Dear Coach,
Thank you. As a life-long Herd fan, I appreciate what you have done for the Marshall Basketball Program as a player (before my time) and as a coach. I had the pleasure of meeting you once, at the NCAA Tournament in San Diego, and you were very kind to my son (8-yrs old at the time) and to me. You led Marshall to the greatest moment in its basketball history by upsetting Wichita State. It was a moment that Herd fans will never forget - and being there to watch the game in person with my son will remain one of the top ten days of my life until the day I die. What you did with that team was very special.
As I reflect on that watershed moment in Marshall sports history, I am brought to tears. Tears of joy thinking about that moment, and tears of sorrow due to the fact that Marshall was unable to leverage that accomplishment to raise the bar for the program. Yes, there was the championship run in the lesser post-season tournament the following year, but since that time, the program has lost its luster. It seems as if the luster graduated with Jon and CJ. In 2019-20, we were just two games over .500, followed by the 15-7 Covid-disrupted year in 2020-21. This year, the air left the balloon very quickly. After playing well against Indiana, the team really fell apart. It was noticeable on the court, on the sideline, and in press conferences. Finger-pointing, calling out players, and a general sense of confusion about how to right the ship have been the ongoing theme over the past couple of months. We can all hear your frustration with the team in every press conference. We can see their frustration on the court.
Losing the locker room is every coach's greatest fear. Every coach loses games. But losing the lockerroom, it's simply unrecoverable. I know - I've seen it first hand. It looked and felt just like this year. In fact, my experience was the year that Dwight Freeman resigned. He resigned in mid-January back in 1994. He did what was right for the program - and for him professionally at that point in his career. I have always respected Coach Freeman for making the decision to resign - not forcing the administration's hand and making them fire the first Black Head Men's Basketball Coach in the school's history.
You, sir, are a Marshall legend. You have delivered numerous great moments to the Marshall community. You are among our most distinguished alums and a true "green blood" son of Marshall. That being said, I am hopeful that you will follow in the footsteps of Coach Freeman, and make a similar decision. Please consider taking the high road for the program and retiring as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Marshall University. No true fan of the Thundering Herd wants to see the University fire you. No true fan wants to see you unceremoniously re-assigned to another role within the athletic department. Every true fan of the Thundering Herd wants to be able to give you a moment... to celebrate you for what you have done for the University... to maintain a positive relationship with the D'Antoni family that was absent for many years.
Sincerely,
HucksHerd
Thank you. As a life-long Herd fan, I appreciate what you have done for the Marshall Basketball Program as a player (before my time) and as a coach. I had the pleasure of meeting you once, at the NCAA Tournament in San Diego, and you were very kind to my son (8-yrs old at the time) and to me. You led Marshall to the greatest moment in its basketball history by upsetting Wichita State. It was a moment that Herd fans will never forget - and being there to watch the game in person with my son will remain one of the top ten days of my life until the day I die. What you did with that team was very special.
As I reflect on that watershed moment in Marshall sports history, I am brought to tears. Tears of joy thinking about that moment, and tears of sorrow due to the fact that Marshall was unable to leverage that accomplishment to raise the bar for the program. Yes, there was the championship run in the lesser post-season tournament the following year, but since that time, the program has lost its luster. It seems as if the luster graduated with Jon and CJ. In 2019-20, we were just two games over .500, followed by the 15-7 Covid-disrupted year in 2020-21. This year, the air left the balloon very quickly. After playing well against Indiana, the team really fell apart. It was noticeable on the court, on the sideline, and in press conferences. Finger-pointing, calling out players, and a general sense of confusion about how to right the ship have been the ongoing theme over the past couple of months. We can all hear your frustration with the team in every press conference. We can see their frustration on the court.
Losing the locker room is every coach's greatest fear. Every coach loses games. But losing the lockerroom, it's simply unrecoverable. I know - I've seen it first hand. It looked and felt just like this year. In fact, my experience was the year that Dwight Freeman resigned. He resigned in mid-January back in 1994. He did what was right for the program - and for him professionally at that point in his career. I have always respected Coach Freeman for making the decision to resign - not forcing the administration's hand and making them fire the first Black Head Men's Basketball Coach in the school's history.
You, sir, are a Marshall legend. You have delivered numerous great moments to the Marshall community. You are among our most distinguished alums and a true "green blood" son of Marshall. That being said, I am hopeful that you will follow in the footsteps of Coach Freeman, and make a similar decision. Please consider taking the high road for the program and retiring as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Marshall University. No true fan of the Thundering Herd wants to see the University fire you. No true fan wants to see you unceremoniously re-assigned to another role within the athletic department. Every true fan of the Thundering Herd wants to be able to give you a moment... to celebrate you for what you have done for the University... to maintain a positive relationship with the D'Antoni family that was absent for many years.
Sincerely,
HucksHerd
