Are there other rules/norms back then that you feel have changed significantly over time that you dont like? Or is it just this one?

To me, there were a lot of factors that make this a more known occurrence now than back then. I think athletes are just starting to come around to doing what is right for them to achieve their dreams. For far too long there's been a belief that somehow being "loyal" and sitting on the bench for your whole career is a virtuous thing to do. To the detriment of their development.

Think about it this way. If these kids went to a high school where they got zero playing time, would VT even want them? Of course not...

You have to play to develop. Youre much better off playing 30 minutes for East Tennessee State than playing 0 minutes for Wake Forest. Conversely youre better off playing 30 minutes for VT than playing 0 minutes for Kentucky. Go where youre wanted, but also go where youre needed. Not a single person on this board would be angry if a 5-star kid from Duke wanted more playing time so he transferred to VT...

The NBA dream is a fickle one...the NBA drafts on potential. The older you get, the lower your ceiling is for being drafted. Sometimes you develop late like Obi Toppin or Buddy Hield, but more often than not some of the best college basketball players are found in the second round because theyre all older.

So every year you sit on the bench hurts your chances of being drafted. If I worked at something for 18 years, you better believe I'd do anything to make it happen. And Im sure most of you would too. Joe Bamisile is doing what he can to salvage a lost year of development. Mike Young can be truthful in saying "hey, we have a role for you here"...but Im sure that was used in his recruitment as well. And when it doesnt pan out, then every time it is used later it rings more hollow.

I dont think MY lied to the kid or overpromised. But Joe's experience at VT certainly wasnt what he imagined, and thats unfortunate.

As far as Cone goes, he wasnt going to be a PG at VT. His only shot at the league (as little of a shot as that might be) is to be a PG. 5'9 SGs dont exist anymore in the league.

Are these kids being selfish? Yes. But am I being selfish when I leave a company for a higher paying job? Yes. Am I selfish when I feel my current company doesn't have a role for me soon so I should leave? Yes. Are any of those things a bad thing? No. Just looking out for your own best interest. Joe and Jalen gave everything they had to VT, they deserve a program that will give everything back to them.

At the end of the day we are talking about kids who have a specific skill set that lends them to capitalize on it in a very short time period. Since the NCAA doesnt allow these kids to monetize their worth while in college, they HAVE to position themselves the best way possible to make it to the next level, just to make a dime off their hard work. Education is great, and something to fall back on (if they were afforded an actual degree worth something) but the skills they developed for almost 2 decades center around a sport. A sport capped AT BEST in their mid to late 30s.

So they cant start making money til they leave school, and cant make money after their body is washed up. And we want to be angry at them when they decide to take some amount of control over their situation??