Honor Bound

Normally, if I write about college basketball, it will have a tie-in to Kentucky teams. But as a big fan of the sport, I watch it all. And something has happened across the college hoops landscape about which I feel very strongly. A team out west may well have relinquished their shot at the Final Four in the name of honor.

I find that to be profound, actually. Obviously the goal with any sports organization is to win. Do I want my teams to win every game they play? Of course, I do. But for some, the mantra is "win at any cost."  So when I learned that Brigham Young University's invaluable post player Brandon Davies was bounced from its Top 3 ranked basketball team for violating the school's honor code, I was, well, impressed. And yes, a little bit sad. It's not every season a team like BYU has a real shot to make the last weekend of the college basketball season. But everything was going right for the Cougars and they had a real chance. But that could be a long shot now. And, you know, that's perfectly fine. Now, you may have disagreements with Brigham Young's honor code--most of us break one or two of those rules every day--but it is what it is. And every student signs off on it. And whether or not you think it's too strict, the kids know what they are getting into when they sign it. You know what's equally impressive? The fact that Davies confessed. He really could have kept it to himself and continued to play. Instead, consequences notwithstanding, he owned up to it. He may no longer be playing basketball at BYU, but he can and should be very proud of this move. And so should the university. They're placing a higher value on integrity than wins. It's a lesson we can all learn. Isn't that right, University of Tennessee?