(03-18-2021 02:27 PM)JMUNation Wrote:  Great post Longhorn. Your assessment of Christmas is spot on IMO. I also enjoyed reading your perspective as an educator and understand/appreciate why you would feel a personal sense of responsibility. Loved the earned your grade story too.

Christmas has a good family support structure. Sometimes their influence can lead a young man in a different direction. It is a shame that Christmas and his family don’t see the growth in Christmas that we saw. If Michael can’t buy into what Byington wants from him, then moving should not be seen as a failure for either of them. They just disagree and parting ways is better than staying together and hurting the teams chemistry because an unhappy player isn’t good for a teams chemistry.

This pretty much hits the nail on the head. Good coaches expect the player to adapt to the program's system, the program doesn't adjust to the player. I think we saw that tried with Coach Rowe.

Maybe some folks don't realize but most times the players transferring are mutual agreements, sometimes initiated by the coach other times the players. Often times coaches are like fathers to these kids and have interest in what is good for his kids. There aren't a whole lot of secretes between players and coaches.

Players that enter the portal don't always leave. If he does actually transfer, he has the talent to be very successful somewhere that plays a more slower, fundamental style.