Trevor seeking release from scholarship, consider transfer

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There must be something to the charges. Too bad.

Oh well - can't miss what we never had.

*cue the sky is falling and we're going to royally suck next year* posts.
 

This is disappointing. I get your point 97, but he plays a position of desperate need, you can't deny that. I don't understand why he would stick it out all this time and then change his mind at this point. It's hard to know what to think without the details, but it's time's like these I wish we had an athletic director I had an ounce of faith in.
 


Example of the lead being buried? : "Mbakwe is scheduled to go to trial on a felony assault charge next month but he believes his trial will be delayed again, which might jeopardize his status for next season, they said."

Seriously, this alleged incident happened over a year ago. What on earth could cause yet another delay in this trial? Further, what school is going to accept Trevor as a transfer with this accusation unresolved?
 


howeda7 said:
This is disappointing. I get your point 97, but he plays a position of desperate need, you can't deny that. I don't understand why he would stick it out all this time and then change his mind at this point. It's hard to know what to think without the details, but it's time's like these I wish we had an athletic director I had an ounce of faith in.
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Of course it's disappointing however I just read that Myron says it's not a done deal yet? So this all may be for nothing. As for Maturi - I can understand why he's so hard on the basketball program because of Clem but yes sometimes he's too hard. It's a real fine line.

I just refuse to get bogged down in the sky is falling type of attitude so many people on this board have.
 

just please fire maturi, he already hired quite possibly the worst football coach in america
 

97alumni said:
Of course it's disappointing however I just read that Myron says it's not a done deal yet? So this all may be for nothing. As for Maturi - I can understand why he's so hard on the basketball program because of Clem but yes sometimes he's too hard. It's a real fine line.

I just refuse to get bogged down in the sky is falling type of attitude so many people on this board have.
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If it was this instance alone, it would be nothing. Added to the body of work of Dithering Joel in the past few years, it's yet another sign he's not up to the job. Wavering and frustrated athlete meets with AD to discuss situation. Does he emerge feeling better and renewed in the schools faith in him? Apparently not. Instead he wants out. It doesn't fill me with confidence in our AD. It only reaffirms the zero confidence I had in him yesterday.
 

If his trial is delayed again, I don't blame him for transferring.
 




maturi did a nice job of cleaning house. 3 availble schollys turns into 7, granted PC couldn't be helped. I'm excited to see our 6 returning players next year. :). i hate him

On the positive side we can play some small ball now. Nolen PG, devoe SG, blake SF, RW SF/PF? colt and sampson C
 

If in doubt, blame Maturi for White & Mbakwe's transgressions/situations. I just don't get it. The man takes more undeserved sh*t than a Porta Potty.

Doesn't anyone understand the concept of personal accountability? No freaking way Trevor should play for the Gophers until this situation is resolved. If he doesn't want to stick around, let him go, release him from his scholarship. If he's acquitted or charges are dropped, put him in a Gopher uniform (if he's still around). If he's convicted or cops to a lesser charge, bid him adios. It's that simple. Enough said.
 

If Trevor transfers, he would have to sit out next year. He used his redshirt this past year. So, he would likely be playing his first full season of college basketball in his fifth year at some new school after sitting out a second straight year for no other reason than he wants to transfer. If he's found guilty, he's gone anyway. So, for the sake of this discussion, let's assume he is found innocent....I can't understand why he'd willingly give up another season.

If he transfers, here's his career:

Year One - played sparingly late for Marquette
Year Two - played JUCO ball in Florida
Year Three - sat out due to legal issues (redshirt)
Year Four - sit out due to transfer
Year Five - finally play

If he stays, here's his career:

Year One - played sparingly late for Marquette
Year Two - played JUCO ball in Florida
Year Three - sat out due to legal issues (redshirt)
Year Four - play for Gophers
Year Five - play for Gophers
 



Yep. Let's blame Maturi. Why hold this young man with the checkered past accountable? He's the victim here.
 

SelectionSunday said:
If in doubt, blame Maturi for White & Mbakwe's transgressions/situations. I just don't get it. The man takes more undeserved sh*t than a Porta Potty.

Doesn't anyone understand the concept of personal accountability? No freaking way Trevor should play for the Gophers until this situation is resolved. If he doesn't want to stick around, let him go, release him from his scholarship. If he's acquitted or charges are dropped, put him in a Gopher uniform (if he's still around). If he's convicted or cops to a lesser charge, bid him adios. It's that simple. Enough said.
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You are absolutely right, of course.

However, you are replacing emotion and blind allegiance with logic and rational thinking. Something the posters that are cursing Maturi for all of this are not doing.

Maturi is the last person to blame.

Trevor and Royce both got in trouble. In Trevor's case, he may be completely innocent, but we don't know that. We know Royce is just an idiot.

So on the list of culpability:

1. Royce and Trevor
2. Tubby

500. Maturi
 

SelectionSunday said:
If in doubt, blame Maturi for White & Mbakwe's transgressions/situations. I just don't get it. The man takes more undeserved sh*t than a Porta Potty.

