Two Oakland players (Mondy and Williams) arrested for rape

[valpo64]

When a school is paying for a young athlete's full education and all the perks that go with it and then his or her actions bring a bad light on that institution, why shouldn't they be punished with something more significant than a slap on the hand.  While Coach Kampe is a very good coach, he is too full of himself to do anything that may hurt his program.  Teaching is more than coaching a basketball program/wins and losses.  My thoughts are that his longevity may have produced a better than average basketball program.  But his teaching and developing young men, many of which can really use some lessons on life, leaves a lot to be desired. 

[StlVUFan]

When a school is paying for a young athlete's full education and all the perks that go with it and then his or her actions bring a bad light on that institution, why shouldn't they be punished with something more significant than a slap on the hand.  While Coach Kampe is a very good coach, he is too full of himself to do anything that may hurt his program.  Teaching is more than coaching a basketball program/wins and losses.  My thoughts are that his longevity may have produced a better than average basketball program.  But his teaching and developing young men, many of which can really use some lessons on life, leaves a lot to be desired. 

It's just as plausible to suggest that he wanted to, but didn't feel free to.

AGAIN: I think *either* conclusion is a bit premature.

[valporun]

Is it possible that Kampe didn't take action because he knows that if Mondy and Williams were innocent, and were kicked off the team before proven such, that they would sue OU and Kampe for character defamation, so Kampe was covering his butt until further notice?

[StlVUFan]

Is it possible that Kampe didn't take action because he knows that if Mondy and Williams were innocent, and were kicked off the team before proven such, that they would sue OU and Kampe for character defamation, so Kampe was covering his butt until further notice?

Not just his butt but the university's.

Anything is possible.  It looks a lot easier from the peanut gallery

[zvillehaze]

Is it possible that Kampe didn't take action because he knows that if Mondy and Williams were innocent, and were kicked off the team before proven such, that they would sue OU and Kampe for character defamation, so Kampe was covering his butt until further notice?

Not just his butt but the university's.

Anything is possible.  It looks a lot easier from the peanut gallery

Good points.  Similar to the Dez Wells situation at Xavier.  After he was expelled over allegations that led to no charges, the NCAA granted him immediate eligibility at Maryland and now he's filed suit against Xavier. 

[FWalum]

Is it possible that Kampe didn't take action because he knows that if Mondy and Williams were innocent, and were kicked off the team before proven such, that they would sue OU and Kampe for character defamation, so Kampe was covering his butt until further notice?

Not just his butt but the university's.

Anything is possible.  It looks a lot easier from the peanut gallery

I am surprised that there are so many different readings on this.  I thought it was pretty clear from Kampe's statement that the decision was not really made by him but for him most likely for legal/political reasons.

[valpo64]

If any of you have heard a 10-15 minute interview with Kampe, especially this year, you may feel differently about him.  While he relished the fact that they were now in the HL, he gave me a definite impression that he pulls a great amount of weight at OU.  At least that is the feeling I got when listening to him addressing the upcoming season.  He continued to say how tough his schedule was but that was the way he wanted it.  Good for him...0-8 or whatever their record is now.  They will probably waltz through their HL schedule, right?  Too much pressure now that his season has started???

[StlVUFan]

If any of you have heard a 10-15 minute interview with Kampe, especially this year, you may feel differently about him.  While he relished the fact that they were now in the HL, he gave me a definite impression that he pulls a great amount of weight at OU.  At least that is the feeling I got when listening to him addressing the upcoming season.  He continued to say how tough his schedule was but that was the way he wanted it.  Good for him...0-8 or whatever their record is now.  They will probably waltz through their HL schedule, right?  Too much pressure now that his season has started???

Vintage Kampe.  Hasn't changed over the years.

OU fans could have easily said the same thing about Homer, by the way.  Anytime a coach is at one place for 30 years or so, there's a decent chance a bit of hero worship is going on.

[valpo64]

Arrogance vs. humility.....no comparison!

[Grizz]

As a fan of Oakland for all 30 years the coach has been here, one thing Oakland fans know, Kampe is about Oakland. Always has been. Yes, he is a promoter, but he promotes Oakland. Not himself. He has had many documented chances to leave for much more money and never has. But that is not why I answered this. Our schedule was made a year ago, before we entered the Horizon league. Kampe has been quoted saying that now that we are in the Horizon league he hopes to back down the non-conference part of the schedule. My question to 64 is. If all he cares about is his himself, why would he play the 70 some BCS schools we have played over the past 13 years? We are like 6-70 in those games. Why wouldn't he play the Alabama A&Ms of the world. That would give him a 70-6 record. (see Wright State).  If he were about himself wouldn't he want wins to build his resume? Also something very telling. He reinstated the 2 kids yet he didn't play one in the next game and the game after that only half. We lost both those games to beatable teams. Hummmmmm. Maybe winning those games weren't the reason they got back on the team.

