Pickett and Cody Johnson Transferring

[smokeyjoe]

While I hate to see transfers. I like the thought of a guy coming in and being a Rambler for 4 years getting his degree etc. However, and I guess I am the PM apologist for now, we really do not know why these two guys left. Until we know for sure based on facts or a really good source we must assume that there may be lots of reasons a player may leave that have nothing to do with the coach. For instance maybe what I heard was true that Pickens was injured for the majority of the season and now that the guy who recruited him is the head coach at a school closer to home ........ Maybe PM tells Cody that they will continue to run an offense that will not focus on the center position. There is a lot of fluidity in college now....everyone wants to be the guy ,,,few want to wait there turn. And there are lots of reasons kids may leave...... So just curious if anyone really knows why these two are transferring??????

[08rambler]

It's really too bad. Hope that's all and no more follow suit. Honestly, wouldn't have been surprised to see King leave.

Hope Porter can find some replacements this spring - and that this time they stick around for more than a cup of coffee! C & Q Payne, Kody Williams, Pickett, Johnson...lot of transfers (and one backed out) in a short period of time.

[ahunte1]

It's really too bad. Hope that's all and no more follow suit. Honestly, wouldn't have been surprised to see King leave.

It's definitely too bad. Seems to me like King fits in well with the group, and I'd be surprised if he transferred. I hope he can play 20 minutes a game next year though!

In the end, I hope we get guys who are eligible this year. One transfer (Berry?) is fine, but we've been short on players for too long.

Last year we had 12 scholarship players. Two were out all year with injuries. King (and maybe Cody, too) weren't ready for D1 ball. Throw in the various concussions, influenza, frostbites, etc. and there were times it seemed like we had 7 or 8 players.

We should have 11 or 12 legitimate players this coming season, depending on what happens with the two remaining scholarships.

Hope Porter can find some replacements this spring - and that this time they stick around for more than a cup of coffee! C & Q Payne, Kody Williams, Pickett, Johnson...lot of transfers (and one backed out) in a short period of time.

I think we can cut PM a break on the Paynes...

[GoRamblers]

Last year we had 12 scholarship players. Two were out all year with injuries. King (and maybe Cody, too) weren't ready for D1 ball. Throw in the various concussions, influenza, frostbites, etc. and there were times it seemed like we had 7 or 8 players.

Why was King not ready for D1 ball? It's because Porter didn't play him. Same goes with Cody. It's a learning process and you learn when playing.

King could have had a minimal impact had he gotten regular minutes. Unfortunately, Porter was too stubborn to do that.

[smokeyjoe]

You know I do wonder if stubbornness is PMs issue... on the other hand GO do you really think King was ready physically for the MVC? He was incredibly skinny. I do wish I knew why Cody Johnson did not gt more minutes. But I agree we need to have more depth going into the Valley as well as overall physicality.

On a side issue the Calhoun leaving may be a plus in the end but for the moment I just see it as another period of time where the attention and support the Bball program needs to move up was and is probably absent.

[ahunte1]

Why was King not ready for D1 ball? It's because Porter didn't play him. Same goes with Cody. It's a learning process and you learn when playing.

King could have had a minimal impact had he gotten regular minutes. Unfortunately, Porter was too stubborn to do that.

Could be.

Also, here's another MVC transfer:

[GoRamblers]

...on the other hand GO do you really think King was ready physically for the MVC? He was incredibly skinny.

I do. I absolutely do. Look at some of the "major" conferences. There are some skinny guys playing ball. Besides, King showed flashes at times. No one expected him to be a Milton Doyle. Often, with big men, they play early minutes in their first years to gain seasoning so they are prime time players in their Junior/Senior years.

As much as they may try, you can't simulate game experience in practice. Let King get out there and get knocked around a bit. He'll figure things out pretty quickly. Besides, when he was in the game, he hustled up and down the court. More than I can say for some other players...

[SubGod22]

Drake fans won't be happy with the Daddy news. Many felt he should have played more and I agree. I liked what little I saw of him.

And I agree with Go and not just for bigs. Although I will say it may be more important for bigs than others due to the physicallity of the position. But playing time goes a lot farther than just practice. Game speed is hard to simulate. Same with the overall intensity.

And it goes beyond the simple development of the player. It also gives the staff a better idea of how they stack up, and may stack up, with the competition.

[Rambler63]

There are a multitude of reasons that players transfer: homesickness, playing time, personality conflicts w/ coach(es), lack of winning, uncomfortable with the direction of program, don't like the school, life event (family illness/financial issues), coaching change, recruiting changes (new recruit at your position), uncomfortable with culture, etc. Most, but not all, of the reasons go back to the coach. Some of the possibilities can be eliminated when you find out where the player goes. If Johnson and Pickett go to schools farther away from where they're from, you can eliminate a few of the non-coaching reasons, and if they go to places where they're going to be stuck behind a higher-profile recruit, you can eliminate others. Then you're down to pure issues with the coach.

If you combine the deliberate/de facto run-offs (Brito, Stanley, Kadima, Kindred, Gac, Adams, Neary, Winborne, etc.) with the transfers/back-outs (C. Payne, Q. Payne, Williams, Stalyga, Johnson, Pickett), it's a disturbing pattern.

[08rambler]

Don't forget Devin Hill.