Pollard Addresses MBB

[joefrog]

Great Post.

It is time to start contacting Geoffrey IMO.. forget this "write Pollard ****"...the guy is unable to admit that HE made a big mistake in hiring this guy..and signing him to this horrible contract.......We all need to start contacting President Geoffrey, and in a big way. The man does involve himself with ISU Athletics, but needs a little pushing in this current situation. We will need very concerned alums/fans to email him/write letters to get some changes going with the Athletic Department. Now....if you see him at the spring game....and you very much disagree with our AD...please have a well informed discussion with him. Time to get the ball rolling on this.... or we will see GMAC here for at least another 3 years.....

I actually flew back from Denver late Sunday night with Dr. Geoffrey and his wife. Needless to say I didn't bother him with this stuff then. Sure I was tempted to, and we chatted a little because I was proudly rocking one of my sweet ISU hoodies. It was late, and our flight was delayed several times. He didn't need to be worrying about how horrible our men's bball is doing at that time.

I do think we are truly blessed to have Dr. Geoffrey as the head of our university. He really gets it. He is a very classy and respectful man, and he understands that strong athletics and academics usually go hand in hand. I do trust in his leadership, and feel that he has a point where he will act if he needs to.

[mustangcy]

You can go online and find some really interesting research articles about how 100-150 years ago the 'older' generation thought the 'younger' generation was lazy, entitled and was bound for failure.

[galactawitz]

Here is a link to an article posted in another forum.

Cyclone football: Jeff Woody in mix to be Alexander Robinson's backup | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

Seems to me all kids aren't like the ones that are immature and leaving the program. Do I agree that kids have changed in the last decade. Yes. Do I believe that the majority are still good kids? Yes. There has to be some accountability somewhere to be able to tell the difference.

[GMan]

You can go online and find some really interesting research articles about how 100-150 years ago the 'older' generation thought the 'younger' generation was lazy, entitled and was bound for failure.

Yup, every generation thinks this. I'm 26 and I hear people my age talk about how the younger generation is spoiled, lazy, and entitled.

[Dryburn]

Wow.....I am not even sure what to say.

To drag BF into McDermott's mess? Are you serious? He is trying to equate BF's program with McDermott's in the fan's mind....don't fall for it. I'm amazed he would actually stoop that low.

Yeah, students today are more selfish. Why wouldn't they be? 25 years ago when students didn't transfer so much, stars in the NBA were not making millions EVERY YEAR playing basketball. Every half-way decent basketball player grows up thinking (and in many cases being pressured) he is going to make it to the NBA. If that plan gets derailed, then they get anxious and transfer.

So what? That is the nature of the game today. As JP himself points out, everyone is having to deal with it. Obviously, some coaches deal with it a lot better than others. Some can take the transfers in stride, and because of their coaching abilities, and past records, can merely reload their rosters, and continue winning. GMac is not one of those coaches. Why doesn't JP apparently see that? He fired a coach with a WINNING record. Granted, there were some other problems related to the program, but still.....how do you fire that coach, and allow this one to continue? Makes no sense. How the hell can you not seemingly put any of the blame on the condition of this program on GMac and yourself in the letter? Seriously? Time to man up a little JP!

I'm sorry......this letter, combined with the response that he sent to the kid that was complaining about the program makes me lose a lot of respect for JP. He seems like an egotistical little man that cannot admit his own mistakes.

He has a ******-off fan base, and I think this letter will make them even more ****** off.

There is one constant in the steady downfall of the ISU MBB program over the last 4 years......and it is the man in charge of it. That's it. He is the only constant factor. Wake up people! Don't buy this nonsense from JP. He is just trying to cover his *** and passing the blame onto others. Think about it........he is passing the blame onto the ATHLETES! How do you think that will help recruiting?

[azn4cy]

someone needs to post a cast photo from Space Cowboys...giving a glaring look at all you wet behind the ears brats.


seriously.

I enjoy the hilarity.

Done.




I also wonder if she'll be at the games.

[BryceC]

I use this guy. 60" deck, 25 hp engine. Mow at 8 mph. And all I have is a lot and a half. I do share it with my dad who has 4 lots. Chew on that.

I was joking. And I work for John Deere so much respect on that decision. Great machine.

[joefrog]

That is f'in ridiculous. Yeah, start writing Geoffrey as he has plenty of time on his hands to worry about Chris Colvin and Justin Hamilton bailing. And if Pollard can't afford to buy out GMac, how would Geoffrey??? Really, what would you have Pollard do? Come out and state that he made a mistake? He can't do that if GMac is going to be our coach next year.

Bottom line is that I'm sure Geoffrey knows Pollards thoughts on the MBB situation. It's not Pollard being stubborn or proud or acting smarter than anyone. It's ISU not having enough money. Or, simply stated, it's the budget, dummy!

That is not correct. I believe JP has even said as much. And if indeed we don't, well that just makes JP look worse, actually. Getting into a very long term contract you cannot get out of is a horrible business strategy. You should always have an exit strategy.

We will lose more next year in ticket sales than we will save in waiting out the contract. The only theory I buy is that JP didn't like any of the potential replacements. Which is weak, because it is always a crapshoot anyhow.

