ST. LOUIS -- After last season's Title IX investigation at St. Louis University involving members of the men's basketball program depleted the team roster, overall talent and essentially voided their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, Coach Travis Ford's Billikens look to rebound in time to get an invitation to the 2018-19 Dance.
A year that began with high expectations ended a far cry from where they were supposed to be.
It was a far cry from where most thought they would be. It was a far cry from the unfulfilled promise of the preseason but it is the outcome when one gets into the ring, let alone in bed, with Title IX. Now behind schedule, SLU must utilize the offseason to procure the players needed to construct a squad capable of making the Tourney.
With that in mind as the backdrop, I was somewhat surprised by the announcement the other day that 6'7" sophomore forward Jalen Johnson was transferring. The decision left me curious as to why - he was Ford's lone recruit two years ago, Louisiana's 3A Player of the Year and a player who seemed to fit into the team's plans in a solid, 6th-man role.
He averaged 9.1 points a game when forced to become a starter following the Title IX fallout, played 27 minutes a game and was second on the team with 52 3-pointers. I'm still scratching my head on this one because he was a Ford "guy" who'd developed into a serious perimeter threat from beyond the arc. He'd check in at the scorer's table and bring instant credibility, energy, scoring and rebounding.
I get it that scholarships are year-to-year at the discretion of the head coach and his staff. I get it that returning forwards Hasahn French and D.J. Foreman, along with eligible transfer Luis Santos and incoming freshman Carte' Are Gordon are penciled in to log major front court minutes......but Johnson offered a serious mismatch with his height and ability to knock down the trey, opening up the low post for French and company to wreak havoc in the paint. Maybe the coaches have identified another player, one whose elite talents can help the Billikens reach their collective destination much sooner and Johnson became the expendable, odd-man out.
Coaches reserve the right to bring in players they feel will contribute immediately or as a reserve to winning. Keeps them employed, well compensated and making money for their college or university in a high-stakes, billion dollar industry that doles out hefty pay checks for participation.
Winning is not the only thing - it's everything! You just feel for the kids who have put so much time and energy into their studies and development in becoming a student-athlete deemed worth of being offered a scholarship. It's not fair and more times than not, it's not personal......it's just business.
Johnson took the time to thank his coaches and St. Louis University for the opportunity to play for the school as well as their support. Now, that's a class act and a classy move. He could have been very bitter, spewing venom and hurling a tirade of insults at Ford and SLU through the media for ripping the welcome rug from underneath him in a move he probably didn't see coming.
Here's hoping the same coach who saw enough of an upside in Johnson to recruit him also helped find him his next college destination willingly and without any hesitation whatsoever. Those conversations are had regularly nationwide in many a coach's office - whether they involve players recruited by the previous regime or those of the current one who just didn't pan out. It's part of "the bad" and "the ugly" of college sports in general.
It is still unclear what role freshman guard Jordan Goodwin, suspended for the final two months of the season, played as part of the investigation but star players or prospective stars are viewed in a different light, often being given "diplomatic" immunity but suffering the stigma of being guilty by association in the public's court of opinion. It's all very sensitive subject matter, each case, including Johnson's, deserving of their own space in print, dissection and conversation.
Nevertheless, the offseason, with Jalen Johnson's decision or urging at the hands of his former head coach that he seriously consider a change of scenery, has taken a twist for the Billikens who now have two scholarships to offer for the 2018-19 campaign. With Sikeston's All-State guard Fred Thatch, Jr. in the frosh class alongside Gordon, it'll be interesting to see the direction Ford takes - whether he uses them now or "banks" them for an upcoming class.
Either way, the Billikens are on the clock with even more of a sense of urgency to be a participant in March Madness after having their plans derailed by the Title IX investigation that severely crippled the program's image and post-season plans. They're behind schedule but can make up for lost time by having the best season in the history of the program it'll just be achieved without contributions from Johnson.
