Should We Just Call Him Stephen Gar-SEE-YA??
posted by Scott Hood, 3/27/2008 03:31:00 AM
Eric Hyman isn’t that myopic. He tends to be an administrator that focuses on the “big picture.”
Rather, the five-month suspension given to Garcia is punishment for the accumulation of a series of bonehead and sometimes bizarre decisions by an obviously immature 20-year old.
There’s no question Garcia needs professional help. Steve Spurrier conceded that issue after Wednesday night’s practice.
The fact Garcia was suspended didn’t surprise me. The length, however, did. I thought sitting out the rest of spring practice would have been more proportional to the offense.
In my opinion, the lengthy suspension announced by Hyman will eventually serve its underlying purpose - force Garcia to transfer out of the program.
At minimum, it’s designed to prevent him from having any impact on USC’s 2008 season.
At this point, does Garcia have any motivation to stick around? Not really.
If he’s really suspended until Aug. 15, that means he’s not going to be around for the remaining 11 practices of the spring, the entire summer conditioning program and the first two weeks of fall camp.
After all that, will he really be ready to contribute next season? Yeah, right.
Knowing he has little chance to play in 2008, I sincerely believe Garcia will lose interest in staying a Gamecock and cut ties with USC.
Frankly, he should go ahead and change his name to Stephen Gar-SEE-YA.
Spurrier has tried to put on a brave face and remain optimistic that Garcia will eventually decide to remain a Gamecock. But I don’t see it happening.
Even Spurrier muttered the words USC fans didn’t want to hear on Wednesday night: “He may or may not be back.”
I hate to be a pessimist, but my money is on ‘may not.’
In my opinion, Garcia, one of the most heralded prospects to ever sign with USC, will leave Columbia without ever playing a down for the Gamecocks.
Without question, if Garcia does decide to transfer, it will be to a school located in the Sunshine State closer to his Tampa home.
Here’s the intrigue: USC hosts Florida Atlantic in 2009. Could Garcia actually transfer to the Boca Raton–based school and show up in Columbia next season as the Owls’ starting quarterback?
Don’t laugh. It’s entirely plausible.
It’s more probable, though, that he would transfer to South Florida or Central Florida. Hey, who wouldn’t want to go to school in Orlando?
I’ll bet a nickel against your dollar that South Florida coaches have already contacted Garcia’s high school football coach to test the waters and see if he’s interested in transferring to their school.
If that sounds cut-throat, it is. Welcome to the dog-eat-dog world of big-time college football.
Where does USC go from here? Well, for starters you can pencil in Chris Smelley as the starting quarterback for the Gamecocks in the Aug. 28 season opener against N.C. State at Williams-Brice Stadium.
There is a saying that when one door closes, another one opens. The beneficiary of Garcia’s severe lapse in judgment could be dual-threat QB Aramis Hillary, who is still attending Strom Thurmond High School in Johnston.
Hillary has displayed a high level of commitment to the program by attending three of the first four USC practices. But he isn’t just standing there. He spent most of the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods next to Spurrier going over plays.
In case you haven’t noticed, gas costs well over $3.00 per gallon. This kid must be spending a fortune getting back and forth from his home to Columbia to attend USC’s practices.
If his work ethic in practice this fall is as strong as his personal commitment level, USC should be in good shape at the quarterback position for years to come.
That would be a badly needed dose of good news for long suffering Gamecock football fans.
Stephen Garcia, thought to be the ‘next great thing,’ wasn’t ostracized until Aug. 15 for drinking beer.
Eric Hyman isn’t that myopic. He tends to be an administrator that focuses on the “big picture.”
Rather, the five-month suspension given to Garcia is punishment for the accumulation of a series of bonehead and sometimes bizarre decisions by an obviously immature 20-year old.
There’s no question Garcia needs professional help. Steve Spurrier conceded that issue after Wednesday night’s practice.
The fact Garcia was suspended didn’t surprise me. The length, however, did. I thought sitting out the rest of spring practice would have been more proportional to the offense.
In my opinion, the lengthy suspension announced by Hyman will eventually serve its underlying purpose - force Garcia to transfer out of the program.
At minimum, it’s designed to prevent him from having any impact on USC’s 2008 season.
At this point, does Garcia have any motivation to stick around? Not really.
If he’s really suspended until Aug. 15, that means he’s not going to be around for the remaining 11 practices of the spring, the entire summer conditioning program and the first two weeks of fall camp.
After all that, will he really be ready to contribute next season? Yeah, right.
Knowing he has little chance to play in 2008, I sincerely believe Garcia will lose interest in staying a Gamecock and cut ties with USC.
Frankly, he should go ahead and change his name to Stephen Gar-SEE-YA.
Spurrier has tried to put on a brave face and remain optimistic that Garcia will eventually decide to remain a Gamecock. But I don’t see it happening.
Even Spurrier muttered the words USC fans didn’t want to hear on Wednesday night: “He may or may not be back.”
I hate to be a pessimist, but my money is on ‘may not.’
In my opinion, Garcia, one of the most heralded prospects to ever sign with USC, will leave Columbia without ever playing a down for the Gamecocks.
Without question, if Garcia does decide to transfer, it will be to a school located in the Sunshine State closer to his Tampa home.
Here’s the intrigue: USC hosts Florida Atlantic in 2009. Could Garcia actually transfer to the Boca Raton–based school and show up in Columbia next season as the Owls’ starting quarterback?
Don’t laugh. It’s entirely plausible.
It’s more probable, though, that he would transfer to South Florida or Central Florida. Hey, who wouldn’t want to go to school in Orlando?
I’ll bet a nickel against your dollar that South Florida coaches have already contacted Garcia’s high school football coach to test the waters and see if he’s interested in transferring to their school.
If that sounds cut-throat, it is. Welcome to the dog-eat-dog world of big-time college football.
Where does USC go from here? Well, for starters you can pencil in Chris Smelley as the starting quarterback for the Gamecocks in the Aug. 28 season opener against N.C. State at Williams-Brice Stadium.
There is a saying that when one door closes, another one opens. The beneficiary of Garcia’s severe lapse in judgment could be dual-threat QB Aramis Hillary, who is still attending Strom Thurmond High School in Johnston.
Hillary has displayed a high level of commitment to the program by attending three of the first four USC practices. But he isn’t just standing there. He spent most of the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods next to Spurrier going over plays.
In case you haven’t noticed, gas costs well over $3.00 per gallon. This kid must be spending a fortune getting back and forth from his home to Columbia to attend USC’s practices.
If his work ethic in practice this fall is as strong as his personal commitment level, USC should be in good shape at the quarterback position for years to come.
That would be a badly needed dose of good news for long suffering Gamecock football fans.
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