Let Jordan Clarkson go

I have been pouring over a few different corners of the internet trying to read as many comments and reactions to this Jordan Clarkson situation as I can. I wanted to get a feel for what fans think of Tulsa's BEST PLAYER requesting to be released from TU. Many are positive in nature, wishing him well. But, I'm shocked by some of the comments.

Here are a few. Some are from our site. Some are from others:

-"I wonder how he will feel when he transfers and see's TU making it to the NCAA's?"

-"He probably won't be an all-star if he plays for a Big 12 team."

-"ah he misses his wojo. good riddance I say".

I understand fans being upset that your best player wants out. I get that. I would be royally bummed if Anthony Collins left my alma mater, USF, after having a great freshman season. It would stink, but that's how it goes sometimes.

(Odd side note: Doug Wojcik brought Collins to campus before last year for an official visit. Didn't work out but just an odd connection there)

Clarkson wanted to go back home. That's evident. His dad told the newspaper that Jordan was thinking about transferring even while Doug was still the coach. This isn't a Danny Manning thing. It's a player preference thing.

The thing that bothers me in all of this is the power that universities have over players in cases like Jordan's. It sounds like he will only be allowed to go to a very short list of schools without having to foot the bill for classes himself – reportedly TCU, Vandy and Colorado.

If Clarkson wants to transfer, let him go anywhere he wants to. If I was A.D. the only thing that I would restrict players to when it comes to transferring is that their next school would have to be outside of the former school's current conference. If Jordan wants to transfer to Marshall or UTEP, I'd say no way. If he wants to go to Texas or OU, I'd say, go for it.

One fan called him a "diva" on our site. Listen, the guy has the right to do whatever he wants to do. If you are working for FedEx and decide you want to see if UPS is a better fit for you, there are no penalties for switching mid-career. You are free to do what you want to, if UPS will have you.

If Jordan feels like he wants a change of scenery, which he clearly does, then who are we to hold him back? Sure, TU would be better off with him in a Tulsa uniform next season but they can't force him to stay.

As far as the comments above… I say all three are off base. There were positive comments but those three were most interesting to me out of all the sites I read.

-"I wonder how he will feel when he transfers and see's TU making it to the NCAA's?"

If he leaves, no way is Tulsa making the NCAA tournament next season. NO CHANCE. Our sports producer, Joe McCann, said to give TU a 5% chance because "you never say never". Sorry, Joe. I'm saying never.

-"He probably won't be an all-star if he plays for a Big 12 team."

Says who? He would have been a starter for OSU or Oklahoma last season and better than the guards Texas has right now. You could argue that he and last year's UT standout freshman Myck Kabongo are neck-and-neck, but I give the edge to Jordan there because of his long-range shooting and ability to get to the hoop.

-"ah he misses his wojo (Doug Wojcik). good riddance I say".

Call me crazy, but ‘good riddance' seems a little strong, especially when the kid is BY FAR the best player on the team.

Wherever he lands, hopefully he will succeed. Keep in mind, Kodi Maduka may not be able to play next year because of his health concerns. That's not known yet. If Danny Manning is without those two guys, TU is in bad shape MONTHS before the season even starts.