BYU basketball player Zac Seljaas comes home early from his mission

[AZUTE]

Among other things BYU basketball is in desperate need for an athletic wing. So instead of recruiting one just have the 6’7″ Seljaas come home early from his mission.

He “allegedly” has a shoulder injury that requires surgury but convently he’ll be all better by the start of next season as he has no intention of returning to the mission field. 

I guess this i just another case were Elder Seljaas can better represent the LDS Church by playing basketball insted of ringing doorbells.

 

[Tony (admin)]

Shoulder eh? Ok. They didn’t go “chemical imbalance” on that one.

[PlainsUte]

An angel appeared in a dream, stabbed him in the shoulder with a flaming sword, and told him to return to Provostan.

[Guido]

Sorry, but who really cares?  If he is legit hurt, I hope he gets the help he needs.  If he is just skiving off early to go play for a second-tier WCC team, well, in my opinion, that’s between him and God.  It doesn’t impact my world one way or the other.

[BulgieUte]

I couldn’t give a damn what missionaries do but I find it odd that people criticise them for coming home early instead of praising them for the time and effort they did put in while on a mission.

[ironman1315]

Or he actually injured his shoulder. I’m willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt on this. I had to come home early because of a knee issue, despite wanting to go back, I was given an honorary release since by the time I recovered from surgery I would have been home for a month if I had come home when I was supposed to. This mocking a kid for coming home is nothing more than pure dickishness.

[Tony (admin)]

This is a Ute fan board. Expect comments in the tds section to be sarcastically critical, just like the boogarboard goes with their patented “drunk” or “trailer park” Ute commentary.

[ironman1315]

Do their actions make it right to single out a kid coming home from a mission because he has an injury? Is that really what we want the rivalry to degrade to, or continue wallowing in?

[PorterRockwell]

There’s been more then one kid whom has been injured, sick whatever thst have come home early and coincidentally have also been good ball players AND their early return has coincided with a need on a particular team. Hence the skepticism

The only time I have interest in them is the week they are out opponent the only time I notice anything about them is when someone posts something here

[Tony (admin)]

Agree. I’d rather not see or hear anything about them ever again…. ever.

[Utah]

I think Utah fans get waaaay too emotional over this type of stuff. When Max Hall talks about his mission, and BYU fans talk about his mission and how Hall is an RM, then you discover he only served for three months? lol. 

That’s why they get their ribbing. 

As far as LDS fans of Utah go, don’t worry about it. 

As far as this kid goes, it’s a shoulder. He can go back out. BUT, he probably feels the way most of us RM’s feel: We are glad we did it, we learned a lot, we worked hard, we hopefully touched some lives, but there is no way in hell we’d ever do it again. 

[PlainsUte]

I read it as TDS being mocked for making a kid come home early to suit their needs, but if you want to take it personally, fine.

[jamarcus24]

Come home, get surgery, rehab, and get on with life.  If he really wanted to go back out he could but I’m sure a lot of people told him to start looking to the future.  He’s a good kid from a good family.  He was always going to be a byu guy but he was one I had hoped Larry could flip.

[Utebeam]

While I get the skeptism. I personally feel like this is a stretch to make an insinuation that the LDS church is convinently brining a missionary home so that BYU can add to thier basketball team.

Seriously, even if I wasn’t a member of the LDS Church I would struggle with this concept. I hope he recovers quickly and finds happiness in his life. If he is like a lot of missionaries that I know that came home early for varying reasons he will probably struggle with not finishing his two years. I hope it doesn’t bother him and he can get on with life. 

[Utah]

I hope it doesn’t bother him. A mission is the most over-rated, hyped up thing in our church. We’ve grown it to be this HUGE, end all be all, you have to go to get into heaven…and it’s not that at all.

I spent the last year of my mission cleaning up an area that we had to send the whole zone home because of girls, etc. I realized then, that there is a lot more that goes into things than this black and white, cut and dry “thus, saith the Lord” stuff we push. 

For example, what do you do with a missionary that now has a baby on the way, what do you do with the girl, and how do you do these things without losing a family from the Church all while giving that baby the best shot at a successful life? 

What do you do when you call a mom to send a kid home and she begs, literally begs, to let him stay his final three months? 

There is some great thigns that come from missions, but there is a lot of behind the scenes stuff that goes on…but, at the same time, what do you expect from 18-25 year olds? 

[ironman1315]

I have family members, albeit they’re dicks, that mocked me behind my back for coming home a transfer and a half early because of my knee. They alleged I just couldn’t hack it because I was weak willed or some s**t, despite the fact that I was on crutches for a month and at least one crutch for a month and a half. I knew certain ward members looked at me and treated me differently because I came home. Some people, when I tell them I returned, act shocked. Some even roll their eyes a little when I assert I served an honorable and full-time mission. It’s tough, even if you return home for legitimate reasons. People look down on you and it is hard to not look back and think…maybe. Of course, every time it rains or snows I am reminded that there is no maybe, if I didn’t get home then I would have needed even more surgery to get my problem fixed so that helps. But still, it can be hard, for years after it can be hard because sometimes people are just dicks.

But I agree, a mission isn’t a place where perfect kids go. But it was a valuable experience. I just never want to do it again.

[Utah]

That’s ridiculous. I’m sorry. That sucks to have that type of ridiculous pressure. I’d be shocked if Jesus would do anything other than say, “good job”. 

Your last sentence is spot on. I wouldn’t take it away, but there is no way I’d ever do that again. Heck, if my kids get called to some third world country…I’m not sure what my advice would be for them. 

[Utebeam]

Imagine the Zoobs that, despite the kids performance on the BB team, will chastize him for early release because of the fallicy that you mission doesn’t count unless its two years. That’s the thing that p**ses me off about the whole missionary thing.

Regardless of amount of time served or whether the missionary came home honarably or not there should be a pat on the shoulder and a thank you for at least giving it a shot. There is way too much presure put on 18-19 year old kids that can barely chew bubble gum and walk at the same time to serve a mission. 

[Utah]

I agree. Why do we push our kids to grow up so quickly now a days? I don’t get it. 

We live to 75-ish. Our kids will probably live to 100. 

Why do they have to have everthing figured out by 25? Why do they need to have a mission, schooling and be married by then? Well, I know the reasons why: people who don’t go on a mission at 18, get married at 22 and then go to BYU tend to fall away from the church. 

But, I digress. 

Go out, be a stupid young adult. Make some mistakes. I’ve learned some lessons the hard way in my early 30’s due to lack of experience. 

I think you should be striving towards good. Sometimes, that is a mission. Sometimes, that is school. BUT, not everyone should even go on a mission. Like I said before, I spent the last year of my mission cleaning up after bad missionaries. Who knows what my experience could have been like had I had a “normal” last year of a mission. Who knows, I might not be so jaded now. 

Anyhow, mission service should be respected. That’s it. My father in law never went on a mission. One of the best guys on the face of the earth. My father went on a mission and is scum. 

I’d rather my kids turn out like my father in law than like my father. 

[UteThunder]

Our kids won’t live to be 100. The current generation of kids is the first in recorded history expected to live shorter lives on average than their parents due to the obesity epidemic in this country.

[Tony (admin)]

That and deaths by texting while driving.

[ironman1315]

And driving like lunatics in general.

[autahfan]

It’s super hard and you should be praised for going even one day. Hopefully he feels he helped some people.