Jelan Kendrick dismissed from Memphis basketball team

[dchen09]

As if college hoops needed anymore drama, Memphis star recruit Jelan Kendrick was kicked off the team as per ESPN.

For people who don't know, this is the kid who was suspended earlier in the season for fighting with a teammate. I was kind of surprised considering he had supposedly worked hard to get back on the team and had sat down with the team and had a heart to heart.

[dukelifer]

As if college hoops needed anymore drama, Memphis star recruit Jelan Kendrick was kicked off the team as per ESPN.

For people who don't know, this is the kid who was suspended earlier in the season for fighting with a teammate. I was kind of surprised considering he had supposedly worked hard to get back on the team and had sat down with the team and had a heart to heart.

Bet he will end up in KY

[striker219]

Bet he will end up in KY

I think we're done here, now if one of the moderators could please turn off the lights.

See you next time folks!

[anon]

I think we're done here, now if one of the moderators could please turn off the lights.

See you next time folks!

Really… if you don't like what was said, please just ignore it and move on, and bring the holier-than-thou attitude with you.

Anyway, this was a little surprising to me: "As a condition of his release, Pastner said Kendrick can’t transfer to another Conference USA school." How on earth is that allowed?

[loran16]

Bet he will end up in KY

Pfft, let's give Cal credit where it's due: he's always been able to get head cases to play reasonably well with others in his system, like Cousins last year. Now Cousins is in the NBA and reportedly is having issues with his coach.

Pastner's got the recruiting skills from Cal., but I don't think he's got Calipari's ability to manage ginormous egos, which is pretty good.

[SuperTurkey]

Really… if you don't like what was said, please just ignore it and move on, and bring the holier-than-thou attitude with you.

I read Striker's comment as a joke referencing the double entendre of 'KY.'

Or was your response a joke referencing the double entendre of 'holier'?

[striker219]

Just to clear things up...

First, I know absolutely nothing of Jelan Kendrick. Nothing at all. He could be an amazing person or scum of the earth, I wouldn't know.

Second, I read the post about him being suspended for fighting with a teammate and this brought up in my mind questions of character. Whether or not those questions were warranted in the real world, they were there in my mind.

Third, I read the post about him ending up at Kentucky and (due to the previously mentioned character issues and my own biased opinion of Kentucky and negative view of coach Cal, whether or not such opinions are warranted) laughed slightly out loud while snorting a small splash of wine through my nasal cavity. Not to worry however, as I work in the wine business the small amount of wine that exited through my nose did not cost me a penny.

Anyway, short story long, I really appreciated the original comment and have since gone back and given it its due. It just felt too perfect to bother continuing the thread, hence my suggestion of turning off the lights. If there was any misunderstanding due to my original comment, I apologize, and if I ruined a misunderstood joke I apologize again. It's that free wine thing. On the plus side though...

GAME TIME IN 15 HOURS!
(I'm very excited)

[JasonEvans]

Pastner's got the recruiting skills from Cal., but I don't think he's got Calipari's ability to manage ginormous egos, which is pretty good.

Actually, Josh Pastner learned most of his recruiting skills from Lute Olsen, who was his coach in college and then was the guy under whom Pastner was an assistant for 6 years. Pastner spent a decade at Lute Olsen's side, learning from the guy who was able to recruit big-time players to come to the desert. He spent just 2 years with Cal in Memphis.

It is clear to me, from this article written just a couple days ago, that Kendrick is a kid with more than a "bad attitude." He has psychological issues that are serious and mostly relate to anger management. He is not going to do anything productive and positive with his life until he figures out a way to get those under control.

Here is another article that talks about why Kendrick was kicked off the team and why it actually makes Memphis better.

There were certainly times when Kendrick was the best player in practice, and Josh Pastner would readily admit that. But how often would you get that version of Kendrick, given his fragile mental state? And would extracting those glimpses of talent be so difficult that it would come at the detriment of others? If he couldn't sustain his willingness to change for an entire week before a setback, how many more times would they have to suspend him this season if he stayed? Those were the questions Memphis had to deal with today, and we all saw the answer.

The bottom line is that talent can open the doors, but if you are crazy, those doors can quickly close again.

--Jason "wherever Kendrick ends up, he needs to work on his head before he works on his game" Evans

[BD80]

... "As a condition of his release, Pastner said Kendrick can’t transfer to another Conference USA school." How on earth is that allowed?

Actually, Memphis will release him without penalty (one year) to any school outside the conference. If he wants to sit 2 years and waste a year of eligibility he can transfer inside the conference.

... Pastner's got the recruiting skills from Cal., ...

Actually, Josh Pastner learned most of his recruiting skills from Lute Olsen, who was his coach in college and then was the guy under whom Pastner was an assistant for 6 years. Pastner spent a decade at Lute Olsen's side, learning from the guy who was able to recruit big-time players to come to the desert. ... --Jason "wherever Kendrick ends up, he needs to work on his head before he works on his game" Evans

Actually, Josh's otherwordly recruiting skills most likely come from his dad, genetically and learned. Much of Lute's success in bringing talent to the desert was DUE to Josh - an Arizona walk-on who was a better coach as a freshman benchwarmer than most of the suits on the Az sideline.

... I read the post about him ending up at Kentucky and ... laughed slightly out loud while snorting a small splash of wine through my nasal cavity. Not to worry however, as I work in the wine business the small amount of wine that exited through my nose did not cost me a penny. ...

I know you wine affectionado types think its OK to spit out fabulous wines and call it "tasting," but us Irish types call it alcohol abuse. Now you spray it out your nose and call it good? Inconceivable.

[JasonEvans]

Actually, Josh's otherwordly recruiting skills most likely come from his dad, genetically and learned. Much of Lute's success in bringing talent to the desert was DUE to Josh - an Arizona walk-on who was a better coach as a freshman benchwarmer than most of the suits on the Az sideline.

I agree that Josh was born to be a coach. His father was a giant in the AAU world and Josh knew he wanted to be a coach at a young age.

But, to attribute Lute's success to Josh is a bit silly. Josh arrived as a freshman at Arizona in 1997. Arizona won the national title that year and I don't think that had much to do with Josh's recruiting. In fact, by the time Josh joined the Arizona staff and could begin recruiting, Lute already had won National Coach of the Year twice, had won the Pac Ten 8 times, and had a national title. Most of the top talent to come through Lute's program (Steve Kerr, Sean Elliot, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Miles Simon, Sean Rooks, and on and on) had already arrived before Josh became an assistant.

The notion that Josh helped Lute more than Lute helped Josh is ludicrous. It is an insult to the fine reputation and accomplishments of one of the best coaches in college basketball history...

--Jason "...even if he may have gone a bit crazy/senile at the very end of his career" Evans

[dukelifer]

I think we're done here, now if one of the moderators could please turn off the lights.

See you next time folks!

The kid was one of the best players in High School and just about every top kid seems to be going to KY- regardless of issues. KY was among the schools he looked at. What were you reading into this little statement?