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Post by thewalk on May 18, 2015 17:10:34 GMT -5
..I also think cooley has his favorites that may not get the full hardazz treatment 24/7 that others do....now would have guessed chukwu would have been included in this group...playing time issue would also surprise me a little although I certainly thought he could have taken some of caron's. as there were a few games when he had decent first halves and didn't see the second....the timing of this doesn't say playing time...who knows. This one hurts.
..there ain't too many HS kids in the state of Indiana saying no thanks at a scholly to play for bob knight....
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Post by wtm97 on May 18, 2015 17:13:25 GMT -5
Absolutely.
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Post by dex on May 18, 2015 17:16:34 GMT -5
Exactly wtm...as some know, this didn't all come down today
Bet you are glad I introduced you to hockey in recent years
You owe me dinner
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Post by thumper on May 18, 2015 17:30:04 GMT -5
For the team banquet, I sat with Paschal and the Featherton family. The Woodrings also sat with us. The dads went to Iona together. We all had a great time including Casey and Paschal. Ed came over and spent some quality time with us. Then I and my two sons played golf with Ed last Monday. Throughout the day, and during lunch, Ed talked glowingly about Chukwu's upside and genuinely loved the kid.
There has to be something to this story. But for the life of me I can't put my finger on it.
Ed was glad for Simon ... they were tight. As Dex says, I doubt it has anything to do with any shenanigans.
But something or someone got to this kid.
Spoke to an old PC coach today who bemoaned that, often, today's college players have tenuous loyalty.
Paschal held his cards very close to the vest and went all in today.
College athletics has evolved into a greedy game. We learned that lesson with Slick Rick. It sucks.
I am sure Ed's heart is broken and he needs the support of the PC family. Not naysayers or fingerpointers.
GO PC,
PIZZA, SODA, GRINDERS!!!
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Post by Free Weyinmi on May 18, 2015 17:37:40 GMT -5
Shocking news. Noticed Chukwu declined the interview... I raised an eyebrow when I noticed this while reading the article a few days ago. Only now does it make sense.
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Post by friarbrown on May 18, 2015 22:25:25 GMT -5
This story doesn't make very much sense to me either. I can't imagine it would be playing time. He was bound to get as much as he could handle. There was literally no one to challenge him. Chuckwu could have had a dominant year next year. He had an All-American point guard and shooters galore. He would've never been doubled. Now he is going to sit out for a year and become just another guy at a bigger program if he chooses to go that route. Maybe there are some things that happen behind closed doors that we don't know about. Only time will tell but this really sucks for the program. I wish him luck or that he somehow wakes up and changes his mind.
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Post by yankeefriar on May 19, 2015 6:05:32 GMT -5
Shocking news. Noticed Chukwu declined the interview... I raised an eyebrow when I noticed this while reading the article a few days ago. Only now does it make sense. Yep.
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Post by charl on May 19, 2015 6:46:38 GMT -5
From the Prov. Journal:
"Chukwu responded to a text message Monday and while he resisted comment, he did write "just know I love Friar Town but I just want a change of scenery." Cooley was reached at the Big East’s meetings in Florida and said that when Chukwu came to him last week “it definitely caught us all off guard.” “All I’ll say is he has to fit the school and the school has to fit him. He said that wasn’t happening,” Cooley said. Asked what he’ll be able to do at this late date to add to his frontcourt Cooley would only say, “Friartown isn’t burning down. We’ll be all right.” Besides the “fit” that Cooley alluded to, there was no clear reason for Chukwu’s departure, according to several people close to the Friar program. Many openly wondered if the move to the University of Alabama by former associate head coach Bob Simon – who was the big man’s principal recruiter - precipitated Chukwu’s decision. Chukwu can ask PC for a release from his scholarship to any school but also deny certain schools from recruiting a talented 7-footer with three years of eligibility."
You can't please everyone, but sounds like PC rubbed him wrong, "I love Friar Town" notwithstanding. Sounds like he did not love Friar Town at all. Period. As in "l gotta get outta here". If his family wanted him to attend a small Catholic school, and the two it came down to were PC and St. Joe's, with UConn in the mix as well, at least according to the salavating fans at the Boneyard, then maybe UConn has an inside track now. Hope not. That would be one more kick in the nuts.
