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Uh oh... (Damiene Cain)

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ESPN on Cain.

Money quote:

"Even in high school, he was considering whether or not that was the right usage of so much time," Harvard-Westlake School coach Greg Hilliard told ESPN.com on Monday. "We've had discussions with him for a couple years on whether it was worth it, the inordinate amount of time spent on basketball. Even if you take it to its limit and take it to the NBA, you’re done by 30."
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I know it puts us in a bad spot, but honestly I think I like Cain even more because of this. It takes tremendous balls to do what he did, and not many people would do it. I hope he gets his degree and goes on to do great things while representing CU. And I pity anyone who ends up having to go against him in the rec center.
 
Goose said:
..... I know it puts us in a bad spot, but honestly I think I like Cain even more because of this. It takes tremendous balls to do what he did, and not many people would do it. I hope he gets his degree and goes on to do great things while representing CU. And I pity anyone who ends up having to go against him in the rec center.
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So is he still enrolled and attending classes at CU?
 
I commend Cain for being so focused on academics. That's fantastic. Seems like a good guy.

But I'm still pissed that he accepted the scholarship when he wasn't sure and then bailed on us after the school year had started. Not only did it keep us from being able to sign the frontcourt player we needed in this class, he took an opportunity away from someone else by his actions. I don't want to rip on him here, but I'm not going to pretend that I'm all sunshine and rainbows either.
 
Buffnik said:
I commend Cain for being so focused on academics. That's fantastic. Seems like a good guy.

But I'm still pissed that he accepted the scholarship when he wasn't sure and then bailed on us after the school year had started. Not only did it keep us from being able to sign the frontcourt player we needed in this class, he took an opportunity away from someone else by his actions. I don't want to rip on him here, but I'm not going to pretend that I'm all sunshine and rainbows either.
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What about, sunshine, rainbows AND UNICORNS?

rainbow290x308.jpg
 
Buffnik said:
I commend Cain for being so focused on academics. That's fantastic. Seems like a good guy.

But I'm still pissed that he accepted the scholarship when he wasn't sure and then bailed on us after the school year had started. Not only did it keep us from being able to sign the frontcourt player we needed in this class, he took an opportunity away from someone else by his actions. I don't want to rip on him here, but I'm not going to pretend that I'm all sunshine and rainbows either.
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:stupid:
 
Buffnik said:
I commend Cain for being so focused on academics. That's fantastic. Seems like a good guy.

But I'm still pissed that he accepted the scholarship when he wasn't sure and then bailed on us after the school year had started. Not only did it keep us from being able to sign the frontcourt player we needed in this class, he took an opportunity away from someone else by his actions. I don't want to rip on him here, but I'm not going to pretend that I'm all sunshine and rainbows either.
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Agree with you completely. There is nothing wrong with focusing on school... But he made a commitment to his coaches and teammates to be a part of the process and isn't going to follow through. This team is less likely to be successful as of now, and that effects everyone in the program. We all learned last season that the difference between a good season and great season can be paper thin. If this decision were made months ago or even weeks ago then it would have been very different.

Buff4bcs mentioned that he could walk on down the road. I don't see it. If he can't find enough time to play basketball and go to school with the motivation of a $30,000 basketball scholarship (estimation), I highly doubt he could do it for free.

I give the kid props for following his heart and believing in his decision. Just think the timing could have been better.
 
I had a friend in high school who was a 6'6" 315 lb 3* - 4* offensive tackle in the early 80s. He quit football after his red shirt year. I asked him what happened and he said that when he got away from all of the people who expected him to excell he realized that he quit liking the game 2-3 years prior. It was the happiest that I had seen him in quite a while.
 
SuperiorBuff said:
I had a friend in high school who was a 6'6" 315 lb 3* - 4* offensive tackle in the early 80s. He quit football after his red shirt year. I asked him what happened and he said that when he got away from all of the people who expected him to excell he realized that he quit liking the game 2-3 years prior. It was the happiest that I had seen him in quite a while.
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I think this is a lot more common that we realize. I also think that a lot of recruits who don't perform up to expectations fall into this same catagory, playing a game they don't enjoy any more but sticking around for the scholarship or because they don't want to dissapoint friends, family, coaches, etc.
 
JRK1212 said:
Assuming that he's not quitting because of a medical issue...

