This is over the line, IMO. I realize you like to defend BF, but to insinuate that a student athlete lacks the confidence and courage to accept the pressure of performing, I have to call foul. It's a personal attack, really.
WBB: Fernstrom leaving ISU
- Thread starter mred
- Start date
In all sincerity, it was not intended to be critical at all of Bry. I'm sorry you read it that way. It's also not defending BF.
Right now we don't know and will probably never know the true reason(s). But I have seen people who don't aspire to have more prominent roles in their career that come with more pressure and require more confidence and courage - they just want to work and happy with where they are.
So personally I don't discount that this could happen to her. But again there could be other factors such as significant other, homesickness, Problem with coaching style, etc.
She's had ample opportunity to spout off if she was of a mind to, and some of the local papers would have loved to jump on it. Why is it so hard to accept that she is a quality individual who wanted to change schools. Yes, she left part way through the season, but that is better than playing half-heartedly for the rest of the year - and being unhappy doing it. She's a good player with lots of upside potential. I wish her well. And please note that MBB has 2 players who left their school and came here after the season had started.
While I wish BF would clean up the profanity in the huddle, as I have heard from numerous player family members(especially those that are devout Christians) that the girls don't respond well to it, we don't know why Bry left. From her twitter it appears she just went through a break up, going from BAE mode to men are liars mode, and her words about being back home in MN seem to indicate a bit of homesickness(if I recall, Bry didn't want to go far from home to start with). So, like many things in life, it is probably a combination of things, not just one thing that influenced her decision. Unfortunately, in WBB, the players and recruits are more influenced by relationships, than the "good" of their basketball career. MN is an upcoming program, and Bry will add to their program a great deal next year.
While it hurts the program a lot this year, I suspect next year, with the addition of Bowe, and Mere/Claire, and possibly Konate, the post rotation will be in good shape.
While it hurts the program a lot this year, I suspect next year, with the addition of Bowe, and Mere/Claire, and possibly Konate, the post rotation will be in good shape.
I found the TT tweet to be interesting..something referencing disrespect. Mostly because the majority of the team/coaches 'liked' the tweet.
Never know what each person is going through but to leave your team hanging like that is very strange.
Never know what each person is going through but to leave your team hanging like that is very strange.
To all the people critical of how BF conducts himself (the screaming/cursing/etc.) he's been the same type of coach since he started here and people weren't complaining about it when we were winning the Big 12 or finishing in the top 3 in the conference consistently. To me I just think that kids these days don't have as thick of skin and any time someone calls them out on something or tells it to them in a way that isn't so "rah rah" like they take it too personally. These kids are told how great they are when they are being recruited then when reality sets in when they get to college that they are no longer the best player on the floor most nights like they were in HS the mentally tough ones put in the work to get better and the weaker ones pout and quit.
Don't think that BF is the only coach that screams at his players when he expects more out of them, you can probably go up and down the list of elite coaches and find plenty that do the same, good coaches that win at high levels usually are vocal and demand a lot from their players. I bet you every FB coach we've had probably could be a real mean SOB in practice at times, I know that Eustachy was really tough on his guys as I know for a fact that Brandon Hawkins transferred because he couldn't handle Larry's practices - one of my friends witnessed him crying like a baby in his dorm room after 1 practice and sobbing how he didn't know why coach was so hard on him. I got to meet Richard Evans a couple years back and he shared all kinds of stories how tough Larry was on all of them but he still loved coach because he was only doing it because he expected and only accepted nothing but the best effort from his players. Some kids can probably handle it better than others, my brother in law coaches HS basketball and his response every time a parent confronts him about maybe being too hard on their kid is "when I stop yelling at your kid for making mistakes then you should be concerned because that means I've given up on them."
BF took a program that was practically dead and has turned it into a nationally respected program and it's going to take a hell of a lot more than some people upset with his vocal ways of doing things to get me question the job he does. He's going to leave so really big shoes to fill when his time at ISU is done but without him building this program from nothing to an elite program this would not be a desirable job like it will be whenever it comes open.
