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Who knows for sure why Eddie Sutton had to wait so long for his welcome into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Seven times a finalist, which is really nutty when you think about it.

Clearly, there was much to like about Eddie as a Hall of Famer, even to the voters. Or else he wouldn’t have been ushered right up to the doorstep six times previously.

Only to be denied entry, of course.

It was cruel, really.

Eddie’s credentials – the 806 wins; the bevy of NCAA Tournament trips, highlighted by taking four schools to the Dance; the three Final Four appearances; a leading role in launching Coaches vs. Cancer – were overwhelmingly deserving.

Sure, he’d had a few issues. But haven’t we all? Plenty of those already residing in the Naismith Hall surely have, and in some cases still do.

It was almost as if there was some conspiracy to keep Eddie out, with some Godfather-like character with veto power, off sitting in the shadows, ultimately ruling with a thumbs down.

This case seemed so cut and dry, so obvious, that it seemed such a scenario was the only explanation, as silly as it sounds.

Yet over and over again – six times! – Eddie was included as a finalist, then excluded from the party, left like some kid without an invite to the party, peering in past the branches through a window while everyone else celebrated inside.

It was an injustice, plain and simple.

And that’s not just my opinion, it’s the opinion of the people, led by a chorus of influential people, whose voices rose together so loudly and so insistently that the Naismith voters simply couldn’t deny Eddie another time.

Dick Vitale and Fran Fraschilla used their TV platforms brilliantly in stumping for Eddie. The game’s elite coaches, current and past, did so, too.

That’s one beauty of Twitter, everyone’s voice can be heard, and so many of the game’s greats carried the cause for Eddie through social media in such a way they couldn’t be ignored.

And there was a Twitter celebration Friday, when news leaked that Eddie was indeed finally poised to take his rightful place in the hall. From coaches to fans to so many players whose lives were impacted by the man, forever, the joy leaped off their fingertips once the good news leaked.

I’ve written about Eddie before on Robert Allen’s sites, both with hope in anticipation of the vote, and then in the disappointing aftermath, describing the hurt that the man’s family and friends and fans felt in the aftermath of each snub.

Here’s what you need to know: Eddie Sutton, warts and all, is a good man. A caring man. A loving man.

Everyone and anyone who came in contact with Eddie will attest to that, me included. He was beloved during his coaching journey, none more than at Oklahoma State, his alma mater, where he awakened the basketball program from a deep slumber.

We all now he could coach, with the best of them. But Eddie is deserving of the highest honors for so many reasons.

And this honor, for some inexplicable reason, was one that eluded him.

No longer.

Congrats, Eddie.