[JJ4ISU]

Funny how quickly JP pulled the trigger on Danny Mac and Wayne Morgan, but for McDermott we hear a lot of excuses! It all comes down to the fact that he hired McDermott and firing him would reflect poorly on him...

[Dryburn]

To me, it's all about your viewpoint. If you are looking at Pollard's letter as an excuse for why GMac isn't winning, then the email is just all BS. If you are looking at the letter as reasoning behind the transfers, then there is some validity to it. I choose the latter and that's why I have no problem mentioning BF...he HAS had some attrition. I believe that the letter was meant for people who see ISU through a fishbowl and are shocked by/complaining about the attrition. The point is that there is attrition everywhere. Now, it's definitely worse at ISU and GMac has done a worse job of dealing with it, but IMO that is besides the point of the letter. The basic point is "it's happening everywhere to some degree".

If we agree that this description of the culture is accurate and nationwide, then the next step is finding a coach who can deal with it and best minimize its impacts. BF has proven that he can do that. GMac doesn't have a lot of time left to prove he's that guy.

It's not just the attrition! It is the fact that GMac has not shown at all that he can win in the Big 12.....not even when he has Big 12 talent! There is not a single shred of evidence that he is capable of that. It's what comes out about how he handles players.

Also, the excuse that it is happening everywhere is nonsense. What other team had a starting all-conference player leave their team after 2 years and transfer to another school, sit out a year, and then become a lottery pick? What other team had a starting player leave in the middle of the season to go play pro ball in Europe, and lie about the reason as to why he had to leave then? What other team has had a starter leave with the excuse that he supposedly wants to play "closer to home" and then accepts an offer at a school that is much further away from his home?

Don't kid yourself......the types of problems ISU has had are unique. WJ, Ham, and Lucca did not leave because they were not getting enough playing time, or they were thinking that ISU was not their path to the NBA. Wake up!

[acgclone]

Can someone please tell me how this letter helps ISU in ANY way? From a tactical standpoint I fail to see how this improves our position at all.

[azn4cy]

Can someone please tell me how this letter helps ISU in ANY way? From a tactical standpoint I fail to see how this improves our position at all.

It doesn't. I'll defer to vmbplayer on this.. probably said it the best of any post in here.

Anyone who buys this is being manipulated.

Does anybody remember how Ham was viewed at a hard working, blue collar kind of kid up until the point he left? The this generation is lazy and entitled didn't seem to be brought up about him before he transferred.

Does anyone remember Lucca? How does what is afflicting this nations entitled youth affect a kid from Germany? Are the kids in German just as screwed as us entitled American youth?

I am a huge JP supporter, but this letter is a load with the exception of the last line.

He is totally playing into all the donors stereotypes. Since all the donations come from older well established people they aren't going to be offended by this comment. Bottom line is every generation has thought the country is screwed because of the next generation.

Any of you over 40 y/o folks remember what your parents were saying about those hippies while you were growing up? Now there is a generation that did nothing but sit around singing and smoking pot. Country is screwed when those hippies are running it.

If the problem is a generational thing why is it that the football coaches are always talking about this guy or that guy being a bring your lunch pale kind of guy? Why aren't all sports effected by this crappy generation?

The easiest way psychologically to get people to avoid looking at a real problem is by playing into stereotypes. There have been studies done that show as soon as you take a room of 20 people and then put them in 2 arbitrary groups they will likely support their group members stances. By making this a generational thing it is playing on that psychological effect. The money (donors) are in an older group already so it's easy to make this younger group look like they don't work hard because they are going to back their group.

This is NOT equivalent to racism, but it is the same sociological manipulation used by racists. If you can make a group of people a scapegoat for your problems you don't have to deal with what they actually are. You're poor? Well that's because Race X controls all the money. You're basketball team sucks? Well that's because the generation of players are good for nothing sloths.


Only thing I agree with in this letter is the basketball program will be fixed one way or the other.

[thatguy]

Can someone please tell me how this letter helps ISU in ANY way? From a tactical standpoint I fail to see how this improves our position at all.

It doesn't, just makes more excuses for McD and JP.

[ddisu]

I was joking. And I work for John Deere so much respect on that decision. Great machine.

I knew that. Just threw that there to put a little humor in the thread.

[agrabes]

I for one use an unpowered reel mower, and if you don't, you're a lazy product of a wasteful society. Chew on that bud.

Well, crap I guess I'd might as well just quit my job so I can free them of my lazy dead weight. Thanks for letting me know though :).

It just surprises me how much people on here were saying that anyone 25 and younger is a spoiled, entitled brat. You may have run into a few bad apples, but by and large we are not spoiled. We may feel "entitled" to certain things that are normal to have in this day and age in the same way that the older generation feels "entitled" to electricity when for their parents electricity was a special privilege. The older generation might feel they deserve a job if they work hard, when the generation that grew up during the great depression knew that even hard work was often not enough to secure a job and people entering the workforce today know that they have to leverage to get the most they can out of the position and if they can't get what they want that they should walk away and find a new job. It's all relative, young people grow up and adapt to the circumstances around them.