Don't think that BF is the only coach that screams at his players when he expects more out of them, you can probably go up and down the list of elite coaches and find plenty that do the same, good coaches that win at high levels usually are vocal and demand a lot from their players. I bet you every FB coach we've had probably could be a real mean SOB in practice at times, I know that Eustachy was really tough on his guys as I know for a fact that Brandon Hawkins transferred because he couldn't handle Larry's practices - one of my friends witnessed him crying like a baby in his dorm room after 1 practice and sobbing how he didn't know why coach was so hard on him. I got to meet Richard Evans a couple years back and he shared all kinds of stories how tough Larry was on all of them but he still loved coach because he was only doing it because he expected and only accepted nothing but the best effort from his players. Some kids can probably handle it better than others, my brother in law coaches HS basketball and his response every time a parent confronts him about maybe being too hard on their kid is "when I stop yelling at your kid for making mistakes then you should be concerned because that means I've given up on them."
BF took a program that was practically dead and has turned it into a nationally respected program and it's going to take a hell of a lot more than some people upset with his vocal ways of doing things to get me question the job he does. He's going to leave so really big shoes to fill when his time at ISU is done but without him building this program from nothing to an elite program this would not be a desirable job like it will be whenever it comes open.
That hasn't stopped posters from questioning her mental toughness and/or courage, has it?
Bill is a hard-*** in your face coach who will rip on you. However if you play hard for him, he'll have your back for life. Some players want to be coached that way some want to be coddled. No matter what, he's been there 20 years and if a recruit doesn't realize how he coaches, that's on them.
Don't you think it's kind of hard to reconcile that opinion statement with the following fact statement?
Ugh, I'm so over the kids are all weak these days narrative. Perhaps the narrative should be kids these days are standing up for themselves and feeling confident enough to act, when an authority figure and coach is berating and verbally assaulting them. Just because it happened in the past does not mean it is ok, it does not mean kids have thinner skin, perhaps it was NEVER OK and these athletes have other options where it hasn't been deemed ok by an archaic sense of morals.
The one thing that bothers me the most about this has nothing to do with coach but it really irks me when a player leaves mid-season. They call it a committment for a reason, you committed to this university, this team, your coach, the fans and to leave them mid-season is breaking your commitment. If Bry had left after this season I doubt as much fuss would have been made about it.
I remember my freshman year of HS basketball, I went to a 1A school where my graduating class was 50 so there were no tryouts for sports, if you wanted to go out for a sport you could. I wasn't getting much playing time other than playing in some freshman games and occassionally gettting to suit up with the JV team and maybe be lucky enough to get in some garbage minutes at the end of a JV game. I knew I probably was not going to ever get any meaningful minutes but I never missed practice, worked my butt off, and participated as a member of the team just like everyone else. Probably half way through the season I thought about quitting, I was just not having a lot of fun and showing up for 6am practices when I already had to drive 20 minutes just to get to school was not fun when all I would get to do is run drills and maybe a few turns running plays or scrimages with the JV team. I remember one morning sitting off to the side while a scrimage was going on and was just frustrated how all the effort I was putting in was not turning into any kind of meaningful practice or playing time and told one of the guys sitting next to me I might just quit because I felt like I was just wasting my time. He turned to me, looked me straight in the eye and flat out told me don't quit, that I made a committment to go out for basketball and while if I quit it would not have an impact on what happened in the games we played but it would be a slap in the face to my teammates and coaches who have my back whose respect I would probably lose and that I would regret the decision later. I stuck it out to the end of the season and didn't go out again the next year but I had plenty of guys tell me I should go out for at least 1 more year since we got a new JV coach. I doubt I would of had anyone try to convince me to go out again the next year had I quit in the middle of the season, I'm glad I made the choices that I did and as an adult now if I had a kid in the same situation I would probably do as much as I could to convince them to finish what they started as it seems like too many people these days think just quitting when things get tough is the easy way out but it really does more harm than good most times.
I remember my freshman year of HS basketball, I went to a 1A school where my graduating class was 50 so there were no tryouts for sports, if you wanted to go out for a sport you could. I wasn't getting much playing time other than playing in some freshman games and occassionally gettting to suit up with the JV team and maybe be lucky enough to get in some garbage minutes at the end of a JV game. I knew I probably was not going to ever get any meaningful minutes but I never missed practice, worked my butt off, and participated as a member of the team just like everyone else. Probably half way through the season I thought about quitting, I was just not having a lot of fun and showing up for 6am practices when I already had to drive 20 minutes just to get to school was not fun when all I would get to do is run drills and maybe a few turns running plays or scrimages with the JV team. I remember one morning sitting off to the side while a scrimage was going on and was just frustrated how all the effort I was putting in was not turning into any kind of meaningful practice or playing time and told one of the guys sitting next to me I might just quit because I felt like I was just wasting my time. He turned to me, looked me straight in the eye and flat out told me don't quit, that I made a committment to go out for basketball and while if I quit it would not have an impact on what happened in the games we played but it would be a slap in the face to my teammates and coaches who have my back whose respect I would probably lose and that I would regret the decision later. I stuck it out to the end of the season and didn't go out again the next year but I had plenty of guys tell me I should go out for at least 1 more year since we got a new JV coach. I doubt I would of had anyone try to convince me to go out again the next year had I quit in the middle of the season, I'm glad I made the choices that I did and as an adult now if I had a kid in the same situation I would probably do as much as I could to convince them to finish what they started as it seems like too many people these days think just quitting when things get tough is the easy way out but it really does more harm than good most times.
