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04-30-2020, 12:55 AM
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UDPride Way Back Machine: Osborne Is Out. Is Alex Carmona In?
Osborne is Out. Is Alex Carmona In?
By John C.|November 30th, 2001|
Recruiting and keeping players seems to have become more and more of a problem as the pressure to succeed as a coach and as a player has increased. On Monday, Jason Osborne announced that he would be leaving the University of Dayton to attend another college and play basketball. His career most certainly will be recorded as one of the shortest of all Flyers that actually played. He decided after two minutes, that’s 120 seconds, of playing time that he did not have a future at UD. One has to wonder about the pressure that he was feeling both on and off the court to make such a decision.
Alex Carmona announced last week that he would like to attend the University of Dayton to play basketball. This is a young man that has been in almost constant turmoil since he began his high school career in the United States. It is doubtful that anyone will deny the fact that he was brought here to play basketball. He was denied permission to play when he arrived, but after an appeal was given the opportunity to play as a sophomore.
He not only played, but he played with the skill and talent that had many college coaches drooling like Pavlov’s dog. As a junior, he improved to the point were he became the top prospect in Ohio for the current group of seniors. But all was not well with Mr. Carmona. Due to difficulties that he had with his host family, they decided it would be best if he did not return to them this school year. As a result, eyebrows were raised and questions of Carmona being a possible problem child arose. When it rains it seems to pour and Carmona lost his ability to play for Troy this year because of his estranged relationship with his legal guardians.
As he continues to fight that ruling, he has struggled with his eventual college choice. Although UD has courted Alex for an extended period of time, it became more and more evident that he was looking in other directions. The early leader was the University of Cincinnati. However, when John Calipari took over the Memphis program, Carmona soon became enchanted with the school. One of Calipari’s former players, Giddel Padilla assisted Carmona enter the United States and begin his high school basketball career. It was no surprise when he announced earlier this year that he would be attending Memphis. Yet, when the time came to sign the letter of intent, he wavered.
After looking at all of the factors involved in his current plight and his future in both the classroom and on the basketball court, the University of Dayton became his first choice. To those of us that follow the program and recruiting, nothing could have been more of a surprise. For the second time in three years, there were more players that wanted to attend UD than we could give scholarships. It was easy not to get excited about this announcement for several reasons. First and foremost Oliver Purnell had no scholarships to give, secondly this was the second time that Carmona had verballed to a school and lastly, he has yet to pass the SAT. All of this would lead a conservative thinker that his attending UD was no more than a pipe dream.
This is where the stories start to intertwine. Less that one week after Alex Carmona, a top 100 player nationally, decides that he wants to attend UD, Jason Osborne decides to leave. Could this just be a coincidence or part of a long-term scheme by Purnell and the coaching staff to free up that needed scholarship?
I have not spoken to any of the people involved in the current situation, but I feel pretty strongly that this is no more than a player seeing the handwriting on the wall and knowing that there was a need to change his current situation. Jason Osborne came to UD after a good but not great high school career. He came here with a world of confidence and the belief that it would be easy to dominate at the college level just as he had at the high school level. What he found was something very different.
When I spoke to him last year, he was very honest in talking about what he had found when he made his way to the basketball court. He
found quicker, stronger players. He fought a year of injuries but was prepared to take his game to where it needed to be. He lost a significant amount of weight during the summer and hoped to be in the mix for major playing time this year. But that was not to be. My impression when talking to those associated with the program was that Jason did not always give 100%. To get playing time for Oliver Purnell, you have to give 100% all of the time, not just when the mood strikes you.
It was very telling during the exhibition games when Osborne would only make a token appearance as if he were a walk-on. This had to be eating at him. It is tough for a 19 year old to realize that maybe he is not as good as he thought. He was very open in his comments concerning his leaving stating, “I learned some valuable lessons while I was here, and I appreciate what the coaching staff has tried to do for me. Since coming to UD, I’ve struggled on and off the court. To the degree that things were under my control, I take full responsibility for that. I’m going to focus on my academics and finish up the semester strong before I transfer.” I think when he realizes that life is not meant to be easy; he might be able to elevate both his game and academics to the needed level.
Carmona, on the other hand, is probably ready to play college ball right now. Certainly a year off from in-game competition would limit his ability to improve, but there is a good reason to believe that the courts might side in his favor. With his addition to the class, the level of expectation certainly has risen. Purnell had to like the four players he was bringing into the program. Adding a top 100 player can only make it better. With this group he has added a point guard (Logan White), two wings (Carmona and Marques Bennett), a power forward (Doug Scott) and a center (James Cripe). This group has to be viewed in the same class as the group that took us to the NCAA in 1990. They may even be as good as the Donald Smith/Mike Sylvester or Don May/Bobby Joe Hooper groups.