Doesn't anyone understand the concept of personal accountability? No freaking way Trevor should play for the Gophers until this situation is resolved. If he doesn't want to stick around, let him go, release him from his scholarship. If he's acquitted or charges are dropped, put him in a Gopher uniform (if he's still around). If he's convicted or cops to a lesser charge, bid him adios. It's that simple. Enough said.
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Personal accountability is a very fair point. It's not Maturi's fault for what Trevor may have done and Royce did. However, these situations arise, and it's still Maturi's responsibility to deal with it as best he can. Can you honestly say you have faith in Joel Maturi to handle these types of situations? If so, why? What has he done in the last few years to give you this confidence?

My concern with this is that Trevor meets with Maturi, expresses his frustrations with the situation and instead of reassuring him and advising him that the school is behind him, he (per Myron) says "I'd do the same thing again" and leaves Trevor so agitated he now wants to leave. Of course, I don't know the details, only what Myron is reporting, but nothing Maturi has done in his handling of the basketball program in the last 8 years gives me any confidence in him. And chances are if Trevor's frustrated with Maturi, Tubby is too. You can count me with those who will be surprised if Tubby's still here one year from now.
 

SelectionSunday said:
If in doubt, blame Maturi for White & Mbakwe's transgressions/situations. I just don't get it. The man takes more undeserved sh*t than a Porta Potty.

Doesn't anyone understand the concept of personal accountability? No freaking way Trevor should play for the Gophers until this situation is resolved. If he doesn't want to stick around, let him go, release him from his scholarship. If he's acquitted or charges are dropped, put him in a Gopher uniform (if he's still around). If he's convicted or cops to a lesser charge, bid him adios. It's that simple. Enough said.
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This.

Just think of how bad the program would look if a player that gets convicted of assault was playing the whole time during his trial. Maturi/Tubby made the right decision. Anybody that doesn't realize this is blind.
 


"Can you honestly say you have faith in Joel Maturi to handle these types of situations? If so, why? What has he done in the last few years to give you this confidence?"

Respectfully, Howeda. ...

1. Absolutely, yes.

2. Because he's acting on the side of caution. Because he hasn't let criminals or potential criminals take the court all for the sake of winning a few more basketball games. He's put the University of Minnesota first, not the individual. I want to experience the feeling of '97 again just like any other Gopher basketball fan, but not at all costs.

3. What has given me confidence in Maturi is he hasn't let Trevor take the court. The absolute worst scenario for this program (especially considering its past) would be to have a player with pending legal issues (especially ones as serious as Trevor's) take the court & then have him be convicted or cop to a lesser charge. The University (for letting him play) and Trevor (for being a flat-out liar to his coach & school) would look like complete fools.
 

Trevor isn't charged with rape and he claims to have a complete alibi for the assault charges. This is not the same scenario as the football players from a few years back (who were undisputedly involved in bad behavior).

In Trevor's scenario, I understand both sides of the issue. Trevor wants the U and its administrators to believe him, have faith in his alibi, and let him play now. Maturi (and Tubby?) want to play it safe and reduce negative exposure for the U by not allowing him to play. It is just a really bad/sad situation for everyone.
 

Friend Of Tubby said:
Good luck to him. #1 few schools would take a player with a pending felony charge. #2 he has to sit out a year at Div I school anyway. I doubt NCAA grants a waiver for Pending Rape Charges.
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Rape? Let's be clear, there was no rape allegations.
 

streetfighter said:
Oh, I don't know, maybe hire a hall of fame coach...
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Streetfighter, you forget that these guys don't think maturi had anything to do with that. Tubby hired him, ya know.

No rational person can blame this on Maturi. Tubby, perhaps. The legal system for draggin this on, maybe. Trevor, unless it is totally unjustified and he is 100% inocent, yep.
 

howeda7 said:
Of course, I don't know the details, only what Myron is reporting, but nothing Maturi has done in his handling of the basketball program in the last 8 years gives me any confidence in him.
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Yes, Myron is so rock solid in his reporting that the details aren't important. He's never been wrong in what he throws out there or never tried to sensationalize the situation.

Maturi isn't dithering here. He's consistently staying the course; not changing his mind like with Monson. In light of all the delays which seem to be because of the defense, what should have he told Trevor? There's also still the detail of Trevor's hasty exit from Florida which alone is enough to cause Maturi to be very cautious.

Maybe all of this might cause Tubby to take off eventually, but it's a little premature to get worked up over that. There'll be other more important factors if it happens like family, money, practice facility, etc. than the fate of two basketball players. Maturi and the administration could be just as exasperated with Tubby in these fiascos. Tubby took a chance on two kids that did have red flags. Most of us were glad at the time, but there were people questioning it at the time. Throw in the Williams trial where Tubby also seems to have a part in embroiling the U in a needless lawsuit, and the power coach's power might have some people questioning him.

A scenario I keep thinking about is Trevor finally taking a plea agreement. It would finish him here and would probably mess up any chance at a decent program. But he's facing serious charges and might decide it's time to put playing basketball at a lower priority.

Since it's Myron, I'm still hoping for the best. Tubby isn't in Oregon or Auburn or where ever so the odds are still good.

BTW, I do believe Maturi hired Tubby within the last 8 years.
 

