Two more of McDermott's player bolt

[user1]

Two of the top returning players at Iowa State who were thought to be leaning towards staying there to play under new head coach Greg McDermott have now asked for and been granted their release, and will transfer elsewhere.
Iowa State center Shawn Taggart and guard Farnold Degand.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/ncaa/04/21/bc.bkc.iowastate.tranfe.ap/

[collegehoopjunkie]

This means he'll have a whole lot of open scholarships to go after those Chipola players. So who cares if the guys leaving Iowa State are McD AA's, and both were very promising freshmen.
By the way, Taggart was the one guy who played ahead of Xavier Crawford at Mt. Zion Academy and kept XC from getting much playing time.

[PTTB]

They combined for about 4 points per game last year. Mac could have turned Taggert into something special. Just no work ethic. I think we are seeing just how loose of a ship that Wayne Morgan ran at ISU.

[chitownBUB]

In an interview over the weekend, Greg McDermott really rips into the two players who leaft.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060423/SPORTS05/604230351/1091/SPORTS02

"It once took Taggart three hours to drive from Ames to Waukee. Why? He refused to pass.

Taggart likes to take several minutes on the court each night to rest his knees and plot his next spectacular dunk.

I think they chose Iowa State for reasons other than wanting to be in Ames and wanting to be a Cyclone," McDermott, the Cyclones' coach, said of former players Taggart and Fernold Degand, the freshmen who on Friday announced their intentions to transfer. "Some of those pieces aren't in place anymore."


Hmmmm...I wonder just what it was that made McDermott want to becopme a Cyclone.
Hint.....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[PTTB]

In an interview over the weekend, Greg McDermott really rips into the two players who leaft.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060423/SPORTS05/604230351/1091/SPORTS02

"It once took Taggart three hours to drive from Ames to Waukee. Why? He refused to pass.

Taggart likes to take several minutes on the court each night to rest his knees and plot his next spectacular dunk.

I think they chose Iowa State for reasons other than wanting to be in Ames and wanting to be a Cyclone," McDermott, the Cyclones' coach, said of former players Taggart and Fernold Degand, the freshmen who on Friday announced their intentions to transfer. "Some of those pieces aren't in place anymore."

Your quote makes those quotes sound a little misleading. McDermott only made one quote, and that was the one about The two players choosing ISU for reasons other than wanting to be in Ames (i.e.- for former HC Morgan). The previous two quotes about Taggert were from the writer of the story (or editorial). So, McD wasn't so harsh as one may seem. No doubt, ISU is going to have some holes to fill (and might not fill) this year. But I have a feeling that they will be better in 3 years from now, as compared to where Wayne Morgan would have had them in 3 years. Wayne had tons of talent, but couldn't coach. That was evident the night that UNI set the UNI-Dome record for numbers of 3's on them, and he still wouldn't come out of a zone defense!

[tornado]

But obviously the tone of the whole interview and of the article was a series of rips and insults slung at the two kids leaving the program.
What is the purpose, and why the sudden negative attitude towards the kids leaving?
Doesn't this happen just about every place that a coach leaves?
We've seen a ton of it this spring as coaches change jobs, and yet McDermott is the only coach I have seen YET who rips into the players who are departing!!

This is a little bit below the level of class and I can only imagine the number of Jim Les Haters who have been waiting and even baiting to get Jim Les to say something negative about the players who left BU (Danny Granger, Tucker, Suggs, etc.) but he has never stooped to that level. He has always been so overly positive even when reporters tried like crazy to get him to say something negative so they'd have a story to write and some info to portray Les in a bad light.


Sorry, but I find these comments so unlike the character of McDermott that has been lauded to this point.
Iowa State made the loud claims that they hired McDermott BECAUSE of his character, and then he does this??
It bothers me a lot, and I think it reflects badly on basketball and on a coach who is an ex-MVC coach.

[Braves4Life]

Not McD's Quotes

Tornado, those were not McD's quotes about the players. Those were editorial comments from the writer. Any coach who would rip players in this way would most likely either be disciplined by the University, League, or have his quotes used against him by other coaches.

[tornado]

I disagree, this is clearly labelled as a quote from McDermott.

