Everybody needs to get over this!
He was a good prospect, when we recruited him. He played behind some better players, and probably helped develop them. He had a lot of unfortunate injuries along the way that severely hampered his development, and then, when we needed him most, he started to really make progress until… again, injuries hammered his growth.
Life is a bitch!
Some people have genetic difficulties (like with their feet – when they are 7′ tall), that not they, their parents, their coaches, or anyone else could predict. Yet they go on. They keep working toward their goals and the goals of the institution that pays the scholarship. Jayce certainly did that. And he got closer to maximizing his potential, through hard work, this last year – before the last setback. And he succeeded! Was he not looking like a player about to break out and thrive before his last injury? From everything I’ve read and heard, there was no one that worked harder.
Now, he is thinking about transferring, which must be rooted in a combination of:
1. some discomfort about his current physical situation,
2. his goals and dreams from 5 years ago when he was recruited, vs. where he is now in attaining them,
3. his fears about where he might fit next year in a program that seems dramatically unstable year to year, and might plug someone else into his place.
4. all of the above, leading him to want to evaluate other opportunities.
As far as I’m concerned, his development, but more importantly his effort toward that development against his injury setbacks, earns him the Ute of the Year, last year. He progressed! But then, again, life’s a bitch, and here comes another injury.
I’d love to have him stay, but after all he’s been through, I AM NOT going to sit here in the comfort of my den, and RIP him from my computer, if his life takes him somewhere else.
Instead, I’ll thank him for being a UTE, in every way, while he was here, and wish him nothing but the best.
Thanks Jayce!
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