I support Mick and believe he's done a pretty fine job here. I don't support these two signings. I hope Ellis has turned it around for his own sake but every time the ESPN commentators have 30 seconds to fill on national TV we know what their storyline on Ellis will be: XU brawl, bar fight, dismissed from the team and then his turnaround in junior college. Unfortunately, what the uninformed mass audience will take from that is the negative. And that will reinforce the thug image Mick and the University have worked so hard (and successfully) to overcome.

Regarding Cobb. UC needs another guard so badly that Mick offers his last scholarship to a player dismissed for a behavioral issue from a fairly obscure mid-major program? Maybe you take a chance with a guy like that from a high major such as Michigan State or Florida. But is it really worth the added baggage to take one from a hyphenated school in the Southern Conference?

To me, these two signings raise concerns about the overall trajectory of UC recruiting following four straight NCAA Tourney appearances. If they're being counted on to start then I'm really worried about the overall talent level on the roster. If they're being counted on as reserves, are they worth risking the positive image Mick has created? I'm all for "second chances" especially for young people and we all know high major programs that have dealt with lots of troubled players. But is this the time and should UC be the place?