A Arkansas Democrat Gazette writer just said on social media that Nowell opted out of the season. This is what Walker said [/quote]Markquis didn’t wanna be a part of the team. we have no problem with that. None of my players have any problem with that. We’re looking forward to playing some team basketball and having fun. He said more but that was what stuck out to me. Definitely didn’t hold back.

Well now it’s time to see how we respond. Will we play better and go on a good run? Or will the season continue to spiral down? We will learn a lot about this team and the coaches from the final half of the season.

As for Nowell, I don’t know the full conflict story between him and Walker. So I’m not going to make any more opinions on the matter. Otherwise, still a shame for he was a great player. He may have struggled more this season but for all I know there could be more reasons for that other than just “cold shooting.” I can only speculate but we must move on.

I guess, because of Covid, we can use the less defamatory language that he "opted out". I guess it sounds better. But, he either quit the team or he was thrown off the team. In reality it doesn't matter what you call it. One of the most exciting players we have ever had is no longer a member of our team.

The reality is, we have played some good games without him. The opening sweep of UTA for example. Still, it difficult for a team at our level (really any level) to lose their starting point guard and star player, and continue to play at the same level. Actually, we will have to play at a higher level to have a successful season.

https://twitter.com/ByEliLederman/status...6999761925

(02-09-2021 03:13 PM)ez272 Wrote:  https://twitter.com/ByEliLederman/status...6999761925

Thanks for the info. Must have been a longggg... bus ride back from San Marcos.
I really don't take a side on this, but it does seem like Darrell has given Markquis more than one chance to "get with the system". It's just sad, for us fans, that so many "star" players have left the team over the years.

"Star" players often have attitudes because they are stars. That is always the risk you take when you deal with them. If I were a coach, I would way yonder rather have a bunch of humble, hard-working, over-achieving kids. Maybe Coach was a part of the problem: who knows? But the Coach is still the coach.

We hear a lot of college coaches these days lobbying for systemic changes on the argument, "It's about the players." Hmmmm. It used to be about the team.

There definitely a lot of things about the late John Chaney that I did not like. But his players had no doubt why they were there and who was the boss; and if they did not want to show up for 5 am practices, then they could go somewhere else. Since a lot of them were inner-city Philly kids, they needed some tough love.

First I want to say thanks to Nowell for last season. Both of the games he had against ULM were classics. I don't know what changed between last year and this year, but something did.
But all is not lost. Remember LR went on a 30-4 run in the 2nd half at Texas State with Nowell sitting in the stands.

(02-09-2021 06:05 PM)ez272 Wrote:  First I want to say thanks to Nowell for last season. Both of the games he had against ULM were classics. I don't know what changed between last year and this year, but something did.
But all is not lost. Remember LR went on a 30-4 run in the 2nd half at Texas State with Nowell sitting in the stands.

If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have believed it. We scored 32 points in almost 30 minutes, and then scored 30 in a little more than 10 minutes. Hard to believe.

There is still a lot of talent on this roster. Granted that sometimes it takes a good point guard to make it come together, but maybe the Andric kid and point-by-committee can get things going.

They have now removed his name from the roster on the website


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I figure the opt out "language" could be a way to get the year of eligibility back. Either way he was fun the watch during the time he gave us. Que sera.

(02-11-2021 04:31 PM)Festiva Wrote:  I figure the opt out "language" could be a way to get the year of eligibility back. Either way he was fun the watch during the time he gave us. Que sera.

That's a good point I hadn't thought of. Although, if I'm not mistaken all athletes can get this year back, if they want to, although I have no clue how that would work.