*OPINION PIECE* Mitchell's Departure a Positive Sign for Dukes

  It's never a good thing to lose your leading scorer from one season to the next, regardless of the reason(s), but the departure of Robert Mitchell from Duquesne University Men's Basketball still has to be construed as a positive sign for the Dukes.
  Although his relationship with Coach Ron Everhart is/was less than ideal, rumors have it that Mitchell's decision to leave the program was grounded more in his prospective playing time than a conflict of philosophies with his head coach.
  A look around the team's roster this year combined with common sense puts Mitchell out of the starting five and unlikely to reprise his role as one of Duquesne's top point-scorers, let alone the top scorer.
  A player with Mitchell's personality wouldn't be best served by playing at Duquesne, and it does appear as though Mitchell realized that.
  Certainly, it would have been nice to have him available off of the bench for the Dukes during the 2007-08 season and beyond, but it says a lot about the program right now that even last season's Atlantic Ten Conference Rookie of the Year can't find playing time on this team.

(Image: Robert Mitchell, Copyright Duquesne University)