case study in mediocrity...

Godfread was not pushed out. Puzey, from all accounts, left because Majerus was frank with him. For what reason on earth would Caton leave? Hunsaker didn't play him enough? Didn't like they way Dick yelled at him? Trace didn't deserve to play more, and if he can't accept his role he should go. I can't fathom that Rick would be responsible for forcing him out. Will not happen. If he leaves, it will be for other reasons -- likely more PT.

First of all ... Rick is not above criticism. He is not perfect by any strech of the imagination; he is a college basketball coach who must win in the first instance and then do other things thereafter. But lets focus the critism on facts instead of perceptions. I have three good sources, newspaper accounts and general logic that support the fact that Godfread decided to leave on his own, independent of what Rick informed him about playing time. If the Trib writers had a shred of evidence that he or Puzey were forced out, they would have written about it. It would have been front page, above the fold news in the sports section. Past experience tells us this. And what about Puzey? While admittedly I have no inside information on his situation, by all accounts, his problems were with Dick not Rick. Newspaper accounts state that it was a playing time decision. Rick shouldn't be criticized with being upfront with Puzey. Where is the proof that he was "pushed" out? With respect to Caton, what has Rick done or not done to make Caton want to transfer? Rick didn't even coach next year. Did Rick tell him his PT would be limited? Maybe so. Rick has always been true to form in stating and thereafter following his axiom that "players decide you will play." Where is the fault in this? All I know is that the two (perhaps three) players who have left the program were all players that didn't see a lot of time in games last season. Forced out? Prove it.

Second, the fact that the Utah program "slipped" this year is because this team had a bunch of paper tigers and role players who, for whatever reason, didn't perform to expectations. Rick shouldn't be blamed for the performance of the team while he was on leave. You may disagree with whether he should have left the team (although i think that is a joke), but he can't control whether or not the players respected Dick's authority, or played as a cohesive unit, or simply quit in the NIT. Rick, afterall, can't do everything can he?

Third, all this crap about the effect of players leaving the team and its potential devastating impace on future recruiting is bullshit. Any person familiar with Utah recruiting will tell you otherwise. Sources who actually help Rick find players consistently say that the ONLY reason many of them consider Utah is to play for Rick Majerus. The threat of Rick leaving has never been an obstacle to kids coming here. He assures many of them that he will stay during their tenure if they commit to Utah. Go ask Chris Jackson, Osmani and Osmundson whether or not Rick will be here. Find out if the fact that Johnson, Jackson, Huber, Huesser, Johnston, Carlise, Crockett, Whitting or any other player leaving the program impacted any recruit's decision not to come to Utah. The only obstacle to landing recruits is Utah, Utah Basketball, the MWC and the demographics of this STATE. Rick Majerus and the wild west are about the only two selling points this school has if a recruit isn't from here, the west, or a mormon.

Criticism of Majerus is fine. There are a lot of things we can take him to task for. But perhaps we should know the facts before blaming him for the "problems" with Utah basketball. MAJ runs one of the cleanest, best respected programs in college athletics. He expects people to perform and he performs as well. Yes some players have been shown the door, but the majority of them left because they couldn't play D-1 ball and spent too much time on the pine.

Legal

You make good, and very passionate, arguments. I'd submit the real world isn't much different. If you boss tells you that you have no chance to advance in the organization and you aspire to better than that, isn't it a good chance you'll leave the company? Didn't the company expect your commitment, and provide you something in return? If you leave is anyone really to blame or is it real life?

I chose to leave Weber State after two years to transfer to Utah. I'd had academic scholarships for two years. Should I have been loyal to WSC as a result even if Utah fit my career plans better?

It may be that the best educational lesson these young men will have recieved from the U is learning to make an adult decision about what's in their best interests given the facts presented to them.

Go Utes.

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