A blog post on the Star Tribune website says that Minnesota Golden Gophers F Royce White is going to leave college basketball. White announced this on a YouTube video that was posted this morning. If you haven't seen the blog post by Myron Medcalf of the Star Trib, here you go.
If you haven't heard of White at all, here's what you need to know. White was Mr. Basketball for the state of Minnesota coming out of Hopkins High School. Prior to attending Hopkins, White attended De La Salle High School. White was kicked out of De La Salle for many transgressions. I had heard that White once was caught talking on his cell phone during a class. The teacher, doing her job, took White's cell phone away. White responded by stealing her purse, and taking money from the purse to buy a bag of chips from the vending machine. White then ate the chips, with the purse sitting on his desk, in class, in front of the teacher.
White was relatively clean at Hopkins, but then he was caught shoplifting at the Mall of America in October. In the security video, White is shown shoving a security guard down twice. A couple of weeks later, White was accused of stealing a laptop in a U of M dormitory. White has maintained his innocence during this investigation. In the YouTube video, White mentions that the authorites "don't want to be wrong" and that's why the case isn't dropped.
OK, let's analyze what's going on here. The video was posted at 4 am CST on You Tube. Think about yourself for a moment. When you are up at 4 in the morning not under the influence of alcohol or any other recreational drug or medication, you tend to think or say stupid stuff. Personally, I've done a lot of things right before bed where I've said, "Why did I do this?" You just don't think clearly.
Also, White tends to be having some frustration with the legal process. This is also understandable. If he didn't do it, he's going to be frustrated that the university is taking it's time with their decision. This is especially frustrating, knowing that he should be on the court. (According to the video, White was only supposed to be suspended for two exhibition games, and then make his debut in the season opener. However, then the laptop incident broke out.) Knowing the team aspect in sports, White probably feels like he's letting his team down. He's also quoted as saying that he would be "freeing [the team] of the burden."
There is no doubt that this is causing a distraction with the Gophers. They aren't showing it on the court, but the program is getting bad publicity in the media. This plus White's past is rubbing the public the wrong direction.
I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I personally know White, but take a step back and realize that this is a kid that is at a crossroads. He's 18-19 years old. People do stupid stuff when they're that young. Of course, his accusations have really tarnished his public perception, but still, he has time to turn it around.
In the video, he refers to Tubby Smith in a favorable light. This might keep the door open for him to return to the Gophers at some point. Smith isn't just a basketball coach, but he creates quality people. When I first heard about White's troubles, I thought Smith might be the best thing for him. Tubby may give White a call and try to convince him to stay patient. Which is probably the best thing for him right now.
Personally, I'd like to see White come back and play well for the Gophers. Not just because he's a good basketball player, but because he needs basketball right now as a distraction. If White leaves, it could become something that he could regret the rest of his life. That sounds grim, but remember that he has a whole life ahead of him to turn it around. I hope he does.
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