Only As Loyal as I Wanna Be

Recently Bob Huggins gave Kansas State the finger and headed for his alma mater West Virginia. He made this decision only one year after professing his faithfulness and dedication to the Kansas State program -- and less than two months after promising basketball recruits he would at least be there to coach them for the 2007-08 season. Highly touted basketball recruit Micheral Beasley's mother, Fatima Smith, clutched the MVP trophy at this year's McDonalds All Star game and while posing for pictures was asked whether her son resents not having the chance to go pro right now.

She responds, "I would love to see him have the opportunity, but he's going to go to the best coach in the world for my son."

That coach is Bob Huggins.

"He still needs some fine-tuning, and he's going to get it," Smith said. "Discipline, sportsmanship, character."

Whoa…Bob Huggins the model of character and citizenship? Less than 2 1/2 years removed from Cincinnati after drunk driving charges and less than 2 months removed after promising Fatima and Micheal Beasly that he would be coaching next year.

A coach leave a school and not lose a year of eligibility, but if an athlete transfers he automatically loses a year unless moving to a Division I AA or Division II, Division III school. Ah, that’s another discussion…

The question here is loyalty. Quite possibly the NCAA needs to sanction some forced loyalty for coaches or allow players to leave if a coach decides to leave. Now that Beasely has committed to Kansas State it is up to the University whether or not they will allow those players the option to transfer to other schools. It would only be fair given the players chose K-State under the belief that “Huggy Bear” would hold up his end of the bargain.

In a sport such as basketball, when coaches, media pundits and the like are constantly criticizing players for lack of teamwork, loyalty and unslefishness, it’s no wonder so many players have the attitude… "I’m only as loyal as I wanna be."