WEDNESDAY, MAY7, 2003
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5B
Iowa State
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
A student manager for the basketball team said he was fired because of his support for Eustachy. School officials said the manager yelled profanities and threats during a meeting with Van De Velde.
Weeks before the Eustachy story broke, assistant coach Randy Brown was charged with possession of child pornography after his office computer was seized. Later, two players were charged with alcohol-related offenses.
"You just couldn't have written a scenario like that."
Van De Velde's recommendation to fire Eustachy angered many fans who felt the coach should be given a second chance. Some threatened to withdraw their financial support if Eustachy wasn't the coach and players threatened to transfer.
Students rallied several times on campus in support of Eustachy, a hyperactive coach who prowled the sideline in a black turtleneck sweater and guided Iowa State to Big 12 Championships in 2000 and 2001. Football player Hiawatha Rutland led chants of "Larry,
Larry. Larry" at one rally.
In this stormy atmosphere, the university is trying to present a united front while Van De Velde looks for a new coach. Gary Thompson, an All-American at Iowa State in 1956-57, wonders how the program will be perceived.
"Most coaches will want to know if they're going to have somebody in the administration that supports them," Thompson said. "I'm not saying (Iowa State) won't do that, but they're going to have to sell this new person, if that's their question, that they're going to be behind him."
Thompson said he'd continue
to support Iowa State even though he felt Eustachy, who said he wanted to coach again, should have been allowed to stay. Another booster, Bob Gitchell, isn't as forgiving. Gitchell is giving up his front-row seats at basketball games and ending his donations.
"I hope things work out well. I wish no one ill will through this whole thing," Gitchell said. "The bottom line is I'm just disappointed."
University President Gregory Geoffroy said the administration would insist the new coach's contract contain strong language on behavior.
"All coaches of major intercollegiate athletic teams are highly visible people," Geoffroy said. "Because of that, they have a unique responsibility to represent the university well.
"It is absolutely essential that any coach we consider understands that."
Geoffroy said he was confident the hiring of a new coach would help reupute the Iowa State community. Fleming thinks the university can count on something else, too.
"Time is an incredible healer," he said. "The wounds are fairly deep right now, but it'll pass. All things come together with time."
Figure skating to face changes after president leaves position
The Associated Press
A revolution is brewing in figure skating, and its leadership is up for grabs in the United States.
That pumps new life into this week's annual convention of the U.S. Figure Skating Association, which usually doesn't put contentious worldwide issues on its agenda. "This is a very critical time for skating," said Claire Ferguson, a former USFSA president and member of the International Skating Union council. "It is important for members and athletes to understand what is at stake if the association is forced to make any decisions."
Leadership is the biggest question at the five-day council, which began yesterday. Delegates representing figure skating clubs nationwide will vote Saturday on a new group of national officers, including president.
While an executive director oversees the day-to-day operations of the USFSA, the president is the face of the federation internationally. Many have criticized president Phyllis Howard, saying she hasn't done enough to promote U.S. interests with the ISU since she was elected in 2000.
Howard was eligible for another one-year term but announced last month she
would not seek re-election.
"It is my hope that without further distractions the USFSA can move forward to resolve the conflicts that divide us," she wrote.
A 13-person nominating committee will select a slate of candidates to replace her, but it won't be announced until later this week. Current secretary Ron Hershberger and honorary member Chuck Foster are potential candidates.
But there's a chance delegates could make a nomination from the floor. That's never happened before, but there are enough disgruntled people that such a radical move is a real possibility.
Then there's the World Skating Federation, the splinter group that wants to replace the ISU as the sport's governing body.
The International Olympic Committee has already supported the ISU. But the WSF is hoping if enough national federations endorse the WFS's principles, the IOC could change its mind.
And if the WSF can get the USFSA — the world's largest national federation — on its side, many believe other countries would soon follow suit.
The USFSA's executive committee did endore the WSF's principles. But it also made it clear it wasn't supporting the group.
ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta has warned members that any official support of the WSF could result in a federation's suspension — and the banning of their athletes.
"Our primary focus has been, from the beginning, the athletes," said Ron Pfening, acting president of the WSF. "We said we would not jeopardize the athletes' eligibility in any way, and we will not ask the USFSA to join us or the athletes to come on board."
The WSF is determined to make its case to the USFSA delegates and is hosting an informational presentation tonight it hopes will spark discussion at the governing council.
"We expect a good, healthy discussion," Pfenning said. "And that the governing council will follow the leadership of the executive committee and endorse the principles and the concept of the WSF."
That's where things get sticky. Most delegates are concerned with issues that affect their clubs, not the sport's international politics. They might not fully understand the problems that could accompany supporting the WSF.
So the USFSA sent out a letter last weekend warning delegates of the possible consequences from the ISU and the U.S. Olympic Committee. WSF officials called the letter "scare tactics."
The Associated Press
AMES, Iowa — Tim Barnes figures it's time to prove his worth as a leader.
Barnes, Iowa State's point guard, said it's up to him to rally his teammates and urge them to stay following coach Larry Eustachy's resignation.
Some players, Barnes included, had said last week they would leave if Eustachy was fired. But with Eustachy resigning on Monday and receiving a $960,000 settlement, Barnes said, he's staying.
"It's a great opportunity for me," said Barnes, who'll be a senior next season. "I'm not willing to let it slip away that easy."
Barnes said he'd work hard at encouraging the other players to stay.
"It's going to be a higher step I need to take to get the team back together considering all the mixed emotions on the team," he said. "But I'm up to the challenge. I know I'm going to get it done."
If everyone returns, Iowa State would have its top six scorers back from a team that finished 17-14 overall and 5-11 in the Big 12. Eustachy had signed five recruits and he said Monday night he hoped they all would still come.
Eustachy resigned one week after a newspaper story revealed that he had partied with college students in Columbia, Mo., and Manhattan after games in those cities.
Athletic director Bruce Van De Velde had recommended April 30 that Eustachy be fired. That same day, Eustachy announced he was an alcoholic and was receiving treatment.
Players Jackson Vroman and Jared Homan were among the most vocal in supporting Eustachy, saying he deserved a second chance and they would seriously consider leaving unless he kept his job.
Another player, Jake Sullivan, said he was determined to stay and urged Eustachy to get help for his drinking.
"The last week it's been difficult," reserve center Andrew Skoglund said. "Everybody's got their own take on things. We're still trying to stay together as a team. In families, you fight a little bit. You've just got to stick together."
"I came here to play for Iowa State," he said. "When Coach was here, I came to play for Coach, and I'm going to play for whoever's new."
Skoglund said he had never considered leaving.
Barnes said the settlement Eustachy received, which includes health insurance coverage through the end of the year, made him more comfortable about staying.
"That proves to me that they didn't just give up on him," Barnes said. "They helped him out."
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