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Post by wtm97 on May 19, 2015 7:07:41 GMT -5
This shocker is causing some to go off the cliff - just read this claptrap from the Scout board and I must say I was quite surprised to see this exchange:
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Post by dex on May 19, 2015 8:13:23 GMT -5
PC BASKETBALL
Chukwu decides to leave program
By Kevin McNamara Journal Sports Writer
PROVIDENCE — For the second year in a row, coach Ed Cooley and the Providence Friars have fallen victim to an ill-timed transfer. A year after losing starting shooting guard Josh Fortune, a much bigger piece of the puzzle has opted to leave. Paschal Chukwu, the 7-foot-2 freshman center, will transfer after just one season, PC announced on Monday.
Like Fortune, Chukwu was expected to start for the Friars. PC lost starting center Carson Desrosiers to graduation and no other center is in the program. The Friars’ top center prospects right now include 6-8 forward Ben Bentil and incoming 6-8 Floridian Alex Owens, but he is recovering from a major knee injury and may not be able to suit up next season.
Chukwu played in 34 games in 2014-15, averaging 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds. While those numbers were modest, Cooley and other members of the Friar coaching staff frequently linked the words “Paschal” and “lottery pick” when discussing Chukwu’s vast potential. He is the highest-rated big man Cooley and his staff have ever recruited. He was ranked the 61st best prospect in the country by ESPN. com coming out of Fairfield (Conn.) Prep. Chukwu responded to a text message on Monday night and while he resisted comment, he did write “just know I love Friar Town but I just want a change of scenery.”
Cooley was reached at the Big East’s meetings in Florida and said that when Chukwu came to him last week “it definitely caught us all off guard.”
“All I’ll say is he has to fit the school and the school has to fit him. He said that wasn’t happening,” Cooley said.
Asked what he’ll be able to do at this late date to add to his frontcourt Cooley would only say, “Friartown isn’t burning down. We’ll be all right.”
Other than the “fit” that Cooley alluded to, there was no clear reason for Chukwu’s departure, according to several people close to the Friar program. Many wondered if the move to the University of Alabama by former associate head coach Bob Simon — who was the big man’s principal recruiter — precipitated Chukwu’s decision. Chukwu can ask PC for a release from his scholarship to any school, but PC can prevent certain schools from recruiting the talented 7-footer with three years of eligibility.
The timing of Chukwu’s departure isn’t good for the Friars. After assuming his frontcourt was solid with the big man, Bentil and Owens, Cooley didn’t pursue any additional size in the spring recruiting period. The same bad timing cost the Friars last spring when Fortune decided to leave on May 23. He eventually landed at the University of Colorado. If the Friars had one major, consistent weakness on a team that won 22 games and made its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, it was 3-point shooting. Fortune filled that wing sniper role in his two years at PC.
Filling Chukwu’s role will be next to impossible, at least in the 2015-16 season. The 20-year-old had great potential as a shot blocker and rebounder and showed excellent hands for a big man. That’s why he’ll be in great demand over the next few weeks.
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Post by thewalk on May 19, 2015 8:13:57 GMT -5
But something or someone got to this kid....why is this always the case? Why is it always "bad advice from his handlers".
I really appreciate what cooley has done for this program and realize that transfers happen everywhere but the blindside transfers have be an area of concern.
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Post by oaklawnbob on May 19, 2015 9:35:55 GMT -5
Once again, as in the Fortune transfer, questions about the real reason for the transfer go unanswered.
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Post by pembroke04 on May 19, 2015 9:57:28 GMT -5
I absolutely question anybody advising this kid to transfer now. All he had to do was suck it up a year and he's making millions in the NBA. I wouldn't think that this is the hard-nosed mentality that NBA teams like to see out of front court players.
I think it's unfair to lump transfers together without knowing the reasons behind them. When I look at this particular case, I fail to see any reasonable logic behind this.
If this is really about Pascal being happy and comfortable...good for him for doing what he needs to do...but this isn't fantasyland. I have no idea what's going on, but whatever.
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TheInfoMan
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Post by TheInfoMan on May 19, 2015 10:18:34 GMT -5
I hesitate to mention this, but my mind keeps going back to the "raisin in a bowl of milk" comment of a few years back. Anything, anything but that...please.
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Post by thumper on May 19, 2015 10:32:32 GMT -5
But something or someone got to this kid....why is this always the case? Why is it always "bad advice from his handlers". I really appreciate what cooley has done for this program and realize that transfers happen everywhere but the blindside transfers have be an area of concern. Who said anything about handlers? PIZZA, SODA, GRINDERS!!!
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