality of play we'll see on the court, the scholarship will be put to better use next season.
 



I doubt that many teams have a fourth year junior as their 13th man.
 

I think RRJack's question does answer your issue G4L. You (G4L) are trying to ascertain the INTENT of Kevin Payton's time as a Gopher. Do you really know that he doesn't want to contribute to the team with minutes played? And if so, how do you know that?

Also, a scholarship is a bad scholarship if, and only if, there was a more deserving candidate that was refused that scholarship. Is that the case this year with Kevin Payton?

After that I suppose we could digress into questions of timing and logistics. Like, for instance, when is the latest possible date that a Head Coach can ask a player to step aside (Payton) so that another, better qualified player (say, Josh Crittle) could take his place on the team?

I think the SPIRIT of this argument is that most everyone likes KP and doesn't have a problem with him on the team. (Besides Tom Davis, when was the last time anyone used 13 players anyway?) G4L is arguing the minutiae of this debate.
 




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