Time for fans hoping for his return to the University of Louisville basketball team to face reality: Derrick Caracter has no alternative but to move on now.
While seeking Coach Rick Pitino’s permission to return next season, Caracter was making it impossible for Pitino to help him again. Caracter was not meeting even the minimum requirements to make it possible. He is academically ineligible to play next season.
Despite all the problems surrounding him, informal polls among U of L fans reflected overwhelmingly strong sentiment for his return. This despite the young man’s propensity for getting into trouble, negatively influencing other players, diluting team chemistry. Fans being fans, they could not accept the fact that a player with so much potential could be so bad or unfixable.
Caracter could return to the classroom, improve his grades, and play basketball his senior season. Don’t count on it happening at U of L. Rick Pitino appears to have finally used up his inexhaustible supply of second chances.
I think Pitino made one of the wisest decisions he’s ever made on this one. It’s a Solomon-like solution.
I wrote about it on my new, improved blogsite:
http://smokinfastball.blogspot.com/
Let me know if you agree.