Or maybe notify the coaches earlier?

This was reportedly a complete shock to coaches and players. It wasn't like he was unhappy, went home to think things over, and let the coaches know. He surprised him with the move right before a game he was supposed to be contributing in. His dad apparantly was notifying others before Branch told the coaches.

There are good ways to handle these situations, and bad ways. It is what it is. I just think it's silly to equate it to a player that transferred in the off-season.




[This message has been edited by AgGrad99 (edited 12/30/2011 11:21a).]

What if he decided to leave because he went home and his family told him that TexAgs was concerned about the program?

Xl, if referring to my post, I will not pass judgement on the kid's decision because I don't know the real reason. In my op, I only tried to summarize some possible factors. And, in my last post, indicated a preference to do such things in person and not by phone. Not only with your coaches but teammates.

I will mention though that I do have a strong opinion regarding us releasing him. I hope we drop the hammer and make the release as conditional as possible that does not allow him to transfer to either an sec school or a major in-state school that is a direct recruiting competitor (tu and baylor in particular). That would be just a cold business position on my part. I am not familiar with exactly what our ad can or cannot dictate in these situations, but I hope we dictate as much as allowed.

Let him leave clean tomorrow but no transfer to Baylor, tu, Maryland or SEC. Let him go to tech or tcu or wherever else.

Aggiebones is exactly right. Do not reward his behavior, and put a little kink in the plans of whomever has been recruiting him while he was committed to another program.

I think restrictions such as those you mentioned are quite reasonable. We have to protect our interests too.

My take is a LOT is different from when he signed up. I understand the move. I think it would be shortsighted to not protect ourselves however. That would allow him to leave but not give him carte blanche in doing so.

We can be gracious and still not have to be stupid either.

I read some info on what our ad can do.

Branch can enroll this spring in any school he wants. However, we can put a condition that his scholarship will not be released for 1 year. Which means branch would have to pay his own tuition for 1 year (I.e., the year he was sitting out before he could play ball, we have control over whether or not that year could be on scholarship or not).

I maybe would cool after awhile, but right now if branch wanted to go baylor for example, I hope we made him have to pay that private tuition for a year to do it. I guess maybe my feelings on this are as much to do with baylor and tu playing hardball with us refusing to schedule us in any sport and so forth, that I would not be inclined to help them out at all. If branch wanted to be on a scholly next year, I would make him go out of state. As I type right now anyways...maybe would mellow on the topic after a few more days

What goes around comes around.

Kids get the raw deal on this stuff. We've had some kids leave and I'm not sure what Barnes does. Assuming they're not going to a conference opponent, I'd hope we'd just let it go.

If the rumor 1strangers posted us true, Kennedy should let him go wherever he wants.

If he goes to Baylor, I promise you he will not have to pay any years tuition no matter what restrictions we apply. It will be taken care of under the table if need be.

It would be classless for A&M to put any restrictions on where he can transfer to.

The only caveat is if the school to which he wanted to transfer was proven to have been involved in "recruiting" him while he was on scholarship to A&M.

I hope we restrict the hell out of him.

Viva: what if what 1stRangers posted is true?

At first reading, I was concerned. On second thought, good luck to him finding any school where this does not occur. I don't approve, but it doesn't mean that it isn't widespread.

quote:

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It would be classless for A&M to put any restrictions on where he can transfer to.

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I think putting a condition that we would release his scholarship only if the new school was not in the SEC and not Baylor or Texas (those two institutions are both high-major, direct regional recruiting threats only 90 miles away from our own campus) is not so unreasonable to be called 'classless'. That would just be a self-interest business decision by our program, just as Branch made a self-interest business decision to leave at mid-year so he could play in Spring 2013.

However, if we didn't put any conditions on his release, I'd be okay with it personally I suppose (I'm mellowing perhaps with forgiveness some as the day continues on this ).



[This message has been edited by Pumpkinhead (edited 12/30/2011 1:32p).]

Theo, are you referring to this rumor?

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Jamal's best buddy said he has expressed concern over lack of off court discipline for a few weeks. Apparently was offered weed by other players at a party, and when he mentioned it to Kennedy he was blown off. That was sometime around Thanksgiving. That rumor is directly from the horse's mouth

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Let me see if I understand what you wrote Theo, to make sure I understand your thought process:

1) College athletes were smoking weed at a party.
2) Branch tattled/informed on his teammates to his coach.
3) Coach did nothing.
4) One of the reasons that Branch may have quit was because of incidents like that (Kennedy running an undisciplined program?)

Theo....please....

Honestly, I hope this story is NOT true. Not the players smoking weed part. Seriously, college athletes drinking & smoking weed at parties is not some amazing revelation. I personally don't want my kids smoking pot, but I'm not naive to think it isn't pretty common in the college scene.

What I hope is NOT true is Branch acting like Bill Cosby's 'Informer' child and going to the coaching staff and tattling on his teammates that they were smoking pot. I hope that really didn't happen. I was in the Corps of Cadets while at A&M, and my buddies did some of the damnest things sometimes, some of them not quite legal (now I'm talking misdemeanors NOT felonies okay?), and I can't remember me ever feeling an urge to report my buddies questionable activities to Corps staff. Not once. Kind of blows my mind really that a player would do that to other players. I hope that rumor is just crap floating on the internet.









[This message has been edited by Pumpkinhead (edited 12/30/2011 1:46p).]

Pumpkinhead, ignore Theo. He is a whorn troll that only has idiotic commentary. His dumbass once tried to tell this board that Varez Ward was a better player than Derrick Roland. We're all better off ignoring him.

Pumpkinhead--

Ags have been pretty quick to call us out for our "weed problems" over the years. If the story now is that it's no big deal and players and coaches are okay to ignore it--in fact, players SHOULD and MUST ignore it--well, that doesn't really square with the stone throwing over the years.

If the rumor is true, it would be the third thing the kid could point to as a reason to leave and, at the least, would indicate that attacks on HIS character are out of line.

I'd think you guys would want your coach to know about something like this.

XL is very level-headed on this thread. I still think that quitting in the middle of a season is 100% different than finishing out the year. Jamal clearly had an important role on this team, and while he acted in his best interests, he did not stick it out when his teammates needed him. He let them down.

First off, this has nothing to do with us as fans. We truly have no real dog in this fight. Second, it's still selfish and weak behavior. He turned his back on them to protect himself when they all were in a really right spot. Sure, he could get to play earlier next year, but that is only about Jamal. In all reality, it won't affect his NBA status (if he has any) or his long-term prospects.

[This message has been edited by CMack11 (edited 12/30/2011 2:00p).]

Theo, first, I don't care or have control over what other ags say. I'm saying that my personal opinion is, while I don't condone smoking pot in college and would not want my kids doing it, I doubt it is that uncommon or necessarily indicative of an undisciplined program.

And I said that, if Branch actually tattled on his own teammates to his coach cause they were smoking some weed at a party, honestly I think that would annoy me more as the coach than the guys smoking pot, cause it would show that Branch didn't have his player's back. Now felonies is different. I'd expect Branch to report that immediately. But smoking some dope at a party? Oh come on...I'd probably just tell him to stop tattling on his buddies and get out of my office.


[This message has been edited by Pumpkinhead (edited 12/30/2011 2:05p).]

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So if you buy a silk suit and then it turns out to be wool, you should just man up and wear it

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Yeah, maybe so. If there is a group of people important to you that are all invested in your decision to buy the suit, and could be hurt if you decide not to wear it. If the suit might actually turn out to be silk, or better than silk if you keep wearing it. If wearing it might actually make you a better person in the long run.

Yeah, maybe so.

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a group of people important to you that are all invested in your decision to buy the suit

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This is what cannot be left out. This decision involved a group.

Listen.

There was no one reason why. It was a culmination of things. Playing behind Harris,Reese coming in next year, away from family & friends, new coach, new conference. The whole situation was depressing the kid and he was homesick.

His family is from Kansas City and alot of family & friends are from the same area.

Just saying this now but he will go to KU.

Please dont bash him. The decision was not easy but it was in his best interest with what made him happy.

No bashing, but how would that decision been incredibly different had Jamal done the RIGHT thing and stuck this season out with his teammates?

[This message has been edited by CMack11 (edited 12/30/2011 2:33p).]

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Please dont bash him. The decision was not easy but it was in his best interest with what made him happy.

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I'm all for the guy being happy, but not at the expense of the Aggies.

We can wish him well, but still criticize how this was done.

[This message has been edited by AgGrad99 (edited 12/30/2011 2:29p).]

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Playing behind Harris,Reese coming in next year, away from family & friends, new coach, new conference. The whole situation was depressing the kid and he was homesick.

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None of the things mentioned above even comes close to the adversity faced when one has the news broken to them that they have a debilitating disease. He quit on a man who was told his life is over. There's adversity and then there's true adversity.

I, for one, wish him well. He's probably a good kid and doesn't deserve character assassination for this. But it was a poor choice. And a selfish and weak one.

[This message has been edited by CMack11 (edited 12/30/2011 2:42p).]

He listened to his Dad and family before fans and teammates.

Somewhere in there was priorities.

Fans did not factor into his equation. At least I hope not. Besides, it's not about who he listened to. He's an adult.

[This message has been edited by CMack11 (edited 12/30/2011 3:06p).]

I am sure that one party he also listened to (or his family listened to) were some recruiting wolves from other school(s). And they had a lot of ammo to use (new coach, new conference, parkinsons, team struggling early) and opportunities to offer. Recruiting is a nasty no prisoner business.

could he have flunked out?

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We've had some kids leave and I'm not sure what Barnes does.

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Never heard that a transfer was restricted but that doesn't mean it never happened.

As to the conference transfer issue, it hasn't happened much because of the loss of a year of eligibility. When Luke Axtell left for KU, Texas and Kansas voted to waive that penalty; everyone else voted not to waive.

I disagree Pumpkinhead. I have seen teams that are riddled with the pot heads in leadership and I have seen them come unglued.

Pot is stupid, it is illegal and there is reason it is illegal. If I had a kid man up and come tell me that he was offered pot at a party by another player I would not only want to know I would be ticked to no end.

I would call the offering player into my office and read him the riot act! It's one thing to use the stuff your self it's all together another thing to try to bring a fish player into that crap!!

However if I new what was happening as a coach and if it was a rampant problem in the players I inherited I would handle it differently. I would tell Branch that I appreciate his guts in coming to me and letting me know about it. I would then tell him that I am not going to do anything about it because if I call those players in, thing will go hard for you. I would then tell him to work with me, hang in there, help me make a cultural change. I would also tell him that this type of stuff is pretty common, UNFORTUNATELY SO, at this D-1 level of sports and even public HS. My son was offered pot at many of the post game parties, eventually he just didn't go because he got tired of stupid drunks and whacked out kids. It's just stupid and foolish. One of his HS teamates just died a few months ago from alcohol poisoning and he wasn't 21! What a waste!!

Still Branch needs to man up, come and sit down with BK and say hey coach this is where I am at and this is what I plan on doing. You don't call up and go I am not coming and I am gone, That is pure CS!

There are good decisions and bad ones...Von Miller quit the football team, packed up his car and headed home...his dad told him to turn his ass around, you don't quit because things aren't going your way. Von is now a pro bowl millionaire because of one tiny decision that his father made for him...hope this kid's father made the right decision?

The pot reasoning is a cop out. I guarantee you where ever he goes, unless it is oral roberts or liberty (and maybe even there), players are going to be smoking pot.

I actually think Kennedy should step down but I admire him for trying to coach this season out.

I hope we keep Branch from running to baylor or tu by establishing some conditions on being released from his schollie. He acted in his interests now it is time to act in ours.

Opag. Good post. I know as a parent that I would certainly go ballistic if I found out one of my kids was smoking weed.

Never been a coach though and you make good points. Thanks for the post.