Why was Wayne Morgan fired?

[CyRide3]

I highly doubt that about JP. Actually I doubt JP would have considered firing Morgan unless prodded by some big donors. Promoting Cael was a no brainer, and Bobby had made it clear that when Cael was ready he would step aside.

If that's the case our big donors should be prodding JP with Mac's performance over the last three years. We are at an all-time low as a program. As I've said before, I think Big 12 basketball is beyond Mac's level and this program will not move forward under his leadership. Two years from now when the program is struggling with ticket sales, we will be saying the same thing- we need more talent, the team is young, it's not our fault (insert name) transferred, the excuse list goes on. I'm also not convinced that JP really knows what he's doing in hiring head coaches. Just because a guy calls you up and sells himself doesn't mean he's the right guy for the job. :skeptical:

 

[Cyclonestate78]

LE led the nation in foul language two straight years.

Yep... Just about led the nation in wins though as well. GMAC on the other hand is leading the nation in nice positive comments while nearing the top of the charts in losses as well.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

So based on your logic, McDermott is even worse. He recruits well and we are way way way worse than Morgan's last year. Morgan did a pretty solid job, but it was that scandal that got him fired. He got us to the NCAA tourney a bunch of times. How many times has McDermott done that for us?

Is anyone else here sick of also hearing "give McDermott another year" bs? He's been given three years already and hasn't turned it around. Keno Davis is in his first year at Providence (pretty much the exact same thing as McDermott switching from the MVC to a powerhouse conference) and they're doing pretty well when they were worse than us last year. So for many of you who think McDermott needs another year, you are pretty crazy. He's had two years more than Keno Davis and Keno is already way ahead of him. If you want more than one example: Purdue. This is Painter's third year coaching at Purdue and they are making a run for a 3 or 4 seed in the tournament. Tubby Smith with Minnesota. They were down in the pits and then Tubby took over and they're a very good team now. It's Belein's second year at Michigan and they're improving as well. Also, look at what Seth Greenberg has done at Virginia Tech. Their basketball program was an absolute joke but now they are getting better every single year and will probably win the ACC next year.

Greg honestly needs to go. He's had ample time and he continually hasn't helped this team. A good coach who is in a "bad situation" would show signs of improvements. He has shown signs of deprovements (not sure if that's a word) because each year the team is getting worse. Hopefully Pollard puts him away because if he doesn't, nobody is going to go to games anymore because everyone who isn't an idiot is sick and tired of having McDermott as our coach.

Agreed. We have some solid players but as a collective they just can't seem to play together for well.

Through these years of crapball I often find myself wondering of what could have been had Tim Floyd stayed or if Eustachy would not have been run out of town. I honestly believe had either one of those guys stayed the ISU basketball program would be in a completely different place. In the case of Eustachy I know we probably did the right thing for him personally in letting him go. He has worked hard to fix his alcohol problem but by firing him BVD certainly did push the self destruct button on the entire ISU basketball program as well. Thanks Bruce.... ya loser.

 

[CycloneErik]

So based on your logic, McDermott is even worse. He recruits well and we are way way way worse than Morgan's last year. Morgan did a pretty solid job, but it was that scandal that got him fired. He got us to the NCAA tourney a bunch of times. How many times has McDermott done that for us?

Is anyone else here sick of also hearing "give McDermott another year" bs? He's been given three years already and hasn't turned it around. Keno Davis is in his first year at Providence (pretty much the exact same thing as McDermott switching from the MVC to a powerhouse conference) and they're doing pretty well when they were worse than us last year. So for many of you who think McDermott needs another year, you are pretty crazy. He's had two years more than Keno Davis and Keno is already way ahead of him. If you want more than one example: Purdue. This is Painter's third year coaching at Purdue and they are making a run for a 3 or 4 seed in the tournament. Tubby Smith with Minnesota. They were down in the pits and then Tubby took over and they're a very good team now. It's Belein's second year at Michigan and they're improving as well. Also, look at what Seth Greenberg has done at Virginia Tech. Their basketball program was an absolute joke but now they are getting better every single year and will probably win the ACC next year.

