The Xavier Conundrum

Let me start this column by saying I can't believe it came to me to defend Tu Holloway, Chris Mack and Xavier. But some of the things that have been said about the situation are really starting to aggravate me, and I just couldn't sit idly by anymore.

First, a quick recap. Xavier and Cincinnati fought at the end of their game last week. Yancy Gates cold-cocked Kenny Frease with an absolute haymaker while Frease was in the middle of it all, seemingly trying to break things up. Frease was also stomped on after the punch. The fight spawned from Tu Holloway and a Cincinnati player talking trash to each other in a 23 point game with 9.4 seconds to play. Then Xavier freshman Dezmine Wells came over and shoved the UC player, and chaos ensued. The nation was shocked at the ugly scene after the fact. When I first saw the video of the fight shortly after it happened, I was not surprised at all to see Holloway at the root of it, nor was I surprised to see Mark Lyons screaming and gesturing throughout the fracas. I've seen the two talented guards up close plenty of times to know they are in-your-face, confrontational-type players. They talk trash. They delight in their opponents' downfall. Up til now, most of the nation gave them a pass for it, because of their prodigious talents on the court.

That is, up until their press conference after the UC game, when both Holloway and Lyons came off as unapologetic and shrugged their shoulders, saying that's who Xavier is, that's the way they play, they won't back down. The quote that has lingered in the media is Holloway describing the Xavier locker room (and therefore team) as full of "gangsters". I, like most people I know and read content from, thought Lyons and Holloway came off sounding foolish, like they had no idea what they were talking about, and that Xavier should never have let them speak to the media.

Since then, weak suspensions have been handed out. Gates' 6-game hiatus was the largest of all, and Holloway received one game. Despite his role in getting the fight going (supposedly cursing at the UC bench throughout the game, and obviously being one of two guys talking to get the melee started), I didn't see much room to argue Holloway's suspension. He didn't actually do anything other than talk. No thrown punches or elbows that I saw in the video.

At any rate, the suspensions (in particular Holloway's, because he is by far the highest-profile player affected) have been under a great deal of scrutiny since. Then Chris Mack spoke with Doug Gottlieb on ESPN radio. Among the things they talked about were Holloway's comments about gangsters and Xavier "zipping it up" at the end of games. Mack was, as one would expect, defending his player. In particular, during his interview with Gottlieb, he described Holloway as a "good kid". I had a problem with that word choice, as did many people, which I discovered later in the day. Mack was being ripped for labeling Holloway a "kid." Up til now, I had been in the same camp as most other people. But I have no problem with the use of the word "kid." I disagreed with the word "good."

Quick (maybe) sidebar: Tu Holloway is my least favorite college basketball player ever. It should be noted that as a UD fan, I have been bred to hate him, and so perhaps I am not worth listening to on the matter. But during my time with the UD paper, I sat on the sidelines and in the postgame media room, watching and listening Holloway up close for several games. I spent time in the stands watching him before that. I feel more qualified to write about him than many of the things I write about on this blog. I've seen him constantly talk trash, try to get a rise out of his opponents, act smugly on the court and act smugly after games are over. The guy is not a "good" dude in any sense of the word I can think of beyond his basketball skills. Having said that, I can completely understand why Chris Mack thinks he is a good guy, and I can even see how Holloway would come off as good if you just sat down and had a conversation with him. He is confident, talkative, charismatic--what wouldn't you like about speaking with a guy like that? Don't be fooled though, his attitude will be his downfall if he ever makes it to the next level.

So imagine my surprise when nobody had a problem with "good" but rather "kid." Certainly, Holloway is legally not a child at 22 years of age. I'm just guessing here, but I don't believe when Mack referred to him as a kid, he was thinking about any legal definition. I think what he meant was that Holloway is more immature than what most Americans expect out of an adult, just like 98 percent of 22-year-olds are. When speaking about it with my dad, I told him I had no problem with Mack calling him a kid, because I'm a kid too (same age as Tu and everything!) He told me, "No, you're an adult, you're responsible for what you say and do." Hard to argue with that. But once again, not the point that was being made. The point was, Holloway was speaking off the cuff about a high-intensity situation, and he used an unfortunate word. Young people do that. Do all you 40-plus people out there really think 20-25 year-olds are as mature as you? Holloway even corrected himself immediately afterward, saying "Not thugs, but tough guys on the court." He didn't mean gangsters with baseball bats and guns looking to commit crimes or intimidate court witnesses, and anyone who didn't get that wasn't listening. Of course Holloway is responsible for using the words he did, but he isn't trying to back down from them. He regrets using them, just like any of us regret making any bad decisions in life.

One more point about the "kid" debate. Whenever I get into a discussion with my parents about some real-life issues like finances or politics (admittedly a rare occurence), and am unwilling to back down from my position, their response is predictable. It goes something like, "Nate, you just don't understand, you don't have the experience, you haven't been in the real world, you don't get it." Essentially, because I'm young and haven't been in the world for as long, what I have to say is not as valid. (In fact, that's probably what the old-timers are thinking right now as they read this: "This young guy. He just doesn't get it.") And that's fine. (Not really; I hate that argument, but it's probably true). But that sure sounds like a "kid" to me. No, I'm not (and Tu Holloway's not) a kid in the sense that we believe in Santa Claus or are still working on our multiplication tables, but you better believe I'm still a kid when it comes to the real world. I have no idea what I'm doing. Just read this blog for evidence.

Probably even more so than me, Tu Holloway is a "real-world kid". He has gotten things his way since high school at least, because schools are always trying to please the star basketball player. That's the way it works in this world. Holloway is still going to be one of my least favorite athletes of all time when this situation blows over and the next big one comes along. But even then, I'll know, and I think you should try to understand, he's still a 22-year-old kid (or young man, whatever you prefer, they're the same thing), like me.