Kids do strange things.
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/08/24/mbakwe-quits-team.aspx
A 6-foot-7, 240-pound sophomore forward, Mbakwe would have begun the fall semester with his teammates this morning but instead remains in his hometown of St. Paul, Minn. Williams and the Golden Eagles, meanwhile, were caught completely off-guard by Mbakwe's decision -- especially since he took part in all of MU's off-season workouts and had given no indication he was considering leaving.
"He just said that he felt it was best to go the junior-college route," Williams said. "He had never told me anything. I only want people that want to be a part of our program, be a part of our institution and be a part of our family. I wish Trevor nothing but the best, and I know his teammates feel the same way.
"I was shocked by the news."
Now, MU is left a man short at a crucial position, and will have no choice but to bank the scholarship for the 2009-'10 class since school's already in session and there are no suitable replacements available to sign at this point.
There were whispers Mbakwe was considering transferring in the days following Tom Crean's departure for Indiana, but on April 16 he told the Journal Sentinel he would remain at MU.
"I've been reading the papers and they're saying all this stuff about me transferring for family reasons before Coach (Tom Crean) even left," Mbakwe said then. "I just want to let everyone know that isn't true. It was news to me. It was a shock. I didn't know where it was coming from, and that's never been an idea in my head."
