I guess people just need to look for a reason to get upset. I didn't see BF as a "human shield" or "getting thrown under the bus". I saw a letter that listed a whole bunch of schools and conferences that have had issues with attrition. It wasn't a comparison, it was a list. My opinion is that everyone has attrition to some degree. BF does too. The key is what you do with the attrition and how you learn from it. Obviously the MBB case is extreme and the coach is where the buck stops. If you think that letter makes GMac look better, then you are easily duped. To me it just makes the problem more viewable and shows that everyone else has issues with attrition too (although not to that extent).
IMO people upset over this letter didn't like Pollard in the first place...probably because he asked for more money than you are used to paying for seats.
First of all, I could care less what he charges for tickets. I live on the West coast, so it is not likely I will be attending any games soon anyway.
I think the ones that support JP and what he said in the letter are the ones easily duped. To act like what has gone on with the ISU MBB program over the last four years in terms of players transferring is just normal and has gone on everywhere is just stupid.
Name one other school that lost a two-year all-conference starter, who actually put his career on hold for a year to get away from his first college, and then became a likely lotter pick in the NBA draft. Name another school that lost a starter who showed all sorts of potential, and received nothing but praise from the media and then decides to transfer and tells the lie that it is so he can be closer to home, then signs fairly quickly with a school that is even further away. Name another school that had a starter, whom the school and fans had bent over backwards to support, who decided to quit in the middle of the season and gave the reason that he had to quit then because otherwise an opportunity might not be available to him later, which of course turned out not to be true at all. If you really believe that what is happening at ISU is happening at other schools.....constantly over the last four years.......then give us all one example.
As far as JP goes, I was fine with him on most of the things that he has done. I did not agree with him in the takeover of Hilton, because I did not see how that would benefit the University or the Athletic Department financially, plus I had a little personal insight as to why the Athletic Department did not have control of that facility in the first place. I also had some real problems with the letter he wrote to the kid that complained about the MBB program. That could have been handled much more professionally. No need to turn off a potential future supporter. And then this letter now that is just a CYA memo. I have no idea why JP sticks up for GMac the way he does, except that GMac was his hire. There is no other logical reason. It just looks stupid.
The MBB program at ISU has become an embarrassment. The most recognition that the ISU MBB program received this past season was when it was mentioned as being the school where WJ transferred from.
If you can't understand that.....then I think you are the one being duped.
