Suave is in deep trouble. I feel bad about the way things turned out with him. Right now, Suave should be working towards his Bachelor's degree after playing four good years of college ball. Instead, he's just another example of wasted talent in this area. And to some degree I feel like I'm responsible for that.
I suspect every coach wishes he could hit the reset button on a few decisions. Over the course of a season I make numerous decisions that impact my players on a personal level. Those are the ones that live with me the longest. I know full well that if I decide to dismiss a player, his life may unravel afterwards.
I believe in having rules and enforcing them. For example, I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to stealing. A few years ago I had an agreement with my players whereby anybody who finished with a GPA of over 2.5 could buy sneakers (valued at $90) for $10, and those who fell under that would pay $35 (as long as the GPA was above a 2.0). Everybody got that note except for Suave whose GPA was a respectable 2.43 when the semester ended.
Once grades came in I told everybody what was owed. Each individual came in and purchased his sneakers except for Suave. He balked at having to pay more than everybody else despite agreeing to the conditions initially. Instead of paying for the sneakers, Suave stole them from the team room where they were stashed. When I texted him to bring back the sneakers, he refused and said he'd pay $10 like everybody else. I gave him an ultimatum to either bring them back immediately, or run the risk of being suspended to start the following season.
He decided to call my bluff. Months after the incident, he paid the $35 but I decided it was much too late, especially since he hadn't offered an apology. I suspended Suave for five games to teach him a lesson. Upon returning I told Suave that he had to earn his way back into the starting line-up because in my mind the suspension wasn't enough. This was a big deal because he had been a starter, and our second leading scorer the year before. Six games after his return he decided to quit the team because he grew tired of waiting for his "rightful place" in the starting five...
I've often wondered if I went too far, and if the whole ordeal could've been avoided had I just allowed him to pay $10 since he fell just .07 points short of a 2.5. When he crossed the line, I decided to play hard ball and make him earn everything back because he violated a cardinal rule of mine. Recently I decided to reach out to see if I could help him get back on track.
Me: When are you coming back to school to earn some credits? You only need 12 more credits to transfer.
Suave: What's goin on, man? I got too much goin on right now to do school and plus I'm workin on playing overseas. You got any connects?
Me: I don't have overseas connects but you need to be more concerned with getting a degree then playing overseas right now.
Suave: I know, but me and my man's is workin out on the regular tryin to make this overseas thing happen. That's where my mind is at right now.
Me: How about you enroll in school again and keep working out? You gotta have a fall back plan. And plus you have two years of eligibility left.
Suave: I can't really do school right now because I got shit goin on. I might be doin time.
Me: For what?
Suave: Credit card fraud. They felony charges.
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