[VULB#62]

Always good to hear both sides of an issue.  Grizz, you point out some valid aguments.   Not having been on the board when VU and Oakland went head-to-head in the MCC, I can't comment on the past. Can't comment on Kampe either, but I do feel that athletes and coaches have to be held to a higher standard.  The notariety this incident brought to OU, and by extension the HL, should, IMO, have been handled with a stronger statement by the university.  Kids make mistakes.  But, a OOC one game suspension for bringing very negative publicity (regardless of the actual outcome) to OU's steps, especially in light of all the national stuff flying around about an OU women's  ex-coach, demanded more of a response.  Can't do anything about that now, so let's just move on and play basketball.

[HC]

My favorite part was his dig at Wright State, man I hate that team more then any other of our conference foes (yes, even more then Detroit).

[Pathfinder]

Actually, no, schedules are made during the spring and summer. I don't think any of Oakland's non-conference games were part of multi-year contracts made before Oakland was invited to join the Horizon. And Kampe on several documented occasions tried to leave Oakland, but didn't get the job.


But that's OK, he's a good promoter and a good coach and he's made the Oakland program. He literally made a good mid-major coaching job for himself.  I can't see him leaving Oakland now. Even if the University doesn't increase his budget (it should, but probably won't), he's got some significant savings on travel he can invest in recruiting, etc., or in passing up a couple of those annual "guarantee games," which tend to guarantee both a payday and a loss, for more winnable home contests.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I thought it was pretty clear from Kampe's statement that the decision was not really made by him but for him most likely for legal/political reasons.

Well, FW may have been surprised that there were so many interpretations, but that's how hermeneutics works.

Just so turns out FW was right, I and others were wrong:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140103/SPORTS0203/301030098/Speedy-Oakland-guard-Duke-Mondy-pace-historic-season?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CSports%7Cp

"I have a real problem with what happened in California, morally, but I didn't grow up on the streets, or how he grew up," Kampe said. "The compass that I have inside of me and the compass that Duke has inside of him aren't the same. ... Duke is a good young man. We've just got to work on his compass."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140103/SPORTS0203/301030098#ixzz2pOnlkzvz

So, appears the only thing wrong with Coach, apart from his sadomasochistic taste in scheduling, is that he subscribes to the popular-despite-its-internal-incoherence pseudophilosophy that "I may be personally opposed, but who am I..." yada yada.

(Interesting that he would use a compass to illustrate moral relativism.  All compasses, by nature, point the same direction.  If they don't, then they are defective compasses.  It's not "well, what does YOUR compass say?")

[StlVUFan]

So, appears the only thing wrong with Coach, apart from his sadomasochistic taste in scheduling, is that he subscribes to the popular-despite-its-internal-incoherence pseudophilosophy that "I may be personally opposed, but who am I..." yada yada.

I think you're misinterpreting "we've got work on his compass" then.  Obviously that part does not jibe with any sort of "who am I?" relativism.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Oh, I think that's true.  At least I hope it is. But does sitting out a couple games really recalibrate this kid?  He was run out of his previous college, pretty much.  And what was learned?  (Although, you could point out that since that didn't work on his compass at Providence, would it have again? :/ )

I guess, bottom line--perhaps many or at least several on this board will remember--the now 20-odd year old case of a VU student expelled for the mere allegation of rape.  No charges were ever filed, however.  I'm not wanting to rehash the specifics of that case, which went regional if not national (the Chicago Tribune Sunday mag did a huge cover story), but rather how serious mere allegations in the absence of charges were treated by a major university.

I fear that if Mondy, Williams, Sledge et al. were not basketball players, they'd have been sent home for good.  Heck, JP Tenuta was sent home for less.  Logan Jones too.

I would like athletes to be held to the same standards as the rest of society.  I know that's a pipe dream.  But it's worth pursuing.

[Grizz]

Maybe at a Private school your right. Not a public. They did not commit a crime. No chance a normal student would be sent home. In fact a normal student would not have there named linked with it because it would not have been news. Joe average name googled the rest of his life will be blank, these two will have that article ( no matter that it was false) appear when a future employer googles them. They paid a big price.

[valpo64]

I wonder if the slap on the hands hurt!

[LaPorteAveApostle]

They paid a big price

they also learned that being able to put a ball through a hoop with a higher degree of regularity than the general populace will get all kinds of sins forgiven