Wally to focus on track, per Fuller

[StCroix]

As someone watched the kid grow up on the basketball court since he was in 6th grade, I am certain, not playing was killing the kid. He has been a "star" at every level...but this. I wish him nothing but the best of luck. He is a good kid, really he is.

 

[GopherJake]

Let's not rip the guy. He simply couldn't hack it on the court. It's not his fault he got a scholarship. That's Tubby's fault.

I wasn't ripping the guy. I was ripping the posters. Ok, maybe indirectly............I do wish him luck in track, but could clearly see he was never going to play b-ball here.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

Don't think anyone who has followed the team this season is at all surprised. Glad to have another scholarship to use for this year to get someone who can help us next season. Good luck to Wally with the track and field and hope he and he Gophers have success.

 

[dpodoll68]

 

[Dano564]

I was expecting this to happen and it's good that it's happening now.

Rich wants players who can dribble, pass, and shoot and he can't do any of the three.
Good luck to Wally with his track and field.

 

[Gold Vision]

Good luck Wally, thanks for choosing the Gophers. Coaching changes are tough, but now he can focus on his Olympic dream.

 

[HopHead]

Yes.
http://www.scholarshipstats.com/track.htm
12.6 available per D1 men's program.

I doubt that he would get a full ride for high jumping but I could be wrong. A sprinter that can run multiple races/relays or distance runner that can also run cross-country (CC is included in the 12.6 numbers) are more valuable to the team than a single event specialist and usually get a bulk of the scholarship money.

 

[The-Real-Truth]

As someone watched the kid grow up on the basketball court since he was in 6th grade, I am certain, not playing was killing the kid. He has been a "star" at every level...but this. I wish him nothing but the best of luck. He is a good kid, really he is.

Great post.

 

[jmag21]

Yeah, this isn't a surprise. Wally's still a Gopher, so I got no ill-wishes for him. I hope he makes the Olympics. With jumping ability like he's shown already as a freshman, it's definitely in his best interest to focus on that exclusively anyway. Hope he wins a national championship with the track team, and gets a shot at the Olympics in Brazil.

 

[MadtownGopher]

I doubt that he would get a full ride for high jumping but I could be wrong. A sprinter that can run multiple races/relays or distance runner that can also run cross-country (CC is included in the 12.6 numbers) are more valuable to the team than a single event specialist and usually get a bulk of the scholarship money.

Does he hurdle?

 

[HopHead]

Does he hurdle?

Not that I'm aware of.

 

[MadtownGopher]

Long jump maybe? You'd think they'd be able to find some other events for him to compete in.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

I always pulled for Wally when he played. When he got some PT, I waited for something great to happen and it seldom did. But its track season now and that is likely where he sees himself benefiting from all the practice and travel time.

All BIG High Jumper or just another guy at the far end of the bench?

Probably a pretty easy decision for him.

Bring home a BIG track High Jump Championship Wally!!!

 

[The Brain Trust]

Let's not rip the guy. He simply couldn't hack it on the court. It's not his fault he got a scholarship. That's Tubby's fault.

Yeah blame it on Tubby. Well he had offers from Neb, OK ST, St Louis, Utah and West Virginia. He was a Rivals and ESPN 3 star recruit which fits right in with Pit's recruits so far and his signing was well received on this board.. So now the blame it Tubby clown emerges once again.

 

[PitinoFan]

I doubt that he would get a full ride for high jumping but I could be wrong. A sprinter that can run multiple races/relays or distance runner that can also run cross-country (CC is included in the 12.6 numbers) are more valuable to the team than a single event specialist and usually get a bulk of the scholarship money.

Especially with 120+ athletes on the team. He's not the only All-American.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Yeah blame it on Tubby. Well he had offers from Neb, OK ST, St Louis, Utah and West Virginia. He was a Rivals and ESPN 3 star recruit which fits right in with Pit's recruits so far and his signing was well received on this board.. So now the blame it Tubby clown emerges once again.

The metric of a good recruit is not how many other offers he had, how many stars he had, or whether a Gopher fan board gets excited about it. The standard is whether the coach picked a player who will improve the team's ability to win. Wally was a miss by Tubby. No coach bats 1.000, but Tubby was the one who picked Wally out and offered him a scholarship. The fact that other schools, rating services, and fans also overestimated Wally doesn't change that.

 

[GophersOnTheRise]

Wally seems like a good kid. Good luck to him and I hope to see him in the Olympics some day.

 

[The-Real-Truth]

Yeah blame it on Tubby. Well he had offers from Neb, OK ST, St Louis, Utah and West Virginia. He was a Rivals and ESPN 3 star recruit which fits right in with Pit's recruits so far and his signing was well received on this board.. So now the blame it Tubby clown emerges once again.

