One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet

[BryceC]

I think it was really classy for Wayne Morgan to have one of the recorded messages from former coaches on the jumbotron after the game. He had some really nice things to say about the fans and his time at ISU. He's a class guy and I don't think there is any way to deny that.

[cloneu]

I was not expecting a message from him, good to see though.

[A-town Cy]

I had to laugh at how he started, "Hi, I'm Wayne Morgan" like we forgot who he was already.

[ajk4st8]

Good point. You could see how much Curtis and Anthony Davis loved him. During his speech both just pointed up to the jumbotron and shook their fists.

It was a nice message. After watching the ISU bball DVD it was clear he really did some great things in his short time.

Won at KU.
Won at Texas

Several great wins at home.
Went to 2nd round NCAA.

[cycloneworld]

Agreed. Very classy move on his part.

[MJAnderson]

Yes, that was nice to see. Also nice to see Stinson back.

[clones11]

one thing that wsa interesting to me is that i dont remember them recognizing pete taylor? if i missed it then im fine with it but if they didnt mension him i think thats kinda poopy, he was a huge part of cyclone athletics basketball included

[mustangcy]

Actually, I think it was classy of Pollard to invite him to do so as well.

[BvK1126]

Some random thoughts on Wayne Morgan's tenure at Iowa State -- it wasn't that bad. In three years, his teams were:

2004 20-13 overall, 7-9 Big 12 (NIT semifinals)
2005 19-12 overall, 9-7 Big 12 (NCAA second round)
2006 16-14 overall, 6-10 Big 12

The Big 12 record wasn't all that great, but three straight winning records and two postseason appearances in three years sounds pretty good to me right about now.

Now, I know that one could argue that Morgan's teams underachieved (especially the 2006 team) given the level of talent at his disposal. I also know that his recruiting classes in 2005 and 2006 didn't live up to expectations, especially for someone hired as a "top-notch recruiting coach."

I'm not necessarily second-guessing Pollard's decision to make a change. But I don't know if it's completely fair to lay the blame solely at Morgan's feet for the current state of ISU's men's basketball program. I'm glad to see that Morgan still has enough positive feelings toward Iowa State that he chose to participate in the 100 Years of Iowa State Basketball celebration. I don't know how everyone else feels, but I think his tenure as coach is one that should be remembered with more fondness than frustration.

[Cyfan13]

Wayno did do good things while he was here, and his players loved and respected him very much. He is a great guy and continues to be there for his old players. I was very glad to see his message during the game.

[isuno1fan]

While Wayne is a great guy and I too was happy to see him included in the festivities, I have to say that his last year was the most frustrating year of Cyclone BBall I have ever witnessed in 20yrs of following.

Even more frustrating than this year because of the amount of hype that went into that 2006 team after the 2005 success at the end of the year. People talk about turning the channel or turning off the TV watching this years team. I actually did that in Wayne's last year because I could not believe the lack of discipline and focus at times.

Again, I appreciate Wayne for what he did in his short time and hold no ill will. He gave us plenty of exciting moments in '04 and '05, but '06 was a travesty. Whether it justified moving to a new coaching regime is your own opinion.

[Wesley]

Six conference wins is more than we may have this year.