Dominique Sutton transferring out of Kansas State to be closer to his family

Dominique Sutton, a starting forward on the Kansas State basketball team, has decided to transfer out of the school and return to North Carolina is order to help raise his two young daughters.

"Being around my kids every day, and having the chance to play in front of my family all the time sounds pretty good," Sutton told the KC Star. "I love them a lot. I want to be there for them, and be a part of their life. Seeing them grow up is something I want to do."

We've seen this before.

Dominique Sutton is transferring from K-State to be closer to his family.
(photo credit: CJ Online)

Murphy Holloway, a 6'8" sophomore forward, transferred out of Mississippi to be closer to his young family in South Carolina, eventually landing with the Gamecocks, where he will have two years of eligibility left after sitting out a season.

But Sutton's situation is quite a bit different. Holloway may have transferred into a better basketball situation by going to South Carolina. He still has two years of eligibility left. Sutton just finished his junior season. He has one year left to play. And unless he lands at North Carolina or at Duke, odds are good that he won't have a better shot at playing in the Final Four.

Sutton was a starter on a sure-fire Final Four favorite. Kansas State may have lost Denis Clemente, but they return a young, talented, and athletic front line as well as a potential Big XII player of the year in Jacob Pullen. Sutton wasn't just some average schlub, either. At 6'6", he's athletic enough to defend on the perimeter or in around the basket, he is an excellent rebounder, and he brings toughness and hustle. In fewer words, he's an ideal glue guy that averaged over 7 points and 5 boards each of the last two seasons.

While it had to have been a tough decision leaving all of that behind -- "I'm leaving behind everything that I helped build," Sutton said. "It's tough to say goodbye to all that, but sometimes other things come up that are just more important." -- you have to admire a man that is willing to step up and claim the responsibility that comes with being a father. While I don't think Duke or UNC would use a scholarship on Sutton, if NC State and Wake Forest had any sense, they would immediately try and scoop this kid up.

If the NCAA had any sense, they would grant him a waiver to skip the mandatory red shirt season. Sutton is doing the right thing, and he should be rewarded for it.