SMU loses Cooper?

[Ikus]

Just saw the story on your home page. This is awful news - I've seen Cooper play, and he's a stud. Is it too late to change his mind?
I'm afraid it probably is....

[EastStang]

That's really interesting. I knew the Nunez kid was special, but for this kid to get offered by Manchester United, that says something. Hyndemann is po'd about it. The article said, that he could have offered the scholarship to other prospects had this kid told him sooner.

[abezontar]

It doesn't matter, we're going to win it all this year without that kid.

[FloridaMustang]

My respect for Kenny Cooper just disappeared. Hyndman treated him like a king and this is how he repays him? TWO days before practice?! Hyndman is right.. we could have signed one or two more impact players. I'd be fuming.

[Ikus]

I can't blame Cooper for signing with ManU, but he's a developmental guy - it's not like he's Michael Owen, the teenage phenom who played for ManU and the English national team at such a young age. Cooper will need some serious development before he ever sees the big team. And as UNF said, pulling this two days before the start of practice is ridiculous. The chance to sign with ManU is appealing, of course, but they had been talking with Cooper and his dad for weeks. To do this now reeks of amateurism. Talk about burning bridges.

[Corso]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by abezontar:
<B>It doesn't matter, we're going to win it all this year without that kid.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Really? Have you realized how hard it is to win a national championship? We've had teams with even more talent than this year's version, and we're still waiting on our first championship. Cooper has talent, and would have helped.

[FloridaMustang]

Of course. Hyndman wouldn't be fuming if he had just lost a minor talent. Cooper played big into Hyndman's plans for SMU this year. Our 4th ranked recruiting class? Definitely not ranked that high now. I'd be certain that Hyndman doesn't want to hear that kid's name ever again.

Cooper and his family reek of amateurism? Couldn't have said it better, Ikus. He lost out on a great education and playing for the greatest soccer coach in the NCAA, all for a development deal with ManU that may or may not work out. Why should anyone respect the kid?

[Hello]

I think it is a fantastic opportunity for Cooper. To say that his decision (or method/timing of the decision) is amateur is a bit harsh. College coaches (Hyndman included) run off plenty players after making numerous promises to them. Most of the time these coaches make self-serving decisions without bearing in mind the larger emotional ramifications of screwing over college age kids. Look, SMU is going to be fine without Cooper (and so is Schellas with his healthy salary); however I am not sure the same can be said for the kids that come into the program just to be quickly spit out again. This is fantastic for Cooper, and I am sorry but if Sir Alex Ferguson comes in with a 3 year one million dollar contract with a provision for his education being paid for if he doesn't pan out, you don't say no. For Schellas, what comes around, goes around.

[No Quarter]

Well said, Hello.

I think the usual American equivalent is a kid opting for MLB with a big bonus rather than a college scholarship and no one is too critical. I suspect a lot, probably most, US kids in Cooper's position would have done the same. And Schellas probably has enough contacts that he knew the ManU offer was a possibility, no matter how he acts know.

I certainly agree that the rank of the SMU recruiting class slips.

[tdiddy]

Who cares about kenny cooper, he was way too tall anyway. Hudson and J.J. are going to ball it up in the middle. With weibel and C diddy on the outside the ponies are looking mighty strong. Dont forget about the Chunisher either. Then you got the boys from Oklahoma, Ross and Adam who dont mess around. And what about T.J. tomato in the goal! Ugo's a pimp too!

[FloridaMustang]

I'm guessing "Hello" is part of the Cooper family or a family friend.

What goes around comes around, eh? Maybe you should tell that to Kenny and not apply that to Schellas? kthanks. If things don't work out, I wouldn't want the kid back. He sold out his coach and his teammates, plain and simple.

[abezontar]

Yeah Corso, I do realize how hard it is to win a championship....and I still think we have a decent shot at winning it this year. Are you saying that we will never be able to win a championship no matter how much talent we have....a little luck combined with an already talented team, and a good coach and I don't see why we dont' have a very good shot at it this year.

[Corso]

Just being a little sarcastic - didn't mean to anger anyone. And I admit, there have been times when we've had so much talent (the McPhail/Grimes/Carlson years, the Reynolds/Prampin/Strouse/Howard years) when I thought there was no way we wouldn't win it all.

Didn't mean to step on anyone's toes there. Just sorry to see a great talent like Cooper go, and I wish if he had to leave that he would have given Coach Hyndman more of a heads-up.

[Vitale]

If you're going to go pro out of high school, do like LeBron James and just go. How much uproar would there have been if LeBron had committed to Duke or Kentucky or someplace and pulled out at the last second? He would have been torched in the media.

[FloridaMustang]

Definitely. Look at Nunez.. at least he's going to stick around for a year or so. He's not going to go sell everyone out for a development deal. Whatever.. best of luck to the kid I guess. I'm over him.