Wally Ellenson

[OldSchoolDemon]

when Wally Ellenson transferred to Marquette he was a kid who barely received playing time at Minnesota if my memory serves me correct...his transfer to Marquette received press because it was obvious what taking that transfer really meant to Marquette...an opportunity or an "in" to get his All American brother in the fold. I have no idea what was said, promised etc., but it was obvious then and it's even more obvious now this entire situation was for the benefit of Marquette. It's reality of today's game, no different than coaches taking on assistants that get them "ins" to AAU programs. If the Ellensons did not see that from the beginning they're just as naive as Marquette and Wojo for believing this would have been any different. Should Wojo have honored the scholarship? Probably. They made a deal and fact is plenty of schools have a 13th man on scholarship who is nothing but bench fodder. Wojo configured his roster and now he needs a player who can contribute and is jettisoning the one kid he can afford o jettison...like I said, this entire situation seemed to be a lose lose for everyone involved except for Henry.

[Wizard of Westroads]

when Wally Ellenson transferred to Marquette he was a kid who barely received playing time at Minnesota if my memory serves me correct...his transfer to Marquette received press because it was obvious what taking that transfer really meant to Marquette...an opportunity or an "in" to get his All American brother in the fold. I have no idea what was said, promised etc., but it was obvious then and it's even more obvious now this entire situation was for the benefit of Marquette. It's reality of today's game, no different than coaches taking on assistants that get them "ins" to AAU programs. If the Ellensons did not see that from the beginning they're just as naive as Marquette and Wojo for believing this would have been any different. Should Wojo have honored the scholarship? Probably. They made a deal and fact is plenty of schools have a 13th man on scholarship who is nothing but bench fodder. Wojo configured his roster and now he needs a player who can contribute and is jettisoning the one kid he can afford o jettison...like I said, this entire situation seemed to be a lose lose for everyone involved except for Henry.

Agree, both parties can live with the consequences. Only difference is the Ellensons can talk about it.

[QuiteSmoothly]

What was his AAU team? That may take a bit more with them.

He was with Wisconsin playground elite but he was only with them for the last couple years. it's a program that occasionally has decent talent that has gone to Marquette (Cohen, Duane Wilson recently) and I imagine wojo probably already has a solid relationship with their coaches that would allow him to still recruit their guys effectively despite a fall out with the ellensons. And honestly if he never got a guy from that program again he should be able to find enough talent elsewhere to make up for it.

Duane Wilson's dad also coaches the U17 PGE team...

[MUWarrior1090]

What was his AAU team? That may take a bit more with them.

He was with Wisconsin playground elite but he was only with them for the last couple years. it's a program that occasionally has decent talent that has gone to Marquette (Cohen, Duane Wilson recently) and I imagine wojo probably already has a solid relationship with their coaches that would allow him to still recruit their guys effectively despite a fall out with the ellensons. And honestly if he never got a guy from that program again he should be able to find enough talent elsewhere to make up for it.

And, as you may know but others may not, Playground Elite is run by Duane Wilson's dad.

[billyjack]

when Wally Ellenson transferred to Marquette he was a kid who barely received playing time at Minnesota if my memory serves me correct...his transfer to Marquette received press because it was obvious what taking that transfer really meant to Marquette...an opportunity or an "in" to get his All American brother in the fold. I have no idea what was said, promised etc., but it was obvious then and it's even more obvious now this entire situation was for the benefit of Marquette. It's reality of today's game, no different than coaches taking on assistants that get them "ins" to AAU programs. If the Ellensons did not see that from the beginning they're just as naive as Marquette and Wojo for believing this would have been any different. Should Wojo have honored the scholarship? Probably. They made a deal and fact is plenty of schools have a 13th man on scholarship who is nothing but bench fodder. Wojo configured his roster and now he needs a player who can contribute and is jettisoning the one kid he can afford o jettison...like I said, this entire situation seemed to be a lose lose for everyone involved except for Henry.

Well said, but this was opportunity for Wojo to do things the right way. And hey, if Wojo decides to do it the dick way, then own up to it. Funny, it really is Coach K's standard operating procedure.

It reminds me of how Coach K got into the 1-and-done game full-tilt, and instead of owning up to it right or wrong, the prick is constantly deflecting the issue, both constantly pointing at Calipari and Duke's need to match the arms race, and constantly working ESPN to claim that Duke "does things the right way". He wants his cake and eat it too. He was in a unique spot where Duke could've been a great example, yet did the 1 and done game.

