Ramblerguy wrote:
RE: Ben Schweiger…. Sucks that a kid who committed here, red shirted, cracked the starting lineup, sat most all of this year without any sign of bitching and moaning cannot make it here. I really enjoyed watching Ben play and wanted him to continue his development with us. His folks attended every game, home and road, as far as I could tell. I know he will find his fit and reward his new team with his play and his growth on and off the court.
Also, I am really at odds with the portal and the cash changing hands all over the place.
Truth exposed, the education is not in the top ten reasons for attending a school. This angers me. It is a sign of the times that these kids live in a world that prioritizes a narrow personal goal and a warped agenda of basketball first, and maybe only. Even more however is the culture that encouraged this development in the first place.
The grown ups in the room who created this environment have turned these student athletes into commodities, and the players will suffer for this. So the loyalty that I as a fan felt for “my school” was different than being a Bulls fan cheering for mercenary players who have no ties to Chicago. Perhaps no more…It will take awhile for me to deal with this stuff. I’m still feeling bad over the way our season ended, and I never felt this way going home after any pro game. Trying to find a reason for life long loyalty to the program….Why not jump the bandwagon for whoever is at the top or most enjoyable at the time?
Am I alone here?
It looks like the game of college basketball has been forever changed in D1. The mix of the NIL and the portal (which players have joined once their season has ended and before the big dance ends) is a monster in motion. If I have it right, it is also hard to point blame on any one entity. If you can, maybe just follow the money as the old saying goes so you can more easily point your disgust that way. But the end result stinks. Kids can leave good educational institutions for the dollar. No longer waiting a year to play. Loyalty becomes an old fashioned after thought. The NIT now has seen teams turning down invites as some coaches want to start recruiting. Coaches are faced with additional challenges to create a team and maintain it. And if money is the answer, what team's NIL has it, can get it, and can keep it to satisfy players coming and going. This reminds me of the George Steinbrenner days when deep pockets changed the ways of baseball. But this is college for crying out loud! As another common saying, leave our kids alone! I can say more but for now I will just leave it at that. No, you're DEFINITELY not alone. Lastly, I agree with your thoughts on Ben.