OT: Kyle Neptune/Cam Whitmore

[SportsFan88]

I can’t really go for this, reading on The Athletic I heard that some teams were turned off in interviews and there were some long term injury and upside in terms of him being a lottery talent, Neptune seems relatable to today’s college athlete and he comes off as a solid recruiter to me, doing this would kill all momentum on the trail

 

[alphasigko]

What if he were telling the truth? Just askin'... Probably better to just say nothing...? Not sure about that either...tough choice that is...

 

[Hoophound]

What if he were telling the truth? Just askin'... Probably better to just say nothing...? Not sure about that either...tough choice that is...

You need to be diplomatic about it. I tend to think Neptune probably was diplomatic but his lack of effusive praise was taken as negativity. He probably said things like, “He needs to mature some, so you need to keep close tabs on him until he grows up a little bit, but he’s a great talent.”

 

[ctchamps]

Wait. What!? You just suggested we avoid jumping to conclusions… then you jumped to a conclusion about Cam’s agent.

The hypothetical is a plausible possibility but not a conclusion. I wasn’t aware I offered a declarative.

 

[REB1094]

If that’s the case then he’ll fit right in with the Rockets

 

[pj]

What if he were telling the truth? Just askin'... Probably better to just say nothing...? Not sure about that either...tough choice that is...

Saying nothing means you only have negative things to say and don't want to say them. It gives a negative view of Whitmore, without making the NBA folks feel they'll get the whole story out of Neptune.

But, it is the right principle. You have to be honest, but you don't have to be 100% open. You can try to help the kid while giving the NBA the clues they need to get the truth if they follow up in diligence.

 

[Samoo]

Sounds suspect, that’s coaching suicide.

Sounds like Boheim, where were Neptune's fingers during the discussions...

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

Gotta think Whitmore seriously regrets choosing Nova at this point. When he committed they were the premier college program with probably the best coach in the game who promptly exited right before he arrived. They go on to have their worst season in years and your new coach, who led you to that disappointing season, does you absolutely no favors in getting you to the next level.

I always wonder if kids harbor resentment toward coaches who recruited them only to leave them high and dry once they actually get to campus.

 

[businesslawyer]

Isn’t it more likely that the truth is Whittemore didn’t get drafted nearly as high as he and his people thought he would and it’s easier to find someone to blame than to ask what you did to make your stock drop so much? So blame a coach who didn’t all out rave about you to anyone in sight because he thought unqualified praise was too far from the reality of the situation?

I do not have any actual knowledge as to what actually happened, but betting on the most likely and usual scenario rather than the most outrageous and counterproductive scenarios seems to be the smart play.

 

[Nebraskan18]

Karaban deserved Freshman of the year, not Cam whoever. The same guy who didn’t play in any meaningful minutes, all year long. That vote was a fraud.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Isn’t it more likely that the truth is Whittemore didn’t get drafted nearly as high as he and his people thought he would and it’s easier to find someone to blame than to ask what you did to make your stock drop so much? So blame a coach who didn’t all out rave about you to anyone in sight because he thought unqualified praise was too far from the reality of the situation?

I do not have any actual knowledge as to what actually happened, but betting on the most likely and usual scenario rather than the most outrageous and counterproductive scenarios seems to be the smart play.

Complete agreement. Actions have consequences and it's not your coaches job to put his reputation on the line to spare yours.

 

[husky99]

Obviously did not want it public. But i respect what he did. You want GMs to trust you. You need to be upfront..

 

[Fatroony5]

Maybe me being skeptical but that just doesn’t sound like something a coach would say about his own player, at least in that way anyway. I’m sure he was honest with GMs tho. Unfortunately for him, he’ll learn that he doesn’t quite have the cache yet to be 100% blunt about his players. Sounds a lot different if Jay Wright is giving some pause to NBA GMs than him. Or when Saban is brutally honest with BB.

 

[nomar]

Neptune got a lot of guff for not using Whitmore right and I bet there are hard feelings about that in the Whitmore camp. My guess would be that this is the Whitmore people trashing Neptune in revenge based on mere supposition.

But let's assume it's true, that Nepture didn't stick up for Whitmore. A fireable offense? GTF0.

As an employer, I get calls about former employees all the time. I put the best light I can on the person but sometimes all I can say is "yes, he worked here." As our mothers all taught us, if you've got nothing good to say...

 

[Waquoit]

This guy screams stiff.

 

[husky429]

This is the only thing I've ever heard that makes me like Neptune even a little.

 

[NJHoops]

It’s not unique to them as a fanbase and is probably a universal reaction to stuff like this, but it’s kind of gross how so many Villanova fans are insisting on taking a side. It’s Neptune is awful or Whitmore was a waste and couldn’t be happier he‘s gone.

There’s a way to talk honestly while also standing up for your guys, but I also have no way of knowing what happened here. I think the only true things are Whitmore is 18 and just getting started with all this and Neptune, who inherited a practically perfect program, needs to show out this season. They both need to earn their contracts and limit distractions,

 

[Waquoit]

It’s not unique to them as a fanbase and is probably a universal reaction to stuff like this, but it’s kind of gross how so many Villanova fans are insisting on taking a side.

It would be the same here.

 

[nomar]

It would be the same here.

Oh please. It's not like half the people here think Ollie is a serial killer while the other think Danny should hire him as an assistant, right?

 

[husky99]

This is the only thing I've ever heard that makes me like Neptune even a little.

Trashing a player is a bit much. Saying little to nothing can say alot

 

[NJHoops]

It would be the same here.

Yes, that’s why I said that.

 

[JMick]

This is the only thing I've ever heard that makes me like Neptune even a little.

It's such an absurd thing for an opposing HC to say that I glanced at it and thought it was just a fake tweet from a UConn fan account.

I do wonder what all these people calling for his job have to say about Nick Saban and Kirby Smart trashing their own guys, though. This same kind of stuff has come out about them and no one ever wanted them fired.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

This feels like as good a place as any to point out that Ryan Russillo once said that he understands the mentality of the characters in The Town because he grew up on Martha’s Vineyard.

 

[businesslawyer]

Would everyone read the facts that are being set forth as opposed to writers adjectives added around the facts? Stating that Karaban should have been conference Freshman OTY over Whittemore is stating a reasonable opinion that many people -- including myself -- have. In no fair use of the English language is that statement "trashing" Whittemore. The opposite of setting forth complete and unqualified praise is not "trashing."

 

[NJHoops]

Would everyone read the facts that are being set forth as opposed to writers adjectives added around the facts? Stating that Karaban should have been conference Freshman OTY over Whittemore is stating a reasonable opinion that many people -- including myself -- have. In no fair use of the English language is that statement "trashing" Whittemore. The opposite of setting forth complete and unqualified praise is not "trashing."

That’s not real.