And in general, i like to think the Big East schools try to stay classy and principled, and i don't like the excuse that "everyone does it"... we as a conference are supposed to be better than that.

Besides, Wally is at least as good as the Reinhardt kid.

[hortle]

Its not the "dick" way - if it opens a scholarship and MU can grab a better player then its the right move for the program.

The only way I see how the Ellensons would be rightfully ticked is if Wojo ensured Wally's scholarship even after Henry left for the draft. I highly doubt he did that.

[adoraz]

Forget about ethics, it's just a dumb decision to piss off your biggest victory (freshman lottery pick). Don't burn that bridge unless you have another 5 star lined up to fill the spot (which they don't).

[GoldenWarrior11]

when Wally Ellenson transferred to Marquette he was a kid who barely received playing time at Minnesota if my memory serves me correct...his transfer to Marquette received press because it was obvious what taking that transfer really meant to Marquette...an opportunity or an "in" to get his All American brother in the fold. I have no idea what was said, promised etc., but it was obvious then and it's even more obvious now this entire situation was for the benefit of Marquette. It's reality of today's game, no different than coaches taking on assistants that get them "ins" to AAU programs. If the Ellensons did not see that from the beginning they're just as naive as Marquette and Wojo for believing this would have been any different. Should Wojo have honored the scholarship? Probably. They made a deal and fact is plenty of schools have a 13th man on scholarship who is nothing but bench fodder. Wojo configured his roster and now he needs a player who can contribute and is jettisoning the one kid he can afford o jettison...like I said, this entire situation seemed to be a lose lose for everyone involved except for Henry.

Well said, but this was opportunity for Wojo to do things the right way. And hey, if Wojo decides to do it the dick way, then own up to it. Funny, it really is Coach K's standard operating procedure.

It reminds me of how Coach K got into the 1-and-done game full-tilt, and instead of owning up to it right or wrong, the prick is constantly deflecting the issue, both constantly pointing at Calipari and Duke's need to match the arms race, and constantly working ESPN to claim that Duke "does things the right way". He wants his cake and eat it too. He was in a unique spot where Duke could've been a great example, yet did the 1 and done game.

And in general, i like to think the Big East schools try to stay classy and principled, and i don't like the excuse that "everyone does it"... we as a conference are supposed to be better than that.

Besides, Wally is at least as good as the Reinhardt kid.

Not really. Reinhardt is a much, much better basketball player than Wally. Reinhardt has averaged at least 10 ppg in his three years of playing, whereas Wally has never averaged more than 2 ppg or 8 minutes per game. I feel some here believe Wally was going to be a regular contributor on the team next year (he wasn't). Wally was going to be the 12th or 13th player coming off the bench. He was not going to be a starter and he was not going to be one of the first off the bench. Reinhardt will most likely be starting.

[JohnW22]

Even if they didn't do this to Wally who knows how much Henry would care about Marquette down the line. It's not like he stayed 3-4 years and made runs in the tournament to have tons of memories. I'm not saying Henry disliked Marquette but he only stayed one year. I'm not saying he hate Marquette or loved it but it's not like he left a huge legacy.

[GumbyDamnit!]

Even if they didn't do this to Wally who knows how much Henry would care about Marquette down the line. It's not like he stayed 3-4 years and made runs in the tournament to have tons of memories. I'm not saying Henry disliked Marquette but he only stayed one year. I'm not saying he hate Marquette or loved it but it's not like he left a huge legacy.

Tim Thomas was a lot like HE. One and done so you'd think he didn't have the same ties or allegiance to Nova as four year players. WRONG. Came back and regularly worked with Nova players in off season workouts, and gave a LOT of money back to the school which he earned in his 14 year NBA career.

I think this is a BIG mistake for Wojo. It shows the current players that he has no loyalty and that they too could be replaced if someone outside the program catches his eye. Let the schools like UK make the types of decisions where the pursuit of talent trumps all else. We, as a conference, should aspire for better. It's one thing if you sit down and have a mutual conversation where both player and coach decide it's best for both parties to move on. There are 13 scholarships and only 8-9 kids who play. Is the 13th guy that critical to a team's success at the risk of treating the program like a business instead of a family? I don't.