Providence should release Joseph Young, they are the ones that look bad

What is it with Big East schools and letters of intent?

First, it was DePaul. The Blue Demons, under head coach Oliver Purnell, initially refused to let Walter Pitchford, Jr., out of the LOI he signed during the Jerry Wainwright era. After Pitchford appealed the NCAA (and lost), Purnell finally relented and released Pitchford. Midway through July. Most kids are already in summer school. Pitchford still doesn't have a school to play for.

Next came Marquette, who signed DJ Newbill to an LOI only to drop him once Jamil Wilson decided he wanted to transfer in. We wrote on all of that two weeks ago.

Now?

Its Providence's turn.

Joseph Young is a highly-regarded two guard recruit out of Houston's Yates high school. He made some headlines when he committed to and signed with Providence and Keno Davis despite the fact that his father is a director of basketball operations for Houston University. But back in June, Young made clear his desire to be released from his LOI, as his aunt in Houston is sick and preparing to get a heart transplant.

When Young made his statement, Davis was unresponsive, saying that he "expects [Young] will honor his commitment. Six weeks later, and nothing has changed. Young, according to his father, will not be enrolling at Providence and is not even thinking about school right now. The Providence coaches, on the other hand, are not budging from their position either. As explained by Kevin McNamara from the Providence Journal:

One school of thought has Young pledging to PC last summer when the Friars were the best offer on the table. At the time, it was clear that then-Houston coach Tom Penders was considering retirement and would not be around for Joseph's college career. Sure enough, Penders did retire after leading the Cougars to an NCAA Tournament berth. He was replaced by James Dickey, who quickly chose to rehire Michael Young as the programs's director of operations and program enhancement.

What Providence believes, essentially, is that Young's mind wasn't changed by an illness to his aunt. He wants to play in the program where his father works.

The point that Providence and Davis are missing is that it shouldn't matter why Young wants out. The only people that truly know why this young man wants out of his LOI is the Young family. Could Joseph really have that close of a relationship with his aunt that he wants to remain near her for school? Of course. Did his father's rehiring at Houston make the local school more attractive? Quite possibly. More than likely, it was a combination of those two, and multiple other, factors that swayed his opinion.

None of that matters, however. Young no longer wants to go to Providence. He wants out of his LOI. Even if Davis and company get Young to spend a year at Providence, how hard is he actually going to play? Regardless of talent, do you really want a kid in your program that isn't going to give his all? Young would likely be on campus for just one season before transferring, so how much would he really care about team success? If he was a cancer in the locker room, would anyone really blame him? No one wants to be forced to do anything, especially when that "anything" is as significant as the college you attend.

More importantly, doesn't Providence look terrible right now? What recruit is going to want to sign with the Friars after seeing this? How easy is negative recruiting going to be for coaches going against Davis for a prospect? "Hey, don't sign with Providence. You could lose a family member, and they won't care." Young could very well be concocting this entire sick aunt story, but the Providence staff are still the ones that will come out of this looking bad.

Remember, this is a high school senior making the most important decision of his young life. I think we can forgive him for having a change of heart given this situation.

Hopefully, Providence will come to their senses and release Young from his LOI. (He's already appealed the school, and will file one with the NCAA if that doesn't work.) That's the only way that this situation comes to a happy ending. I understand Providence's frustration, and if they wanted to give Young a little 'eff you' on his way out the door, so be it.

But Keno, PC, do the right thing, fellas.

Because right now, you are the ones that look bad.