Nebraska's best player, Teddy Allen, has "left the team" with a wrist injury, with a week to go in the regular season. This is a guy with a bit of a checkered past, and I'm not doubting his injury is real, but I still don't get it. He says he's staying in school and continuing to work towards graduation, which is great. But if that's the case, why leave the team? Why make it appear that you're quitting the team, when all the program had to do was put out something saying that you're out for the season with a wrist injury, but you still sit on the bench in street clothes and support your teammates?
This, on top of the two guys who quit at Pittsburgh last week, seems like it's the beginning of a trend, and not a good one.
It's not the same as college football players skipping a bowl game. There, the game is meaningless and the risk of injury in a glorified exhibition game can sometimes be difficult to justify. Here, at least theoretically, Pitt and Nebraska could make late season runs to the NCAA Tournament. Both still have their conference tournaments. This season is not over, and now this is three guys, plus Jalen Johnson, who have just left. Different reasons and circumstances for them, and I get that, but still big picture this feels like the beginning of something that I for one don't like the feel of.
Nebraska is pretty bad this year, not likely to do anything in the loaded Big 10 tournament and certainly not headed for a tournament birth. Maybe his decision is a recognition of that, he's not able to play or not willing to risk further injury in the Big 10 tournament. Still, I agree with you that it's a bit strange. Why not stay on the team and simply not play in the conference tournament? Kid these days, who can figure them out?
Some of these kids need some guidance and perspective. You're a college basketball player for four years -- then you have the next 50 years in the labor force, where you will likely be known as a former college basketball player. Wouldn't it be a good thing to have your college career be a positive and not have it blow up and scatter debris on the rest of your life?
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
they definitely are not. But unlike some other career paths and industries, exhibiting what is societally viewed as a positive train is not antithetical to success. Or, put shortly, whether he stays with the team will have no bearing on whether he's successful in the NBA...so why not see through what you started, especially when the member of a team?
In any case, college students bail on stuff all the time...but when other people are counting on you, that's when you wish someone would talk to them about not burning bridges.
April 1
Maybe Allen just grew tired of the quarantine system teams have adopted. He wasnt going to play due to injury - so why bother. Covidvirus seems to have it its peak, life is slowly becoming bearable. Maybe Allen just wants to blow off a little college steam !
Agree with this. I'd way rather be (and surround myself with) a person closer to the "team-first" end of the spectrum than one on the "me-first" end of the spectrum.
Team-first mentality I'd imagine leads to a higher level of selflessness and ultimately happiness. Me-first mentality leads to greed and sense of unfulfillment.