Three years ago, the Philadelphia 76ers finished the NBA regular season with an 18-64 record, one of the worst records in the history of the NBA. The future looked bleak, but a radical, idealistic leader named Sam Hinkie came in with revolutionary changes to the Philadelphia 76ers organization ‒ cough cough, ring any bells, Colgate? 

Here I sit, three years later, a senior at Colgate, watching the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Philly fans “Trusted the Process” sitting through years of poor teams, accumulating young talent and high draft picks, and they have been rewarded generously with two of the NBA’s best young stars and a talented supporting cast. Sam Hinkie is now gone, but his impact is certainly still felt. More important than the players and staff though, were the fans who never stopped believing in the Sixers. 

Colgate seems to be in a similar spot to those 2014 Philadelphia 76ers. A historically great university who is at a crossroads, socially and academically, with a student body and alumni base who is beginning to become fed up with the decisions that Colgate, and its leaders, make. Colgate is in a rut. The future is certainly unclear as the graduating seniors leave the hill for the final time.

However, much like my beloved Philadelphia 76ers, I would encourage students, alumni and the entire Colgate community to “Trust the Process.” This school, much like the Sixers, will change dramatically over the next three years. Whether those changes are for the best or the worst remains to be seen, but Colgate certainly has the “draft picks” ‒ a 908 million dollar endowment ‒ to make changes that help students instead of Colgate’s US News College Rankings. 

In short, the Colgate we see in three years may not be the Colgate we see today, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Trust the process. Go Sixers. 

Contact Brian Rose at [email protected].