Coble pusses out

in a move that apparently didn't surprise Bill Carmody, Kevin Coble has quit the team. the most insightful articles i've seen are this and this. [although i think this tweet sums it up best.] for some reason Andy Katz is still drinking the purple Kool Aid, insisting that a summer trip to Italy is the key to success. but for me, this line near the end of Willhite's article sums up just how dire the situation is:

"forwards Mike Capocci and Ivan Peljusic have renewed incentive to bust their butts throughout their senior year"

if that's what the season comes down to, i don't like our chances.

i'm sure more details will surface in the coming days/weeks/months about exactly why he isn't coming back. he will stay on campus to graduate in the fall, so that figures to make for several awkward situations when he comes across other players on campus. i have to assume his decision came about in one of two ways...

1. Kevin and/or Kevin's mom are not pleased with the surgery and rehab. He's not as ready by now as he should be and probably is looking at another wasted season. He probably won't be at full strength for Game 1 and really will never get back to where he was. Another redshirt season is not an option, so he says, "Screw it. I wasn't going to play pro ball anyway, so I'll just graduate and go start making money in finance (or whatever)." If that's what happened, then blame goes to either the NU medical staff for a poor effort or just bad luck for a worse-than-normal broken foot.

2. Kevin may be frustrated with his extended rehab, but he's still in a position to contribute to the team this season. However, the team kinda sucks and the rest of the Big Ten is pretty good. He's not inspired by his coach and doesn't care all that much for his teammates. So he's out. If this is what happened, then Northwestern basketball is so much worse off than we ever imagined. Sure, we all like to talk about that first bid and how the players on the team that breaks through will be NU heroes forever. But I think we're forgetting one thing - THE PLAYERS DON'T GIVE A SHIT.

all that rah rah "let's make history together" is nonsense. players don't want to come to a school where the weather is cold, the classes are hard, the girls are ugly and the arena is empty. think about it: Kevin Coble dealt with his mom's cancer and an injury and helped lead this team through two of it's most successful seasons in a long time. and after all that, he doesn't even wait to quit until AFTER A FREE TRIP TO ITALY!! if Kevin Coble really thought this team was about to earn it's first-ever trip to the dance, after all the crap he's gone through, don't you think he would stick around for the reward? if a guy like that can leave the team now, then i have absolutely no hope for the future of this program.

either he doesn't think the team will make the tournament or he doesn't care if they do. no matter which it is, it ain't good.

The Rowley question has been answered

according to this, Kyle "I'm seven feet tall and it took me two full seasons to get my first dunk" Rowley is transferring to St. Mary's College. i can't find a mention of his transfer anywhere else, but then again there ain't a whole lot of media coverage of the Gaels in July, so i have to assume this is accurate.

as St. Mary's knocked off Villanova and won two games in the 2010 tournament, i had the pleasure of watching it live. i can say for certain that St. Mary's is neither a high major nor a HIGH high major, as at least one person has repeatedly suggested. i can also say that if there's one player who can replace SMC all-timer Omar Samhan, that player is absolutely not Kyle Rowley. hell, he couldn't even replace Vince Scott.

UPDATE: looks like someone can't take a little good-natured ribbing. i am eternally grateful for your apparent help in taking Kyle Rowley far away from Evanston.