Greg honestly needs to go. He's had ample time and he continually hasn't helped this team. A good coach who is in a "bad situation" would show signs of improvements. He has shown signs of deprovements (not sure if that's a word) because each year the team is getting worse. Hopefully Pollard puts him away because if he doesn't, nobody is going to go to games anymore because everyone who isn't an idiot is sick and tired of having McDermott as our coach.

Another awesome, well-thought post by you

The team isn't getting worse. Talent is working it's way through, but is extremely young. In the meantime, we rely on some unspectacular players.

Keno inherited a team when he arrived. Mac did not.

Morgan made it to the tournament one time, not a bunch.

Get over it and support your team. Or become a Hawkeye. I don't care.

 

[PJZ]

He won a tourny game, went to the NIT finals, won games in Austin and Lawerence. If he is a "very poor coach" then what the hell kind of coach do we have now?

A guy who cant seem to win. And honestly, one thing really matters: winning while staying out of trouble with the NCAA. Thats it.

Personally, when I turn on ISU basketball game or go to Hilton, I just want to watch an entertaining, competitive team. Morgans teams provided that...but that is neither here nor there. This garbage that has been going on for almost three years is getting old. I dont really care if its due to transferring, recruiting, coaching, bad luck, inheriting a bad situation, or whatever. The bottom line is the coach is the one who runs the program...and its ultimately his responsibility to put the product on the floor. Four years seems reasonable given the circumstances...if next year is another .500 or pseudo-.500 season,Pollard should probably take a hard look at whether this was a good hire.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

Another awesome, well-thought post by you

The team isn't getting worse. Talent is working it's way through, but is extremely young. In the meantime, we rely on some unspectacular players.

Keno inherited a team when he arrived. Mac did not.

Morgan made it to the tournament one time, not a bunch.

Get over it and support your team. Or become a Hawkeye. I don't care.

Now wait... He does make some good points. Really if you take an honest look at ISU this year it is hard to come up with any reasons why they stink. If you watched the OU game you can see the level that these guys are able to play at. For 37 minutes they hung with the #4 team in the country. Then they get whacked by teams like Drake, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas State, South Dakota State, etc... A team that can hang with the #4 team in the country had good coaching. A team that goes out and gets beat by the other teams listed either:
A. Had a poor gameplan
B. Had no gameplan
C. Wasn't motivated to play
D. Had a gameplan and didn't execute it
E. Didn't make the proper adjustments during the game to put themselves in a position to win
F. Had an off night which happens from time to time.

Now of these possible reasons you can use F maybe once or twice a season. That sure leaves a lot of explaining to do for all of the other games. See A-E.

 

[jdoggivjc]

I seriously think I got mentally ******** just skimming this thread

GMac supporters - I like GMac too, and the guy's suffered through more player defections than any coach should ever have to when trying to rebuild a program, but the guy's nearing the end of year 3. The kiddie gloves are gonna have to come off at some point.

GMac haters - Firing a coach every three years isn't the way you rebuild a program. Of course, as soon as I bring up this point you're going to respond with "well, Morgan only got 3 years." Guess what? That's history. I'm not a big Morgan fan, I'll admit it. Yes, the guy could recruit, but his teams played sloppy offense and lazy defense, and, from what I've heard, were overly undisciplined in all phases of the game both on and off the court, which led to underachieving performances in year 2 (which I think we were expected to be better than the team that just "squeaked in" to the tourney as a #9 seed) and in year 3 (where we started the year as a top 25 team and by the end of the year, well, we were nowhere close to that). Not to mention the scheduling scandal just 3 years after the LE incident. Not to mention the line that all Morgan lovers tend to ignore - if he was really that great of a coach, why is he selling satellite dishes in Ames instead of coaching somewhere else?

I don't know what it is about losing that completely brings out the idiots. But seriously - Morgan is gone, and has been for 3 years now. It's time to move on. As far as GMac, it appears he's finally starting to get his recruiting established. Hopefully whoever it was (I forget his name) that helped bring Colvin in can also send more guys in this direction. Keep in mind, we fire GMac now we're just pressing the gigantic RESET button on the program and we can wait yet another 3-5 years minimum before we start establishing any semblance of a program. That being said, GMac supporters, you better realize that he's nearing the end of year 3. This is his talent on the floor (although most of it has been patchwork classes), and as guys like Colvin and Gilstrap come in he's going to start running out of excuses and time. The kiddie gloves are going to have to come off at some point.

