When ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported Tuesday morning that Marshall, despite repeated requests, was denying Kareem Canty’s transfer, it opened a window into the murky situation that is guard’s transfer. At first glance, Goodman’s report confirmed what the freshman himself had tweeted in mid-March. At that point, Canty, who was one of the nation’s best newcomers this past season, had an assist rate around 30 percent, which ranked in Ken Pomeroy’s top 100 (and seventh best of frosh point guards) and was expected to be a cornerstone for whomever Marshall hired to replace coach Tom Herrion, who recruited Canty to Huntington but had been bought out by the school.
Canty tweeted weeks ago, “Smh bad year bad news I loved playing for him not his fault we lost games,” as well as, “But I can’t hold this in any longer I will not be returning back to Marshall next year! It’s been fun.” However, since both tweets were deleted, it appeared Canty would remain at the school until the new coach’s hiring, which is why Zach Braziller’s NY Post report this past weekend that Canty was no longer a member of the Thundering Herd was surprising.
NBC Sports emailed men’s basketball sports information director Andrew Piper on Saturday morning to confirm Braziller’s report, and we were told Canty had, in fact, not asked for his transfer. With regards to Goodman’s tweet, though, that seems contradictory. NBC Sports reached out to Jason Corriher, the school’s assistant athletic director for media relations, on Tuesday and were informed that Mike Hamrick, Marshall’s athletic director, had “…told those guys there wouldn’t be a release until meet with new coach.” Since Marshall’s coaching search is entering its fourth week, that obviously has not happened. Corriher was also asked to confirm his colleague’s statement that Canty hadn’t even asked for a transfer — according to Corriher, “I don’t know and I am not going to comment on whether Kareem has requested his release.”
It isn’t surprising that Marshall wants desperately to keep Canty on the roster. He is a guard who will be a future all-Conference USA first team performer, a player who instinctively understands how to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Without Canty, a team with promise becomes more of a rebuild. But the combination of Goodman’s reports and the conflicting stances within Marshall’s communications department indicates there is a strange situation developing in Huntington. And in the absence of any reports, or even rumors, regarding the conclusion of Marshall’s coaching search, Canty could be in limbo for the foreseeable future.
