I said at the time that he wouldn't last 3-4 yrs because when you are a interum coach that is replacing a popular coach it almost always never works out, especially when you add to the mix a new A.D. and the circus atmosphere surrounding Larry's leaving.
Why was Wayne Morgan fired?
- Thread starter acody
- Start date
Umm... you just made my point. Recruiting isn't just about the guys you sign in November. And I'm not convinced even having him would make us an NIT team either.
Morgan & McDermott
WM wasn't a great coach, but he did not get fired for his teams play on the court. He was fired because he didn't run a basketball program that JP felt represented ISU to the standards desired outside the lines- from a coaching staff & student athlete.
GMAC has struggled & I'm a BIG GMAC fan since he is from eastern Iowa like myself. I also think that GMAC recruits kids that ISU can be proud of as student athletes.
That said GMAC has made a lot of mistakes in the recruitng process. He has been snake bitten by kids like Dunson & W. Johnson transferring. Sure it seems like all programs lose kids, but ISU could not afford that after all the turnover when WM left and most of the haphazzard recruiting class that GMAC put together his first spring were all gone.
I think last years class was solid in Brackins, Garrett & Staiger, but one class can't build an NIT caliber team.
This years class could make or break GMAC and to be honest I'm concerned. I have seen posters call Buckley, Eikmeier & Mann busts. I think that is a bit harsh, but I think any knowledgeable hoops fan has to be concerned at how little those 3 have contributed during the Big 12 season. If I look back over the last 10 years, there haven't been many high quality players at ISU that only got a couple minutes/game as true freshman.
The key to last years class is for Hamilton to develop, Pomlee to be a solid Big 12 post player & either Buckley/Eikmeier being a sold bench player.
WM wasn't a great coach, but he did not get fired for his teams play on the court. He was fired because he didn't run a basketball program that JP felt represented ISU to the standards desired outside the lines- from a coaching staff & student athlete.
GMAC has struggled & I'm a BIG GMAC fan since he is from eastern Iowa like myself. I also think that GMAC recruits kids that ISU can be proud of as student athletes.
That said GMAC has made a lot of mistakes in the recruitng process. He has been snake bitten by kids like Dunson & W. Johnson transferring. Sure it seems like all programs lose kids, but ISU could not afford that after all the turnover when WM left and most of the haphazzard recruiting class that GMAC put together his first spring were all gone.
I think last years class was solid in Brackins, Garrett & Staiger, but one class can't build an NIT caliber team.
This years class could make or break GMAC and to be honest I'm concerned. I have seen posters call Buckley, Eikmeier & Mann busts. I think that is a bit harsh, but I think any knowledgeable hoops fan has to be concerned at how little those 3 have contributed during the Big 12 season. If I look back over the last 10 years, there haven't been many high quality players at ISU that only got a couple minutes/game as true freshman.
The key to last years class is for Hamilton to develop, Pomlee to be a solid Big 12 post player & either Buckley/Eikmeier being a sold bench player.
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You're right cyclonez7, but Taggart had lost weight from his 1-2 month illness early in the season, and the other bigs (Hubalek and Marsden) were first year players. But I can't believe Morgan was canned because he wasn't running a good program, like I said he raised the gpa from the LE years and he had one kid get in trouble (George) during his 3 years. I'd bet Morgan was canned because a certain booster or boosters didn't want him. JP was looking for any reason he could to get rid of him, and tried to use the scheduling thing as a catalyst (lame as it was). The program and us fans in particular are still paying the price.
I liked Morgan a didn't think he should be fired. I don't hate McD for that happening, he inherited a program in shambles and is probably 1 or 2 years away from righting the ship. We could fire him and start over, I hear their is a long line of successful coaches waiting to come to Ames, IA. I'm sure we wouldn't lose any recruits if McD were fired. Also that would be the sign of stability Harrison Barnes is looking for. I shouldn't even be responding to this rediculous thread.
I do support Morgan when he gets drilled on the board, but that doesn't mean I don't support GMac. It's just that as a season ticket holder I miss the post season games, big wins, and fast action Morgan's teams gave us. I've still got hope for Gmac but these last 3 years have been tough to watch. We badly need a win today to give us some relief from this rut.
What is Morgan doing these days? I don't see him coaching a D1 school since he was fired has he? Bottom line, if no one else out there wants him why should he still be at ISU? Seems to me that everyone that likes to defend WM always fails to bring up what he's doing now.
I've come to totally agree with your view here. At the time it seemed like we had to fire LE, but I agree that sticking with him would have been a better bet for ISU and him too in the long run. Bruce didn't have the cajones to do that though. LE as coach with WM as a recruiter IMO would have been a dynamic combo for many years. After all, WM was brought in to do just that: recruit, and even his detractors admit he could recruit very well.
Bottom line is that LE is coaching again, so obviously his crimes aren't seen in the college basketball coaching world as unforgivable. Was what he did so bad? I don't think so.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
That's completely fair and reasonable. I miss that stuff, too, and I think a win today would be a really nice day for us!
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Even LE in that last Register article admits that he was not thinking of his drinking as a real problem, and not looking at rehab as a serious problem.
Anybody giving their employer the kind of attitude that he was giving has to be fired. It doesn't matter what they do or how much they're paid. A guy like that has to go.
Since then, his life situation has gotten his attention, and it looks like he has made the genuine changes in actions and attitudes that needed made. I would argue that people saw the difference between LE then and now, and that played a large role in his finding the Southern Miss job.
Travman23- Morgan is about 60 years old and maybe he likes Ames and doesn't want to move to start another coaching gig with all the travel, pressure, etc. Is there any doubt that many programs wouldn't love to have him for his recruiting connections alone. He's got some good things going on in Ames and if he's happy, why start over in another coaching job with all the headaches?
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
I think you're probably onto something here (not on something-big difference:wink
. Obviously, the guy can recruit, or Syracuse wouldn't have hired him for that role. I would think that a good part of his current situation is that he doesn't want to move again. I don't know him personally or anything, but I can't imagine he's dying to move if the money he's making is anywhere similar to the money he'd make as an assistant coach.
So why didn't we recruit a competent backup, in case his leg was still in poor condition?