And to the dolt that says this is the lowest the ISU basketball program has ever been - why don't you tell that to the fans that were here during the pre-Orr era...

 

[CycloneErik]

I seriously think I got mentally ******** just skimming this thread

GMac supporters - I like GMac too, and the guy's suffered through more player defections than any coach should ever have to when trying to rebuild a program, but the guy's nearing the end of year 3. The kiddie gloves are gonna have to come off at some point.

GMac haters - Firing a coach every three years isn't the way you rebuild a program. Of course, as soon as I bring up this point you're going to respond with "well, Morgan only got 3 years." Guess what? That's history. I'm not a big Morgan fan, I'll admit it. Yes, the guy could recruit, but his teams played sloppy offense and lazy defense, and, from what I've heard, were overly undisciplined in all phases of the game both on and off the court, which led to underachieving performances in year 2 (which I think we were expected to be better than the team that just "squeaked in" to the tourney as a #9 seed) and in year 3 (where we started the year as a top 25 team and by the end of the year, well, we were nowhere close to that). Not to mention the scheduling scandal just 3 years after the LE incident. Not to mention the line that all Morgan lovers tend to ignore - if he was really that great of a coach, why is he selling satellite dishes in Ames instead of coaching somewhere else?

I don't know what it is about losing that completely brings out the idiots. But seriously - Morgan is gone, and has been for 3 years now. It's time to move on. As far as GMac, it appears he's finally starting to get his recruiting established. Hopefully whoever it was (I forget his name) that helped bring Colvin in can also send more guys in this direction. Keep in mind, we fire GMac now we're just pressing the gigantic RESET button on the program and we can wait yet another 3-5 years minimum before we start establishing any semblance of a program. That being said, GMac supporters, you better realize that he's nearing the end of year 3. This is his talent on the floor (although most of it has been patchwork classes), and as guys like Colvin and Gilstrap come in he's going to start running out of excuses and time. The kiddie gloves are going to have to come off at some point.

And to the dolt that says this is the lowest the ISU basketball program has ever been - why don't you tell that to the fans that were here during the pre-Orr era...

Very good post, but you just invited the obligatory Lynn Nance/ GMac comparison. That's the hot new thing.:wideeyed:

 

[cycopath25]

I think he was fired so he could fulfill his destiny, which is selling satellites.

 

[Landshark]

Greg will get one more year to show what he can do.

If that's all he gets then you might as well fire him now, because we won't be seeing post-season play next season.

I give him 2 years.

 

[BryceC]

It was not a top 30 class. We signed guys like Boozer, Brister, Vette in that class. Not impressive at all

Scout: Not top 35 (they don't rank outside of that)
Rivals: Not top 30 (they don't rank outside of that)

 

[tejasclone]

If that's all he gets then you might as well fire him now, because we won't be seeing post-season play next season.

I give him 2 years.

And you can already say that definitively right now? Remember, in 98-99 we finished near the bottom of the Big 12, and in 99-00 were picked to finish 12th. Then we, you know, won the freakin' conference, earned a 2 seed, and advanced to the Elite Eight.

No one knows anything about next year and to say conclusively that we won't be playing in the postseason next year (or even this year, because the year is not over) is asinine.

 

[Landshark]

And you can already say that definitively right now? Remember, in 98-99 we finished near the bottom of the Big 12, and in 99-00 were picked to finish 12th. Then we, you know, won the freakin' conference, earned a 2 seed, and advanced to the Elite Eight.

No one knows anything about next year and to say conclusively that we won't be playing in the postseason next year (or even this year, because the year is not over) is asinine.

I love the optimism and I pray you are right, but I need to see some hope. I'm not seeing any right now. Colvin and Gilstrap are going to have to be super-human to get us over this level of mediocrity.

