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Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
An Observer
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Date Posted: 12:42:37 05/09/24 Thu
In reply to: Bengal 's message, "Vernon Collins to Western Carolina" on 11:55:09 05/09/24 Thu

No offense to the fine students and alumni of Western Carolina University, but I have never heard of their college. And I used to live in North Carolina.

Can you imagine introducing yourself as a new player to your teammates in the fall? "Hi, I'm Vernon, I'm a transfer from Princeton." Possible replies would be, "Hi, I'm Willie. I transferred from Oxford" and "Hi, I'm Jerome. I started at Cambridge initially, then transferred to the Sorbonne and now here I am at WCU."

If I were a job interviewer and I came across an applicant who told me, "I originally matriculated at Princeton, but then transferred to Western Carolina," I would mentally ding him right there and then. Seriously, I wouldn't want to hire an employee who had that kind of judgment. If he can't manage his own life, I sure don't want him managing my assets.

I really feel for young Mr Collins. I wonder how many months or years will pass before he realizes that he has just made a terrible decision on possibly the most important choice he has had in his life so far.

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[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
Gregory
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Date Posted: 13:03:38 05/09/24 Thu

Good points and I personally agree, but here are a few other considerations:

1) In his personal culture a prestigious degree may not mean the same thing as it does to you. Not everyone in America views a top Ivy League degree as the highest achievement, or even a worthy goal.

2) One cannot underestimate the extent to which Mr. Collins may feel that he doesn't fit in to the culture on the Princeton campus (pure conjecture). Going to his new institution close to home may be his personal 'safe space'.

3) He may be struggling academically (pure conjecture).

4) Not sure this weighs on Mr Collins, but the prestige of the top universities has been eroded this Spring with the protests (Some more than others. Columbia has been destroyed). A Princeton degree may not mean as much now or in the future as it has in the past.
[> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
An Observer
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Date Posted: 13:25:33 05/09/24 Thu

I would guess that it's mostly (1) and I am not here to say that everybody in America or anywhere else should share my values.

I am here to say, however, the probability is fairly high that young Mr Collins wakes up one day at age 22 or age 25 or age 30 and says to himself, "I wonder if having a degree from Princeton might have made a difference in my life." Maybe age 50 or age 60.

I'm getting near the age where my peers, academic and professional, are confronting the decisions they have made over the course of their lives.

One thing I realized early on that some of them are now realizing is:

You Don't Need to Make All Good Decisions in Your Life, But You Better Have A Good Batting Average on the Few Important Decisions.
[> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
Ghost
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Date Posted: 13:38:15 05/09/24 Thu

He's an athlete, correct? Has a limited time to complete his athletics experience? Not a bad place to do it
https://catamountsports.com/sports/2018/6/19/211718866.aspx
[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
An Observer
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Date Posted: 14:01:58 05/09/24 Thu

I can't opine on the basketball opportunity at WCU and of course there is some chance (conjecture) that Mitch Henderson told young Mr Collins, "I gotta be honest with you. I love having you here and on the roster, but I doubt you'll actually see the court during games."

But who faces more pressure over the next two years?

Danny Wolf who left a great academic institution in Yale, but is going to a premier athletic institution in Michigan with big crowds and Fox Sports/BTN coverage where the education is also top flight. . . .

*OR*

Vernon Collins who left a great academic institution in Princeton, but is going to Western Carolina?

If Danny Wolf never suits up in the NBA, at least he can say, "I gave it a shot."

And if Wolf makes it to the NBA, he will have justified his decision.

What's the upside scenario for Vernon Collins? Can he be a star at WCU? I don't know and that's where Henderson's assessment comes in. But I don't know if a guy who can't crack the line-up at Princeton is going to star for the Catamounts.

Don't forget that Princeton just said they're going to maintain a legacy preference. Someday, Collins will need to justify this decision to himself. . . and maybe his kids.
[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
sparman
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Date Posted: 13:18:31 05/09/24 Thu

I suspect he learned he was not interested in a career in finance.
[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
joiseyfan
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Date Posted: 13:41:15 05/09/24 Thu

Certainly no coincidence in his returning home for his final two seasons. Hope he and his family enjoy his future efforts.
[> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
An Observer
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Date Posted: 14:27:51 05/09/24 Thu

He's not the first student, athlete or otherwise, who transferred to a college closer to home.

But I'm reminded of a story told in our family about my grandmother. This happened back in our country of origin, not the US. Back in that day and that country, it was very rare for a woman to even go to college, almost unheard of.

But she pestered her father, my great-grandfather, until he allowed her to leave home for college. Keep in mind that we're talking about the early twentieth century.

During her freshman year, she got homesick and called to come home. Her father replied, "You can come home, but fools make trouble for themselves."

She took his words to heart and stayed on to graduate, eventually becoming one of the most prominent women in her country.

When I left for college, my parents tore down the wall between their bedroom and my bedroom.

Sometimes, a parent's job is to say, "No, you can't come home."
[> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Vernon Collins to Western Carolina Like Taking A Flaming Torch to Your Own Life


Author:
Spizz1976
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Date Posted: 16:16:09 05/09/24 Thu

lots and lots of unfounded conjecture being loosely thrown around on this topic. I agree that Vernon Collins is taking a step down on academic prestige, if that is more important to him than a basketball opportunity.

As for his returning home, that is not quite accurate. I see that Collins is from Chocowinity, N.C., a small town in the eastern part of North Carolina. Western Carolina U is in Cullowhee, a small town buried in the mountains of westerly NC. It is still a significant drive home.

I have no clue as to Mr. Collins's ambitions or priorities but I will say that Western Carolina U is located in a drop dead gorgeous part of this country, within rural mountainous terrain, near lots of waterfalls, and the beauty of nature. He could do far worse than choosing that location , if any of that matters to him
[> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Princeton isn't a dump


Author:
Go Green
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Date Posted: 17:27:49 05/09/24 Thu


I have no doubt that you are correct that WCU is in a beautiful area.

But I seriously doubt that he is going there for better scenery.


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