SelectionSunday said:
"Can you honestly say you have faith in Joel Maturi to handle these types of situations? If so, why? What has he done in the last few years to give you this confidence?"

Respectfully, Howeda. ...

1. Absolutely, yes.

2. Because he's acting on the side of caution. Because he hasn't let criminals or potential criminals take the court all for the sake of winning a few more basketball games. He's put the University of Minnesota first, not the individual. I want to experience the feeling of '97 again just like any other Gopher basketball fan, but not at all costs.

3. What has given me confidence in Maturi is he hasn't let Trevor take the court. The absolute worst scenario for this program (especially considering its past) would be to have a player with pending legal issues (especially ones as serious as Trevor's) take the court & then have him be convicted or cop to a lesser charge. The University (for letting him play) and Trevor (for being a flat-out liar to his coach & school) would look like complete fools.
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I'm not even saying that Maturi should do a 180 and let him play. I just don't have a good feeling about how he's handled this, given the timing of it. It certainly seems like Trevor's discussion with Maturi is what triggered this, with Tubby trying to pull him back in, unsuccessfully.

Without questioning the ultimate decisions, I don't agree with how Maturi has handled either of these situations. With Trevor, he could have told him as early as last summer 'you can't play until this is resolved' and Trevor may have chosen to not even enroll. Instead he dithered around until right before the first game when he 'had' to make a decision. If I were in Trevor's shoes this would be very upsetting.

With Royce, there's no question that the dragging on by the UMPD was out of hand, and nothing was done to try and resolve the matter, or appearantly communicate very well with Royce. I don't blame him for Royce being a flake, but I sense it could have been handled better then it was.

Hell, the very existence of this trial going on against Tubby speaks to issues with Maturi, IMO. Clearly, Tubby shares the blame here, but he can be forgiven for not knowing Jimmy Williams history at the U two weeks into the job. But it shouldn't have taken a compliance officer to tell Maturi of the issues around hiring Jimmy WIlliams, should it? Shouldn't Maturi have been aware of enough of Gopher Basketball history to say 'No way' the first time Tubby mentioned his name? But nope, it appears it took someone else to red flag it.

Where's Tubby's contract extension that's been rumored for months? Oh right, it's delayed because of the trial and it appears they can't multi-task. I wonder if Tubby's been paid his NCAA bonus yet or if he will get it two months late again? Any one of these things is not a big deal, but taken as a whole, I no longer have any confidence in the man.

I am glad to hear of the baseball stadium donation. I'll give him props for that. Maybe it will 'fast-track' the practice facility. But I sure hope Tubby's not holding his breath.
 

streetfighter said:
Oh, I don't know, maybe hire a hall of fame coach...
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Obviously that goes without saying, so I was exagerating a bit. He clearly gets some credit for Tubby's hiring. How much is up for debate.
 



Friend Of Tubby said:
(100+ comments defending Tubby to the masses)
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FoT, chill.

It seems that you have no problem with any of our players. However, if one of them thinks about transferring, looking elsewhere, etc. you are the first to kick them out the door, turn on them, and get bitter about it.

Face it, Tubby is not a God. Players, fans, GHers that sometimes disagree with Tubby's decision-making, coaching style, recruiting efforts, whatever; are not a personal attack on Tubby.

You don't need to jump in and defend Tubby at the slightest hint of criticism...he's a big boy, he can take it.
 

SelectionSunday said:
If in doubt, blame Maturi for White & Mbakwe's transgressions/situations. I just don't get it. The man takes more undeserved sh*t than a Porta Potty.

Doesn't anyone understand the concept of personal accountability? No freaking way Trevor should play for the Gophers until this situation is resolved. If he doesn't want to stick around, let him go, release him from his scholarship. If he's acquitted or charges are dropped, put him in a Gopher uniform (if he's still around). If he's convicted or cops to a lesser charge, bid him adios. It's that simple. Enough said.
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It's not quite that simple for me. That is exactly how I have been looking at this for the past year. The seriousness of the charge against Mbakwe, coupled with the timing of Royce's transgressions, really gave Maturi no choice. Chants of "innocent until proven guilty" didn't do much for me. I truly believe Maturi did the right thing in keeping Mbakwe off the court last year.

But Mbakwe has now served what amounts to a one-year suspension for something he may not have done. The "personal accountability" argument rings hollow if, as Trevor claims, this is a case of mistaken identity. He is currently being punished more for the delay in his trial than for the crime he allegedly committed. (Granted, his side is the one asking for delays; ultimately, we don't know if the delays indicate trouble for Trevor or gathering more evidence in his favor.)

I'm not saying I would reinstate him. I just think it is getting to the point where it's more complicated than either side is portraying it. I hate to be wishy-washy, but I'm glad it's not my decision.
 

Hates -- Let's not forget this point though. It has always been Maturi's stance that Mbakwe wouldn't play with pending charges. To this point, Trevor's defense has delayed the trial saying they didn't want to address it during the basketball season, so he essentially did that to himself.

I would have done the same thing as Maturi and it's a good thing for the institution that he did. There are plenty of ways to win without allowing potential felons to play.
 

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