True. People are wondering why RV complained about so much negativity around this program and chose to play for UNLV. God forbid, if he had a bad year, he would have been ........

 

[BarnBoy]

From the stands I could see it in his near-death body language during warmups and timeouts on Sunday. That game was the last place he wanted to be...the first guy back to the bench, throwing up shots 10 feet beyond the arc (ok, maybe that wasn't so different). This is for the best, for him and the program. Good luck and jump high over that bar, Wally.

This was my favorite part of warm-ups in high school. And I was super-engaged.

 

[Unregistered User]

Wasn't one of the reason for pulling his redshirt was that he said he didn't want to play 4 years.

Wish granted.

Honestly, I wish him nothing but the best of luck, and am truly proud of him to have garnered USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.

 

[SuperSenior13]

Even though we all saw this coming, I think the timing is interesting and more telling of what's to come in the near future in terms of recruits. However, maybe that's the ever overly-optimistic Gopher in me

He's still a Gopher, and I hope he brings us continued success in our Track & Field program. Wish him all the success in the world. SKI U MAH

 

[MadtownGopher]

Even though we all saw this coming, I think the timing is interesting and more telling of what's to come in the near future in terms of recruits. However, maybe that's the ever overly-optimistic Gopher in me

He's still a Gopher, and I hope he brings us continued success in our Track & Field program. Wish him all the success in the world. SKI U MAH

Yeah, I'm trying not to get too excited about the possibility of signing both Mahmoud and Piper.

 

[Moonlight]

True. People are wondering why RV complained about so much negativity around this program and chose to play for UNLV. God forbid, if he had a bad year, he would have been ........

Hey - good point! I'm sure glad we have you to point out the negativity. Why, I'd hardly notice a thing if it weren't for you! We're so lucky to have someone who knows himself well enough to have a moniker that says it ALL. THE REAL TRUTH, man. (I was going to have that one but it was up to The-Real-Truth25)

 

[SuperSenior13]

Yeah, I'm trying not to get too excited about the possibility of signing both Mahmoud and Piper.

Neither am I, but time shall tell. I think it's only a matter of time before Pitino has his recruiting breakthrough, though. I wouldn't consider either a breakthrough, but definitely a step in the right path.

 

[tinyarch]

Originally Posted by The Brain Trust
Yeah blame it on Tubby. Well he had offers from Neb, OK ST, St Louis, Utah and West Virginia. He was a Rivals and ESPN 3 star recruit which fits right in with Pit's recruits so far and his signing was well received on this board.. So now the blame it Tubby clown emerges once again.

The-Real-Truth[/B] ;851033]True. People are wondering why RV complained about so much negativity around this program and chose to play for UNLV. God forbid, if he had a bad year, he would have been ........

Are you two related?

 

[MadtownGopher]

Neither am I, but time shall tell. I think it's only a matter of time before Pitino has his recruiting breakthrough, though. I wouldn't consider either a breakthrough, but definitely a step in the right path.

I'd consider Mahmoud a breakthrough. He is probably one of the 3 best players still available and a consensus 4-star top 100ish player.

 

[SuperSenior13]

I'd consider Mahmoud a breakthrough. He is probably one of the 3 best players still available and a consensus 4-star top 100ish player.

I'd like to see a little more of him. I'm not disagreeing with you by any means, as I think he's a heck of a talent and it's great to see how we've emerged so quickly. He's just a little bit of an enigma at this point, which is ok; I trust this staff's eye for talent. I'd definitely welcome him with open arms.

 

[silky]

Not getting playing time is a struggle for many but he quit on his teammates. I'm assuming he played a role on the scout team and prepared the team for their upcoming opponents. Good luck to Wally with track but I wish he would have stuck it out until the end of the year.

 

[Mulligan]

Yeah blame it on Tubby. Well he had offers from Neb, OK ST, St Louis, Utah and West Virginia. He was a Rivals and ESPN 3 star recruit which fits right in with Pit's recruits so far and his signing was well received on this board.. So now the blame it Tubby clown emerges once again.

Very few are blaming Tubby. The frustration is there but it comes from what might have been. Red shirt, work on his game more, no problem between Dad and Pitino, acting like part of the team and Wally could have been a contributing member. The opportunity was certainly there; something went pretty haywire for him not to see the court.

 

[CoMn]

This is great news…great for Wally to concentrate on the sport he loves most…go win a gold representing the gophers. Being a two-sport athlete isn't easy and he'll shine more in track when he's concentrating on it alone. Glad he is staying a Gopher and I wish him the best of luck. Good riddance to his parents. They will have trouble complaining in track where your scores speak for themselves (and he will probably be the star anyway). This is a win-win…he can start track and we can get the best recruit possible to replace him. Two scholarships with 4 talented guys in positions of need considering them.