 

[jdoggivjc]

And you can already say that definitively right now? Remember, in 98-99 we finished near the bottom of the Big 12, and in 99-00 were picked to finish 12th. Then we, you know, won the freakin' conference, earned a 2 seed, and advanced to the Elite Eight.

No one knows anything about next year and to say conclusively that we won't be playing in the postseason next year (or even this year, because the year is not over) is asinine.

Do I think that kind of a surprise turnaround is possible for next year? Sure, always is. Will it happen? I just don't know. The core of the team next year is going to be Garrett, Eikmeier, Brackins, Vanderbeken, Staiger, Mann, Pomlee, Colvin, and Gilstrap. That's a lot more talent than we've seen in quite a while, but that is a YOUNG team. Could this team shock the world next year? Sure. But at this point I'd settle for an NIT invite.

 

[Awesome Rick]

Another awesome, well-thought post by you

The team isn't getting worse. Talent is working it's way through, but is extremely young. In the meantime, we rely on some unspectacular players.

Keno inherited a team when he arrived. Mac did not.

Morgan made it to the tournament one time, not a bunch.

Get over it and support your team. Or become a Hawkeye. I don't care.

Wow. Another we're really young excuse. Keno inherited a team that won 7 games last year. It's not like he was in a better situation than McDermott was.

 

[WalkingCY]

The real question should be, why was Larry Eustachy fired? I can't believe that happened....that single event has destroyed ISU athletics since. Thanks Geoffrey and BVD.

Oh...in the very same week of the LE firing.... Eddie Sutton of Okla. St. drove across 5 lanes of highway drunk...hitting another car and tree....and he was given a contract extension and raise. What? Unreal that happened. LE should have taken a decrease in pay and sent straight to AA for classes and given a progress report before the new season started. We would still have Morgan getting promising athletes...and a real coach (see 2000 National Coach of the year status) calling the shots.

Still pissed about the LE thing.

 

[BryceC]

Frankly, the "program" taken as a whole, considering the team's growth through the season, redshirts, current signees and commits, I hardly think that it looks "terrible", and quite frankly has a healthy future.

I love that you keep banging the drum Aclone, I honestly do. I know we disagree on a lot of things but I do respect that about you.

I am hopeful for the future. But if we have as bad of year next year as we do this year (which I also don't anticipate) McDermott will either be gone or have one foot out the door. Gilstrap is gone after next year. Only a fool would think Brackins would be back for his senior year at this point. If nothing happens next year... either McD is gone or there will be a revolt among the peasants.

 

[jdoggivjc]

The real question should be, why was Larry Eustachy fired? I can't believe that happened....that single event has destroyed ISU athletics since. Thanks Geoffrey and BVD.

I kind of sort of hear you on this one. I don't question the Wayne Morgan firing. I do think that LE should have been given another chance to clean up his act. His past performances deserved that much. The question is did this incident that the media was all too quick to cover ruin his reputation to the point that he would have never been able to recruit/be successful at Iowa State ever again? I guess we'll never know...

 

[CyBobby]

Very good post, but you just invited the obligatory Lynn Nance/ GMac comparison. That's the hot new thing.:wideeyed:

I find your post funny because I lived thru the Lynn Nance years and the Greg Mac years remind me of those years...Its really remarkable how the 2 coaches are so similar in their Offensive Style/ Defensive Style...And dont forget their recruiting is very similar...

Most of the guys that Nance recruited could not give a sniff of interest from the Orr-Floyd-Eustacy-Morgan regimes!!!

 

[cyco2000]

The real question should be, why was Larry Eustachy fired? I can't believe that happened....that single event has destroyed ISU athletics since. Thanks Geoffrey and BVD.

Oh...in the very same week of the LE firing.... Eddie Sutton of Okla. St. drove across 5 lanes of highway drunk...hitting another car and tree....and he was given a contract extension and raise. What? Unreal that happened. LE should have taken a decrease in pay and sent straight to AA for classes and given a progress report before the new season started. We would still have Morgan getting promising athletes...and a real coach (see 2000 National Coach of the year status) calling the shots.

Still pissed about the LE thing.

He's probably lucky there weren't pictures. Oh yeah, he was winning at the time.