Trevor Mbakwe's trial has been delayed yet again. The new trial date is set for August 23rd. Which means sometime in early August you can expect an announcement that it will be delayed into September. Mbakwe has seen delay after delay while his collegiate career hangs in the balance. What caused this particular delay?
Miami Dade state attorney's office spokeswoman Terry Chavez said the delay was caused by a conflict with the judge's schedule.
"The judge has a judicial conference to go to," Chavez said.
Kind of incredible when you think about it. I wonder if the conference is in Hawaii.
So what will Joel Maturi do about the latest development? Nothing, but there is a glimmer of hope that he will be allowed to play if there are more delays into the school year.
"If Trevor's case is continually delayed and it's by the prosecution and not by the defense, then I will truly be willing to look at the decision we've made," Maturi said. "I certainly don't want to have his collegiate career impacted. Last year, he was able to redshirt. We had hoped that it would have been resolved. It wasn't. Now any time that he misses would be a loss of his collegiate eligibility. We certainly don't want that. He has done the right things and done well in the classroom and socially. "It's my understanding that as a defendant he has a right to a quick trial. I've shared that with Trevor. If it's now Aug. 23, then it could still be resolved before school starts. If not, then I'm certainly open to review why it is not and look at the decision that was made."
Assuming he is not guilty (which I'll do considering we live in America and stuff), he is really getting jerked around. I hope this gets resolved quickly and he can move on with his life. I really, REALLY, want to see Mbakwe in a Gopher uniform next season but if the judicial system won't give him clarity and the U of Minn administration will not give him the benefit of the doubt then I hope he can transfer somewhere else to play basketball.