His arrest early Saturday morning does not disaster spell.
Or does it?
On its own, Stillwater police hauling Muonelo away from the Dirty Dog Tavern for being underage is no reason to sound the alarm. Add it to the ever-growing list of trials and tribulations swirling around the Oklahoma State basketball team, though, and it looks entirely different.
Consider the events of the past three months.
A current player faces charges for possessing a fake ID after being arrested at a bar.
A former star turned assistant coach leaves only a couple of months after being hired.
A current star chooses the NBA over OSU even though he'll likely go undrafted.
A recruit breaks his oral agreement and decides to play somewhere else.
Now, a supposed leader goes to a bar after being warned against it.
Tie it all up, and the alarms are blaring.
There's a pattern here that hints at deeper, more disconcerting problems with the Cowboys. They're faltering. They're struggling. They're in trouble, and the season is still months away.
This is a squad with so much po
tential, too. OSU could have one of the most talented rosters in the Big 12 next season.
Kansas returns all of its big guns, save Julian Wright. Texas lost Kevin Durant but still has D.J. Augustin and Damion James. Put the Jayhawks and Longhorns at the top of the pecking order, but the Cowboys aren't far behind in terms of talent.
Despite having some of the best youngsters in the league, though, you have to wonder how the heck they'll be able to keep it all together.
The elements are solid.
The chemistry is volatile.
Everything seems to be in turmoil with the Cowboys.
First, there was the meltdown last season. The Cowboys went from a top-10 team to a first-round loser in the NIT. No doubt their short bench caused problems, but that team looked like it had no leadership. No one to turn tides. No one to demand change.
Then a month after the season ended, Terrel Harris was arrested for possession of a fake ID and obstruction of an officer. Police arrested the starting guard at J.R. Murphys, a bar in Stillwater.
(Remember that for later.)
Then in early June, assistant Corey Williams left for Florida State, where his mentor Leonard Hamilton coaches. Coaches move around all the time, but Williams had returned to Stillwater and to his alma mater only two months earlier.
His words when he was hired: "This is my school.”
Then came last week.
On Monday, JamesOn Curry decided to remain in the NBA Draft. More than that, the Cowboy star said he would return to school under no circumstances. Not even if he goes undrafted. Not even if he has to play in the D-League. Not even if he has to go halfway across the globe.
On Wednesday, Troy Gillenwater rescinded his verbal commitment to the Cowboys. The 6-foot-8 power forward committed earlier in the year as a high school junior, but now the four-star force says he intends to play elsewhere.
Finally on Saturday morning, Muonelo was arrested.
This was more than a simple underage-in-a-bar arrest, too. Turns out, older athletes have been helping younger ones sneak into the Dirty Dog. The bar's management complained to police, who contacted OSU's basketball and football coaches. They told the coaches to tell the players to knock it off and all would be forgiven.
The Cowboys ignored the warning.
And Muonelo is supposed to be one of the leaders of this team. He is a talented player and a dynamic personality. He is the kind of kid who seems to have the grit and the character to build a team around.
Then he goes and sneaks into a bar.
You can look at these incidents of the past three months and explain them away. You can examine them independently and find answers to the questions.
Harris acted like a knucklehead.
Williams wanted to coach with his mentor.
Curry decided it was time to live out his dream, even if ill-advised.
Gillenwater changed his mind; high school kids do it all the time.
Muonelo acted like a knucklehead.
But if you look at all of these together, you see something different. You see a
