Duke Crews at Bowie State

[MADXSTER]

Remember when we wanted him soo badly. Oh well. If you want to see him play you'll have to go to a Bowie State game.


http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox/


I spoke with former Tennessee Vols forward Duke Crews yesterday.

Crews has gone from a guy who was recruited by just about everyone in the summer of 2005 and was a probable starter for a team expected to contend an SEC title to a guy who has landed at Division II Bowie State.

For those of you who don’t know (I didn’t), Bowie State is in Maryland and is a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). They play against teams such as Fayetteville State, Wingate State and Augusta State.

Crews was kicked off the Vols team after the season and said he opted to go to Bowie State so he wouldn’t have to sit out another year.

Crews missed part of last season due to a suspension, ankle injury and then a heart issue.

``It made me mature a whole lot,” Crews said. “I’ve got to be a real leader here. At Tennessee, we had Chris (Lofton) and Jajuan (Smith), but out here, the weight is on my shoulders to be the leader of this team.”

Crews said he doesn’t have any regrets about how everything turned out at Tennessee, but that’s hard to believe.

``Regrets are a waste of time,” he said. “I had my ups and downs, but I think I developed a lot as a player and as a person.”

Crews will have two years at Bowie State.

[wkrq59]

This proves one thing I have long contended. It is very difficult for a coach to make every player happy.
We've seen it at Xavier in recent years and I've no need to go into case by case.
Every coach, no matter how flamboyant or sedate, upstanding and well known or best kept secret, has to walk a very careful line. Do I kick a kid off, do I forgive transgressions, do I bring in kids who have had a rough life and give 'em a chance they wouldn't have, do I redshirt a kid who came with a stellar reputation, but like Derrick Brown, needs bulking up, or do I ask him to redshirt because I have a numbers problem of my own making????
Each kid who comes into a program is different. Some will be an instant success, like Stanley Burrell offensively as a freshman, but goes on to be a standout in a different manner. Some are like David West, who make huge strides in their final two years. Others are like Tyrone Hill who move up one baby step at a time culminating a fine career over four years. Some like Byron start out strong and never let up for four years.
Others come into a program, figure they should be stars after a year or two and because they aren't for one reason or another, don't stay. Is it a coincidence that since Sydney Raeford, God rest,
Xavier has not been able to sign a player fromSt. Anthony's High in New Jersey?
My point is a coach in this day and age has to think long and hard before he asks a kid to wait a year until the numbers are favorable.
Johnny Wolf, Charles Bronson and Adrion
Graves came into the Xavier program under different circumstances, highly touted and justly so. For one reason or another, unrealistic parental expectations, inability to adjust their game and serious competition at their position and illness and perceived lack of playing time led to departures.
If Duke Crews had come here, things might or might not have been different. Who knows? Whatever, I wish him the best. Just so he won't be playing against Xavier.:D