As Gekko linked to earlier, Mark McLaughlin has left the program to "pursue other opportunities." Whatever the heck that means. What we get out of this is that he will not be suiting up for Lorenzo Romar's Huskies this season.
I, for one, am not shocked or surprised; upon hearing the news my eyebrows stayed where they were. No brow furling or eyes widening, nothing but a sigh from my lips. Percy Allen said he has a vagabond past, which seems about right to me. (By the way, Allen had an interview with McLaughlin's coach at Tacoma Community College that has some good material.)
He said he had had matured during a year at Tacoma, "I've grown up. I've learned a lot about becoming a man, and men stick with their commitments. They don't go back on them. I wouldn't want my son to go back on something he told me. I know I had a rough past but all I can do is keep on persevering from what I did this year and continue to show people that I'm maturing. That's really all I can do."
Details are scarce, so we do not and may never know the reasoning behind the puzzling move. Suffice to say that it is not the first time that McLaughlin has done such a thing. Let us take a magical journey alongside the past of a certain Mark McLaughlin.
He originally committed to play at Washington State during his Senior year in high school circa 2007. That lasted two weeks. He then committed to Nevada, where he was released from his letter of intent when his coach Mark Fox left for Georgia. Nothing truly out of the ordinary yet. He then went to New Hampton for a year in prep school. That is three schools he had been affiliated with. This journey is not even halfway over. He then attended Baylor during the Fall of 2009. Well, attended? No that isn't the right word, but I am going to use it anyways.
Before the season started at Baylor he left because he was homesick and could not stand being away from his son. He then redshirted for a season at Seattle U, and played there the following year. Yes he stayed at a school for two entire seasons. But then he left there and went to Tacoma Community College where he had the season that put him back on the recruiting track, scoring the most points of any player in Junior College basketball. Then Romar made the ill-fated decision to offer a scholarship to the young father. Now we are here.
Maybe he has grown up and he has a better opportunity elsewhere. Maybe he will go to Europe and attempt to earn some money to support his son. Without details we cannot make a fair judgement of the decision. Maybe he will not even attend college this season. The only person with the details right now is McLaughlin himself.
Mark McLaughlin was a Husky. Now he isn't. He also was almost a Cougar, but wasn't. He was a member of the Wolf Pack, but not for long. He was a Bear, but no longer. He was a Redhawk, and a Redhawk for a while, but that changed too. He was a Titan, but that lasted only half as long as him being a Redhawk. If there was a test for lycanthropy then Mark McLaughlin would have tested positive several days ago, even as recent as yesterday! Now he does not test positive for lycanthropy but he may test positive for shapeshifterness. You gotta watch out for them shapeshifters.
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