Well, that was anti-climatic. After people were actually cheering that a coach would hold his kids responsible for the thuggery that they displayed on the court, Cincinnati and the Basketball program wimped out. At least they are having the kids do PR work. For Xavier, the Mouseketeers basically said that they didn't really care.
The fallout for Cincinnati: Yancy Gates, who sucker-punched a Xavier player got 6 games. Cheikh Mbodj also received 6 games for a suspension after stomping on the head of the Xavier player that Gates sucker-punched. Octavius Ellis also got 6 games off for his actions. Ge'Lawn Guyn got 1 game to sit and think about it.
My reaction: Not even close to being good enough. I would have given Gates 10 games and made him earn his way back onto the team. For Mbodj, there is no excuse for stomping on somebody's head. That would be an indefinite suspension. I might be able to think about reinstatement after February had ended. For Ellis and Guyn, the games are about right, but they would be on probation and have to be role models as do the others, or be thrown off the team.
The fallout for Xavier: Tu Holloway, who started this entire thing by taunting the Cincinnati bench and players got 1 game. Mark Lyons received a 2 game suspension. Dez Wells and Landon Amos for 4 games.
My reaction: Xavier is worried more about getting into the NCAA tournament than teaching the players on the basketball team what it means to be an adult and acting as a representative of the University. Holloway should be sat for at least 10 games. Why? For starting the entire thing, with his "I own this city" crack at the Cincinnati bench, for after the brawl standing on top of the scorers table and inciting the Xavier crowd who wanted Bearcat blood, for being an idiot after the game in the post-game press conference and saying that the Xavier team was "gangsta" and also saying that in rivalries, these things happen. He hasn't learned a damn thing about anything after this. Sit his ass down, I don't care if he is one of the best guards in college basketball. College is for teaching young men like Holloway, and sitting his ass down for games and make him be on the bench for his suspension would hurt and drive home a point that thuggery is not acceptable, even in rivalry games. Hell, it might actually teach his entitled ass that there is more to life than basketball. Lyons should get 6 games. He swung at a Bearcat and what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Overall, it just shows that college basketball is just the minor leagues for the NBA and the missions that each University has in their PR brochures are just words. Because there is no way that these slap on the wrists help develop the kids that did wrong. All it does is teaches them that they can get away with doing bad things because of their talent.
1 comment:
Ugly, sickening incident. I have no disagreement with you but I don't think anything will change until the fans show their disgust with their wallets, and that won't happen unfortunately.
Post a Comment