Education and basketball are not mutually exclusive. Didn't Levi have a 4.0 GPA last year in addition to making it rain every night? All athletes manage to juggle both with some excelling in both. And Harvard-Westlake is one of the elite academic highschools in the country so I find it hard to believe that Damiene would have a difficult time with CU classes.

If Burks had done the same thing prior to his freshman year i'm sure you'd be lauding him for making a "wise life decesion" as well. Basketball just like academics can open up doors. He's been given a unique opportunity to be a part of some greater then himself, to play in front of 10,000 fans a night, to play on national TV, to travel around the country, to make a legacy, to be a BMOC, and possibly too cash in playing basketball after he graduates and he's pissing that all away so he can get some extra time to do his math homework (again it's not like he wouldn't have time if he was playing, he just has more this way).

And what about the tutoring and free ride scholarship that he's giving up, is that a wise academic or financial choice? And what about the CU basketball community? He could have made this choice before he went and committed to CU. Now the team he's turning his back on is down a player, as fans we have a worse product to watch, the countless hours and resources that the coaching staff spent recruting Damiene are all for not and could have been devoted elsewhere.

At the very least give it one season and if for whatever reason he still feels this way then quit. Consider this a mini rant, I could keep going. If it makes me a douchebag so be it but Cain should be taking this douchebag's advice rather then listening to whoever he is now.
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Sorry I gotta agree with JRK. "Higher Ed" is now showing up to be a "bubble" matter, often not worth the effort down the road. Its not as if the kid is majoring in Chem E and taking Organic chemistry right out of the chute. Any bets he's an "Ethnic Studies" major? I think he's being poorly advised by the home folks, unless he is just totally unhappy ballin'. Still, wasting talent at 18 years of age, is never a good thing.
 
Buffenuf said:
Sorry I gotta agree with JRK. "Higher Ed" is now showing up to be a "bubble" matter, often not worth the effort down the road. Its not as if the kid is majoring in Chem E and taking Organic chemistry right out of the chute. Any bets he's an "Ethnic Studies" major? I think he's being poorly advised by the home folks, unless he is just totally unhappy ballin'. Still, wasting talent at 18 years of age, is never a good thing.
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Or maybe, he wants to get a degree and feels that he can't do both basketball and college at the same time. Basketball is temporary but a degree is for life.
 
Guys we have a policy about not bashing student athletes on this website and a couple of you are getting awfully close.
 
absinthe said:
Guys we have a policy about not bashing student athletes on this website and a couple of you are getting awfully close.
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Then it's probably a good thing that Cain's no longer a student athlete. Nice try though big brother.

And this seems to be a selective policy, I guess it didn't apply to Aric Goodman? Either way I have solution, the athletes quit giving people reasons to bash them and then there wont be any bashing.
 
JRK1212 said:
Then it's probably a good thing that Cain's no longer a student athlete. Nice try though big brother.

And this seems to be a selective policy, I guess it didn't apply to Aric Goodman? Either way I have solution, the athletes quit giving people reasons to bash them and then there wont be any bashing.
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A better option for that post would have been: "I'll keep it from going over the line, abs. I can express my opinion without bashing."

tumblr_lpqcnfNjd11qabfx1o1_400.gif
 
JRK1212 said:
Then it's probably a good thing that Cain's no longer a student athlete. Nice try though big brother.

And this seems to be a selective policy, I guess it didn't apply to Aric Goodman? Either way I have solution, the athletes quit giving people reasons to bash them and then there wont be any bashing.
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Actually it did apply to Goodman and numerous things about both Aric and Cody Hawkins were removed because they were over the top. You wouldn't really know though because you showed up in Nov of 2010 with one month left in their respective careers.

Part of maintaining a decent forum is a level of respect for the work our players are putting in, understanding that they are often involved in situations that we far more complex than some dumbass behind a key board can understand. You want to unload on a coach? great? You want to act like a twat and fight with Tini and BCS go for it we have a forum for that. You want to belabor a point, call out an 18 year old, and insult his decision making? That wont fly.

Have you gone completely over the line here? probably not yet, but you did on Saturday regarding the game. Collectively our patience with you is wearing.

Consider your self warned.
 
It seems like it's one thing to quit after a redshirt year and another to quit a few weeks into the school year. I wonder if this kid would have been admitted had he not been a basketball prospect. If he was thinking these thoughts prior to signing a letter of intent maybe he should have gone the preferred walk on route.
 
