Feel like people are making a lot of assumptions about this.
Nick Graham joins ISU staff
- Thread starter NetflixAndClone
- Start date
I feel the same. Cyclone Twitter needs to take a day off.
Something to keep in mind, Nick Graham has been a private basketball trainer before his time at Iowa State. He could have been mentoring/working with a kid in 8th-9th grade and developed a relationship with that player and that player having difficulties two years ago at another program not named Iowa State.
http://nickgrahamplayerdevelopment.com/#intro
Multiple things can be true. And Lard's case, a talented player wasting his talents, isn't a unique case. How many guys get kicked off their team because of a drug problem that we don't know about because they don't play for Iowa State?
Totally agree that the tweet wasn't a good look. But we know him from his time at Iowa State. He does a lot more basketball related stuff outside of Iowa State.
http://nickgrahamplayerdevelopment.com/#intro
Multiple things can be true. And Lard's case, a talented player wasting his talents, isn't a unique case. How many guys get kicked off their team because of a drug problem that we don't know about because they don't play for Iowa State?
Totally agree that the tweet wasn't a good look. But we know him from his time at Iowa State. He does a lot more basketball related stuff outside of Iowa State.
This is a good point. We are hearing it from a narrow Iowa State perspective, not really paying much attention to the much broader range of work that Graham does. I'm still taking him at his word. This helps make sense of the two-years ago comment.
Probably would also outside of him playing the race card. There is plenty of exploitation within the box of crayons. That is a vague tweet with plenty of escape hatches in case someone like GN calls him out. Get specific or get lost.
I think the follow up tweet is where he totally lost me. Trying to somehow impute the logic that this was done in some effort to point out "injustice" on MLK Day is totally bogus. He said something dumb, got called out and tried to back pedal his way out of it by trying to claim this was some broader message about "injustice".
Also, as I think more about it, what a completely disingenuous thing to say anyway. Trying to liken the injustices that MLK fought against to a kid that was offered an opportunity to develop into a professional basketball player and, at a minimum, receive a college education but threw it all away. What an "injustice".
So let's pretend he's not talking about Lard. Does his message make a bit of sense? It completely eliminates any personal responsibility from the equation, and then tries to claim some "injustice" was done to this kid. No mention of culpability for the kid, family, support system, former coaches, etc. Somehow it's the coach's fault the kid couldn't show up on time and stay off drugs.
Whether it's about Cam or not, it's still a nonsensical argument.
Last edited:
There are young black kids that get used by college athletics all the time because of their athletic ability and the coaches or admin don't give a damn about them.
Oh please. I get there is an argument to be made they aren't fairly compensated. But do you think this kid would have had any of the opportunities he had but/for a college basketball coach offering him a scholarship? These coaches and admins that apparently don't give a damn about them also provide them with an opportunity to better their lives that they likely would not have otherwise had.
There's a big difference between "not giving a damn about them" and holding their hand.
Also, if this Nick Graham guy cares so much, where was he during all this? He couldn't help get him in line?
Not saying Graham is why Lard didn't get in trouble year 1, but Graham wasn't around in year 2 when Cam couldn't stay out of it.
Every point he makes describing the situation is the Lard to a T. Maybe he worked with some other kids that two years ago were Freshmen producing at a high major school that started and played even though they weren't in great academic standing, failed drug tests, missed practices etc., that were 6-8 and can run, didn't get drafted, and had a coach trying to protect his $1 million salary.
Let's suppose his backtrack is true. Surely he isn't this dense to think he could say something that is clearly inflammatory and describe a situation of which he had intimate knowledge that sounds EXACTLY the same and at the EXACT right time and not have some blowback.
Either way, it's like the billionth example that every nobody out there should realize before pontificating on social media. Nobody cares what you have to say unless you say something stupid and or inflammatory. Then people will call you out and come after you, potential employers and clients will take note, and you screwed yourself.
Doesn't change the fact he could have tried to help him. Probably makes it easier, in fact. He seems so worried about the development of Cam (or whoever it is) as a person-- what did he do to help that person?
You're not wrong, and I have no idea if Graham had much of anything to do with Cam keeping his nose clean in 17-18, but I also know Prohm did his best with Cam and it is very publicly known that he did as well. Hopefully Cam wasn't the player Graham was referring to, especially for his his own sake, and we're all just blowing this way out of proportion
You don't think black kids are capable?
Yes that's true, and there are also a lot of college coaches that care tremendously and have great impacts on players' lives
I'd also say that while an opportunity for free education, housing, food, clothing, and expert training in a potential profession (basketball) that could earn them millions either in the US or overseas does not mean that some players aren't taken advantage of, it's hardly as exploitative as many people want to make it.
If it takes pulling up your bootstraps to go to practice and put down the weed then yes bootstraps.
I assume you are talking about Lard? I have not said one thing in this thread that says Prohm didn't do a ton for Lard and try and help him, because he did and I have nothing bad to say with how Prohm deals with players because he appears to care a great deal. But nice try.