A lot will depend on Carmona and if he truly is a problem child. He has stated his desire to play for OP and his feeling of family within the players and coaching staff. This can only be looked upon as a real positive. Alex’s guardians were very discrete when interviewed so there is no real common knowledge of the problems that persisted. It would be unfair to make any guesses at this point. It might have been something very minor to most of us but major to his guardians or it might have been something very major that all of us would have a problem with. We will probably never know and we may not care if Alex becomes the player that most think he will be and the type of person that we have become accustomed to dealing with at the University of Dayton.
Players come and go in the current version of Division I college basketball. I don’t think that we can place blame on anyone for these movements. Stars in high school think that they will be stars in college. Stars in college think that they will be stars in the NBA. There probably isn’t a Division I scholarship player that doesn’t entertain the probability that he will play in the NBA. It is a brave new world and if we want the University of Dayton to compete at the highest level, we have to be willing to accept issues that were not nearly as prevalent in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is always hard to lose a player, but it is comforting to know that top echelon players will do whatever it takes to attend our school.
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04-30-2020, 11:55 AM
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These way back articles are fun to reread. Love the outlook on the incoming recruiting class of White, Cripe, Bennett (Warren Williams must've signed later). Ultimately this group of players were one of the weaker classes UD has seen in the last few decades.
Did Carmona ever play college basketball?
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04-30-2020, 12:32 PM
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Carmona never played college basketball (at least in the US) I think he spent some time on the Puerto Rican national team.
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04-30-2020, 12:38 PM
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04-30-2020, 02:20 PM
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You have to wonder where he would have ended up without the difficulties in his home life? What a difference he would have made to the program.
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05-03-2020, 12:27 PM
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Originally Posted by PerrymanFan
These way back articles are fun to reread. Love the outlook on the incoming recruiting class of White, Cripe, Bennett (Warren Williams must've signed later). Ultimately this group of players were one of the weaker classes UD has seen in the last few decades.
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I think Monte (Doug) Scott was the only player in that yesteryear lineup that could have taken minutes away from our 8th player this season, Jhery Matos...maybe.
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05-03-2020, 03:50 PM
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Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer
I think Monte (Doug) Scott was the only player in that yesteryear lineup that could have taken minutes away from our 8th player this season, Jhery Matos...maybe.
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Maybe???? Maybe??? Monte was a good player - a 1000 point scorer.!!! Jehry made 17 baskets this year. Scott averaged 95 for 4 years! Jehry shot 35% from the field, Monte 45! There is no comparison.
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05-03-2020, 04:25 PM
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I agree Monte Scott was pretty good
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05-03-2020, 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer
I think Monte (Doug) Scott was the only player in that yesteryear lineup that could have taken minutes away from our 8th player this season, Jhery Matos...maybe.
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This is a little living in the moment perspective if you ask me. Monte Scott would have been a vital part of this year's team if he were on it.
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05-03-2020, 08:02 PM
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maybe. maybe.
Just shows how 1000 point careers can be deceiving. Like 100 RBI's. If you play enough seasons and games you will get there. maybe.
My recollection from that season was 17 losses and Monty did not live up to his early years except for several remarkable games. The expectations were much greater. But one could say that about the whole team save Roberts.
For sure he could not push Ibi Watson off the 6th man slot. I like living in this moment, and it beats 2005/6 by a long shot.
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05-04-2020, 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer
maybe. maybe.
Just shows how 1000 point careers can be deceiving. Like 100 RBI's. If you play enough seasons and games you will get there. maybe.
My recollection from that season was 17 losses and Monty did not live up to his early years except for several remarkable games. The expectations were much greater. But one could say that about the whole team save Roberts.
For sure he could not push Ibi Watson off the 6th man slot. I like living in this moment, and it beats 2005/6 by a long shot.
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Maybe right about Ibi Watson but a big stretch to say Scott and Matos are anywhere in the same breath.
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05-04-2020, 12:54 PM
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I agree on Matos as both players had crippling injuries which robbed Matos of a year of development, and Lamont Monty Doug Scott of a half dozen games and who knows how much residual restriction when he returned.
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05-04-2020, 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer
...Just shows how 1000 point careers can be deceiving. Like 100 RBI's. If you play enough seasons and games you will get there...
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In the immortal words of Robert Hoover, President of Delta House: We have “a long standing tradition of existence to (our) members and to the community at large.”
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