Creatini said:
Or maybe, he wants to get a degree and feels that he can't do both basketball and college at the same time. Basketball is temporary but a degree is for life.
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Again a degree and basketball are not mutually exclusive. Having gone to a private school i'm willing to bet that the classes at Harvard-Wetslake are harder then the ones at CU. There are some REALLY stupid people who have managed to juggle athletics and academics and Damiene's not stupid. Even with basketball he still would have plenty of time to get his work done and even excell at it. I think that he just didn't want to play basketball and the academic thing (even if partially true) is essentially just a "cover."

And saying that basketball is temporary but a degree is for life BS. Playing collegiate basketball at this level is a unique experience in which he could forge a legacy and create life-long memories and relashionships. And basketball, just like a degree can open up many doors. And it's not like a degree is some winning lottery ticket, plenty of people have them and dont do sh*t with them.
 
Daaah said:
It seems like it's one thing to quit after a redshirt year and another to quit a few weeks into the school year. I wonder if this kid would have been admitted had he not been a basketball prospect. If he was thinking these thoughts prior to signing a letter of intent maybe he should have gone the preferred walk on route.
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he was very solid academically and probably would have had no trouble getting into CU without basketball.
 
I have to side with abs and Nick on this one.

To start with Cain is still a student and he came into our view because he is an athlete, even if he is an athlete who is not actively participating. Had he done something illegal or immoral or even done something that reflected in a negative manner on the program then you guys might have reason to bash him. Instead he decided that academics was going to be his priority and that he was going to choose what he thinks is his best course of action in life.

As I stated before it is his life and he has the right to live it as he chooses, he doesn't owe us anything. He may owe Tad an explanation because he made some commitments to Tad but Tad seems fine with the situation so that closes that issue.

We have to realize that by NCAA rules the AD has to be very carefull in terms of their relationships with a site such as this one. Even with that my impression is that the AD and the people within it have been vey open and reasonable to our site. A part of that is that (amazingly enough considering some of the other stuff that goes on around here) we have kept our discussion of players and staff within the limits of reason and appropriateness. Not only does stretching things past these limits risk this positive relationship but in dealing with college kids is simply out of bounds.

JRK, you are not the only one but I have sensed that your intent here is frequently nothing more than to aggitate and try to get other riled up. On the political forum or even in most of the Pub threads this is not a problem and in fact expected. When it comes to bashing players current, future, or past this is not welcome and should not be a part of this site.

This doesn't mean there is no room for legitimate criticism of a players performance. If a running back dances to much in the hole, a safety misses what should be a simple tackle, a player makes a stupid penalty his actions are certainly fair game for comment and negative comment. When those comments go into the level of getting personal about the player then they are out of line.
 
JRK1212 said:
Again a degree and basketball are not mutually exclusive. Having gone to a private school i'm willing to bet that the classes at Harvard-Wetslake are harder then the ones at CU. There are some REALLY stupid people who have managed to juggle athletics and academics and Damiene's not stupid. Even with basketball he still would have plenty of time to get his work done and even excell at it. I think that he just didn't want to play basketball and the academic thing (even if partially true) is essentially just a "cover."

And saying that basketball is temporary but a degree is for life BS. Playing collegiate basketball at this level is a unique experience in which he could forge a legacy and create life-long memories and relashionships. And basketball, just like a degree can open up many doors. And it's not like a degree is some winning lottery ticket, plenty of people have them and dont do sh*t with them.
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Maybe I didnt see all the bashing posts (or they were deleted before I read them), but I have to agree with JRK (There is a first time for everything). But just think of all the people that talk about their High school "playing days", that is nothing compared to being a star at division 1 basketball "playing days". Cain would have been a solid player, would he have been a NBA player? maybe, but probably not. The reality is he obviously does not enjoy basketball as much as one needs to to play at the collegiate level. Was it because he got too much pressure at home (with two parents that played at Colorado College)? It doesnt really matter, he didnt see Basketball as his #1 priority anymore, simple as that.

While I am not bashing him for his decision to not play basketball, that is his choice, I do agree he should have made that decision earlier or after this season at a point where he would take up a scholarship and allow the coaching staff to position them selves correctly.
 
Good for him. But, would have been nice if he decided earlier so the staff didn't waste their time and could have nabbed somebody else
 
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