Indiana Hoosiers point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell was set to give a press conference Saturday announcing his future. Those plans have been postponed due to the death of an Indiana student. Was it a show of respect, or the opportunity to get out of a presser that should never have happened?
It was supposed to be a grand announcement.
Even though he’s projected to be at best a second-round NBA draft pick, Indiana Hoosiers point guard Yogi Ferrell had all of Hoosier Nation’s hearts in his hand as he prepared to reveal whether or not he’d return for his senior season in front of what was sure to have been a packed house at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday.
Then, reality got in the way of the dog and pony show.
Hannah Wilson, a 22-year-old senior at Indiana was found slain on Friday after being reported as missing. All of a sudden, Yogi’s decision became the least important news in Indiana, and as such, the announcement was postponed, with the family issuing a statement:
In consideration of recent tragic events within the IU family, Kevin Ferrell Sr. has postponed the announcement of the future basketball plans of Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell.
The Ferrell family sends out its condolences and prayers to the family of Hannah N. Wilson.
Many are applauding the decision of Ferrell to put the announcement on hold, patting him on the back for “doing the right thing.”
Class decision. RT @ZachOsterman: Quick story: Yogi Ferrell's press conference for tonight has been postponed: http://t.co/BpEtV42Up8
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) April 25, 2015
Yogi Ferrell is a class act postponing announcing if he's going pro or not out of respect for Hannah Wilson's family!
— Clint Johnson (@ClintTJohnson) April 25, 2015
Speaks volumes about Yogi's character that he postpones his announcement out of respect to the Wilson family. #iubb http://t.co/aYAU1YmusY
— Kareem Itani (@kareemitani15) April 25, 2015
While people are falling over themselves to congratulate Ferrell and his family for being such classy human beings, one must wonder whether or not the tragedy of Hannah Wilson didn’t give the family a chance to rethink the spectacle of a grandstanding decision.
Depending on who’s telling, the decision to bolt now to the NBA would either be smart, or pretty dumb. Everyone, including NBA scouts pretty much agree that Ferrell is a second rounder, so why the rush? Some, like Fort Wayne News-Sentinel’s Pete DiPrimio, believe that even a senior season at IU wouldn’t do much to raise his draft stock, so why not make the jump?
In fact, with the signing of low-post wunderkind Thomas Bryant, Indiana looks to be a preseason top-15 team, but that’s only with Ferrell involved. If the goal is success, Ferrell might be better served staying on a team with heightened expectations than go to the NBA and into an uncertain future, with the possibility of time spent in the D-league.
As a senior, Ferrell would be exactly what he was as a junior: the heart and soul of the Hoosiers’ offense. Shooting 44 percent in field goals and averaging 16 points a game, Ferrell is a weapon the Hoosiers, and particularly beleaguered head coach Tom Crean can’t in any way afford to lose.
And as Crean finds himself under siege and a tremendous amount of pressure to produce wins next season in the face of a fanbase that mostly wants to see him fired, having his star player give a press conference where he declares fealty to his coach and his program might be exactly the sort of hype necessary to provide the necessary cushion to keep fans from pelting him with insults and boos throughout the course of the season.
While that may sound like the bleatings of a tinfoil-wearing conspiracy theorist, for a coach who is about about ostentatious displays, including rings for reaching the Sweet Sixteen, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the announcement was more for show than anything else, and cancelling it as part of “doing the right thing” in the wake of a young woman’s senseless death can only drum up more goodwill when it’s needed most.
When it’s all said and done, Ferrell’s postponement won’t last too long, as the NBA’s deadline for early entry is 11:59 p.m. Sunday night, and while that means there won’t be time to set up the circus tents once again, it will give Ferrell, his family and even ringleader Crean the opportunity to reflect on the ridiculousness of those sorts of announcements and get back to the business of making Indiana respectable again.
Or not.
Hashim R. Hathaway (Uncle Shimbo) is the host of the Never Daunted Radio Network, and proud father to NeverDaunted.Net. You can reach him on Twitter @NeverDauntedNet