"I think they chose Iowa State for reasons other than wanting to be in Ames and wanting to be a Cyclone," McDermott, the Cyclones' coach, said of former players Taggart and Fernold Degand, the freshmen who on Friday announced their intentions to transfer. "Some of those pieces aren't in place anymore."

and the rest of the quotes seem to fit a tone in the article that is very negative towards the departing players.
The comments from the author had to come from somewhere.
Even if they aren't McDermott's words, then McD needs to come out strongly and denounce them, but instead he is quoted as saying the words above that seem to confirm he feels like the author does.

[PTTB]

tornado-

I understand where you are coming from, but you have to realize that Mac didn't say those things that are not quoted. The purpose of this article was that not of a press release stating that the two were gone, but rather an editorial. Sean Keeler writes an editorial every 2-3 times per week. This was his take on the story and he used McDermott's quotes. It's not like Keeler said, hey, I'm going to write this article that rips on Taggert and Deggand, can you come up with some quotes that sound harsh for me? No, that's not what usually happens.

What Coach Mac said was that they chose ISU for reasons other than being a Cyclone (i.e.- the head coach and assistants), and those pieces are gone (i.e.- the head coach and assistants). I would imagine that there are alot of players who choose schools b/c they want to play for specific coaches, and not universitees. This is why you see players getting granted releases by the university when there are coaching changes.

If you read the questions as they are, there is nothing wrong with them. Look at his quotes in the press release: http://cyclones.cstv.com/sports/m-ba...042106aaa.html
"I respect the decision that Shawn and Farnold have made," McDermott said. "They have worked hard the last month while evaluating whether Iowa State was the best fit for them. I appreciate their contributions to Cyclone basketball and wish them nothing but the best in the future."

McD is showing no beef with them. He understands their situation. He's been through it before as a player and coach.

[tornado]

In an interview in a Memphis newspaper, Shawn Taggart gives a little more insight into why he left Iowa State, and why he was not going to play for Greg McDermott. I found the answers a bit amusing, and his leaving seemed hinged on his saying just one word...
He is planning to transfer to Memphis, but here are some of the things he said.

"I packed everything and then got the rest of my stuff shipped back home. I had to get out of there." (out of Iowa State/Ames, Iowa)

"(Taggart's) decision to leave the Cyclones program came after coach Wayne Morgan -- whom Taggart liked -- was replaced by Greg McDermott."

"Taggart said he met with McDermott only twice, and that the two never bonded."

"I said a curse word in the gym, and he told me that wasn't allowed," Taggart said. "I was like, 'I've got to get out of here."

"Informed that things are much different at Memphis, that cursing is allowed though more often players are the ones sometimes cursed -- particularly for poor defense -- Taggart just smiled and shook his head.

"That's good," he said. "That's what I need to make me better."


"

[tknup]

"I said a curse word in the gym, and he told me that wasn't allowed,"


"

Good for Coach McDermott.

[WaylonJ]

It is no secret that when a new coach comes in, he wants some available scholarships, and he also knows who of the
present players he doesn't really want to keep.
I suspect McDermott simply knew he didn't want Taggart and made it obvious.
No doubt Taggart saw it was obvious and that's exactly what he means by "he met with McDermott only twice, and that the
two never bonded" and "'I've got to get out of here."
Don't you think if McDermott had the slightest desire to keep
Taggart around, he'd have gone to see the guy a few times and tried to persuade him?
It's obvious this was a mutual parting and both parties simply did what they had to do to get what they wanted in this relationship.

[tornado]

Seems like Greg McDermott is in the news almost every day with one of his players leaving or signing someone new.

Today, the news is not good.
There has been speculation that Will Blalock, junior point guard and arguably the best returning player McDermott would have, was interested in testing the waters and declaring for the draft.
Up until now he has done like Patrick O'Bryant and not hired an agent, so there was talk that he might still be back at Iowa State.
He had even stated to the press that he would return to Iowa State if it wasn't clear that he would be a 1st round pick.
Presently he is projected as going no higher than LATE 2nd round (and many experts have him going undrafted), but obviously Blalock doesn't like the mass exodus of his teammates at Iowa State and their replacement with new faces.
Most mock drafts didn't even put him in this year's draft as they expected he'd get drafted low enough to prompt him to return to college....but now he's gone.

Late yesterday, Blalock hired an agent so he is gone and cannot return to Iowa State.

[chitownBUB]

One of the other players who has left Iowa State, Tasheed, a highly touted "combo guard" from Philadelphia, has now transferred to St. Josephs

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/14560570.htm

[chitownBUB]

Another of Iowa States players has left and transferred.
Farnold Degand has transferred to NC State.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/SPORTS02060101/60614016/1003