If David Padgett enrolls at the University of North Carolina, that’s fine with me. More power to him.
If Padgett winds up playing for the man who recruited him to Kansas University, that’s OK, too. It’s not like Padgett was an indentured apprentice on Mount Oread.
Moreover, if the NCAA happened to waive its archaic rule requiring basketball transfers at Division One schools to sit out a year — fat chance — and allow Padgett to play right away in Chapel Hill, I would shout hallelujah.
What Padgett wants to do, he should be allowed to do.
Still, you cannot legislate human nature and Padgett playing for Roy Williams only would foster more hard feelings among KU fans toward the man they feel jilted them last year.
Get over it.
In this ongoing Padgett brouhaha, you should be more concerned about the former prep standout from Reno, Nev., following a path with fewer bumps than the potholes that popped up on the road Ben Davis traveled.
You remember Ben Davis, don’t you? His sayonara scenario was curiously similar to the Padgett affair.
Davis, a 6-foot-8 power forward, and Padgett were both high-profile recruits who left the KU program following freshman seasons in which they compiled virtually the same numbers.
Padgett averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while spending 19.1 minutes on the floor in 31 games last season. Davis averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds while logging an average of 17.6 minutes in 32 games during the 1991-92 season. Uncanny.
Otherwise, their stories have different chapters.
Padgett announced he was history in the middle of April, but Davis waited until a month into preseason practice before hitting the road, saying he wanted to play closer to his Fort Pierce, Fla., home and that he longed for more playing time.
Although I’ve always suspected there was more to his defection than officially was reported, the departure of Davis left Williams with no options for a replacement. Meanwhile, Padgett’s relatively quick bon voyage provided Bill Self with ample time to fill in the blank, although replenishing the larder would not have been possible if the NCAA hadn’t scrapped its ridiculous 8-and-5 rule in the interim.
Davis enrolled at Florida University, but he never played a minute for the Gators. Before Davis could suit up, he was suspended — for repeated positive tests for marijuana use, one newspaper reported.
Anyway, Davis enrolled at Hutchinson Community College and helped the Blue Dragons capture the 1994 NJCAA championship. Some thought Williams would re-recruit Davis after that, but Williams declined, saying something about it not being fair to the players who had stayed.
So Davis landed in Tucson, Ariz., where he played two seasons under Lute Olson at Arizona University. Again Davis ran into some trouble when the NCAA suspended him for three games for accepting about $3,000 in improper benefits. After Davis paid the money back, he was reinstated.
As an Arizona senior in 1995-96, Davis averaged 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Ironically, he played his last college game against the Jayhawks in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. In a Sweet 16 game at Denver’s McNichols Arena, Davis played 34 minutes, scoring just 10 points and collecting only four boards as Kansas won, 83-80.
Before that game, Davis had reflected on his short stay at Kansas, saying, “I was a young kid and saw greener pastures. I was stubborn and young. I thought I knew more than coach Williams. Obviously, I don’t.”
Ben Davis became a fringe professional, toiling mostly in obscure minor leagues. Now 31, his resume contains a grand total of 40 NBA games in four seasons. Last month, Davis was released by the Westchester Wildfire of the USBL.
Where Padgett will be when he is 31 is impossible to say, but I doubt that he, like Davis, possesses the athleticism and skills required to earn millions of dollars playing for pay.
Bottom line is it doesn’t matter where you obtain a college degree. Just do it.