I liked Bry - she's gone but we still have a good season going. I lived in Saint Croix Falls WI and commuted through Chisago MN, Bry's home, for years to my office in Arden Hills. I have a real affinity for that beautiful area: it has a version of a Lake Wobegonesque feel.
Minnesota appears to be delighted with Bry and figures into their future:
Took a deep breath, stepped back and moving on. Bill's the Coach, Iowa State's the school and I am just a Life Member of the Alumni Association.
Minnesota appears to be delighted with Bry and figures into their future:
More at: http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_29381306/gophers-get-quality-center-bryanna-fernstrom-but-not
Took a deep breath, stepped back and moving on. Bill's the Coach, Iowa State's the school and I am just a Life Member of the Alumni Association.
Last edited:
There is a middle ground that people should meet at. Kids are weak these days. There isn't any way to get around that especially in sports. I mean people need to be respectful of others and realize that they can empathize with them sometimes, but there also is a lot of entitlement.
This is going to get off topic a bit, but I think it is important. I really think that the real problem though is with parents and coaching. The kids learn it from somewhere. I will specifically talk about baseball because that is where I really got to see this happen. When kids are young up until a certain point there needs to be some equal treatment. When I was growing up my first 3 or so years were really well done. Everyone got equal treatment of instruction, and everyone felt like a part of the team.
The next two years I played on a different team and that is where I saw the problems. The better players got the significant majority of the attention and therefore excelled more than the others. The kids that didn't get as much attention still tried their best and all, but were not given as much coaching. This started the negative experiences, because while they may have been better at that point in time, most of those players didn't put in as much effort or were as interested in playing.
Then the next two years everyone was separated by skill. I don't know when the appropriate time to start this is, but I think this lead to more problems. The better players all played in one league and so the good players in the past were no longer one of the better players. In fact they generally got less attention. Those players then had the same thing happen to them that happened the previous two years. I don't know how it all worked but I believe a lot of them quit playing.
Then after two years the leagues joined together again. The really good players from the good league were obviously still good and ended up playing almost all of the time now. Now at this point skill should have something to do with it, but they have hurt the skill level they have by the way they have organized the leagues. Now I quit after one year of this, but I know how it went for the most part.
While all of this was going on you had the parents and coaches telling the best players how good they are and such so that they get a real sense of entitlement. They don't know what it means to work hard or have a sense of commitment. They have basically been given everything because of their skill. When that skill isn't enough they don't know how to react and overcome the obstacles.
I know I am not great at the mentality that hard work will overcome academic obstacles, but I think a lot of that is that I never had difficulty when I was a lot younger in school. I generally don't have that problem when it comes to athletics, because I always had to work hard. I never gave up in sports except when I wasn't even given opportunities. I played well passed where my skill probably should have had me quit except for football and basketball, but those were because of other issues.
TLDR: Adults need to realize kids have legitimate problems and empathize and help them through those, but they also need to instill hard work in them so that some of those problems never come up.
Interesting,
Marlene Stollings followed Chisago Lakes BBall and Bry Fernstrom on twitter on Jan 7, 4 days before she told BF.
Marlene Stollings followed Chisago Lakes BBall and Bry Fernstrom on twitter on Jan 7, 4 days before she told BF.
Thanks for the lead. Well worth the time to listen to the 5-minute interview. Starts around the 43:00 mark.
Links:
http://cyclonefanatic.com/basketball/mens/news/podcast-1-14-16-cyclone-fanatic-radio-show/
or direct: http://cyclonefanatic.com/upl/downloads/audio/56987f14433e2922b4dd7.mp3
Last edited: