observation

[Oldman]

he who forgets the past is doomed to repeat it;
i certainly hope your outlook is bright, i myself, not ready to jump and shout..... simply because of what has happen in the past, i mean things (from where i am )has got to change first, you guys know what i'm talking about; and don't give me that "other teams go thru that," there needs to be a commitment made i think until that happens you will have the same thing year in and year out, but, i hope you guys are right.

[JacobW]

What?

[bigearl]

DIDO...WHAT???

[CajunRebel]

I guess he's talking about our basketball team, but I will hold out my comments until he clairifies exactly what he's talking about.

[Oldman]

i am talking about the players being eligible, don't tell me you didn't understand that and the discipline S T U F F

[CajunRebel]

I was just making sure. I would have felt dumb talking about Jessie Evans if you were really talking about the track team you know?

but anyway...

I agree that things need to change, I have never said otherwise. And I think we are starting to see change now. The university and the coaching staff have taken steps to see that our players are getting the proper assistance in the classroom. It is clear from the Times interview with Dr. A that the biggest reason the University waited on Jessie's contract extention was because they were unahppy with the academic problems. So this is not something the university has overlooked, and I think we will continue to see better effort from the players, coaches, and university from now on.

As for the fan's part in all this, its not the job of a fan to remember or forget the problems, its simply to support the guys who are out there playing. Those who took care of buisness and are playing on the court are more than deserving of our support. This includes players like Greene, who realized that he made a mistake and worked his butt off to make up for it. I don't know about you but i've goofed up worse than that before.

[Cajun Express]

Originally posted by CajunRebel
This includes players like Greene, who realized that he made a mistake and worked his butt off to make up for it. I don't know about you but i've goofed up worse than that before.

It seems you may have spoken too soon, after todays announcements.

[RaginFan2]

What announcements?

[CajunRebel]

RaginFan, Greene and Williams have been suspended for academics and a violation of team rules.

I did speak too soon. However, I did find it funny that academics play a factor in the announcement because it's the middle of the semester. I would think that an academic suspension would come at the end of the semester. Hopefully these guys aren't involved in anything serious i.e. drugs.

Or mabye this could actually be a sign of an attitude change by the coaches and university. Mabye they have decided to crack down on our academic problems.

[NewsCopy]

Evans suspends Cajuns’ Williams, Greene

LOUISIANA La. — A pair of key performers in UL’s march to the 2003-2004 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball championship are presently off the team.

Head coach Jessie Evans announced on Monday that forward Cedric Williams and guard Orien Greene have been suspended from the Cajun squad for violating team rules and failure to meet academic requirements.

Both players are juniors and are considered building blocks for a return to postseason play in 2004-2005, but the pair also missed part of last season with academic difficulties.

Greene, a transfer from Florida and a former Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida, successfully completed an inter-session course to attain eligibility for the spring semester.

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[Oldman]

that is exactly what i was talking about, as far as i'm concern its like closing the gate once the horse has left. listen, i understand what it is you are saying, i totally support the players who work their butts off and i have said that all along. i hope his latest action is a sign of good things to come, but i'm afraid it maybe only a bandage, i mean you cannot continue to cover it up for a while, you have to stop the bleeding and then cure the sore. and listen don't get me wrong i want the program to do well and get on track with everyone else, i think it would be awesome. we will see, i just get tired of wondering year-in and year-out of who will be eligible. Geaux Cajun.

[CajunCharlie]

I was informed, by a very reliable source, that soon after the team returned to Laf from Orlando that Jesse called a team meeting. He told the team that he expected them to attend class and to represent the University in the best manner possible. That those who failed to measure up would be disciplined. Today's announcement may be an indication that Jesse has truly resolved to make discipline a factor in the development of the team. I hope so.

[bigearl]

I stop myself short of saying, "I GIVE UP." I mean what needs to be done to make these kids understand that in order to be a STUDENT ATHLETE, you must be a STUDENT. I am at a loss for words after hearing this news. How do you guys think this affects Evans' extension? Just imagine what we'd be like if all of our potential talent, just once, actually panned out.

[CajunCharlie]

The problem as I see it,Earl, is that some of these athletes were big "studs" in high school. They coasted through on their athletic ability, were not pushed to perform academically, did whatever the hell pleased them, were not disciplined and had super egos. They were not made to establish realistic goals for their future. They believe they wiil wind up in NBA, and no one has told them the reality of successfuly doing this. They are not prepared for a higher education, nor for the self discipline it requires for to succeed at the University level. They are lazy, self centered and believe that their indiscretions will be overlooked, as they were in high school.
The other side of the picture is an athlete like Antoine Landry who has set realistic goals for his future by having a double major, and disciplines himself to succeed in school and on the court. I believe all of us would like all scholar athletes to be of this character and ambition. Unfortunately, we are unrealistic in our desires or wishes. There will be casualties, and that is what we are seeing presently.

[bigearl]

WOW, Chuck, couldn't have said it better myself. I totally agree with everything you just said and I believe whole-heartedly that this is the root of our problem. What really gets me is not only how this affects us as fans, but it affects players like Ross Mouton, Adam James, Foster, etc. The younger guys who could benefit from some veteran leadership and could use another year or two of learning before being pushed into the starting lineup. If the season started today, do you realize what our potential starting lineup would look like?

Cameron-C
Hamilton-PF
Foster-SF
Mouton-SG
Mitchell-PG

SCARY!!!!!!!! That's not to mention who comes off of the bench. Your guess is as good as mine on that. I applaud Jessie for handling business and getting these types of "cancers" off of our team, but it's got to start sooner. These guys should never step foot on this campus if there is a history of this kind of behavior. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF, boys and girls. Get used to it.