Minnesota Basketball: Let's Break Down the Kevin Dorsey Transfer

As if this season couldn't get any dumber, the Gophers will now be forever without Kevin Dorsey, who, according to a University press release, will seek a transfer to get closer to home. Dorsey will join guys like Josh Martin, Royce White, Jarvis Johnson and several others from the recent past that left us wondering not only what could have been, but what should have been.

Of course, we can't confirm anything, but it's safe to assume to that this is direct fallout from the sex tape controversy from weeks ago. Perhaps the more important question (not that it matters at this point) is whether this was Dorsey's decision independently or the U's. The quote from the release seems to imply that it wasn't necessarily unilateral.

"After discussion with Kevin and his family, we all feel that it is best for him to transfer and get closer to home," said Pitino. "We wish Kevin nothing but the best moving forward, and will assist him in the process in any way that we can.

It's a bummer on so many levels. First off, you hate to see a young player's career hit this kind of a speed bump, since Dorsey will now have to sit a year per transfer rules. Second, it's not ideal from a personnel standpoint, as Dorsey was seen as a fixture in the Gophers' backcourt for years to come. It's not everyday you get a four-star recruit to come to town. Third, and most importantly, it's just another chapter in the sad trombone of a program the University has put together. Whether its defections, transfers, suspensions, guys getting kicked off the team or just weird medical issues, the team loses players with regularity. And it's not like we're talking walk-ons here. These are highly touted recruits who just aren't staying around for one reason or another. Hard to make up.

The decision to transfer is an interesting one from both sides. For the U, they may see it as a way to move on from a problem player who got in trouble twice in just his first season here. If you remember, Dorsey was suspended for an exhibition game for "failing to meet academic obligations" as a student athlete. Generic speech, but a suspension nonetheless, so you really wonder what happened. Then you have the whole sex tape mess, which doesn't help the ol' image. Those are two big strikes for a single season.

For Dorsey, it's hard to blame him for his decision to move on. It's not like he was ever going to be able to shake the cloud of being involved in such an embarrassing scandal. and something of a fresh start might be welcome.

It's crappy all around, but I guess I wasn't terribly surprised when I heard the news. I figured at least one of the three between Dorsey, Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason might choose to leave it all behind. Dorsey's involvement was obviously the most public. Mason and McBrayer don't face any additional suspensions, though, but it will still be interesting to see if either of them decide to follow suit. That would truly suck.

From a personnel standpoint, the transfer actually comes from something of a position of strength. Mason and McBrayer still man the backcourt, while Amir Coffey is coming to town. And Stephon Sharp showed he can actually play when he was thrown into the fire, so it's not like the team is scraping for guards. You hate to lose someone like Dorsey, but if it had to happen, I guess the backcourt is in better shape.

Ugh.