NAU problems

[diamond]

www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0123nauvball23.html

[Deleted]

[glow=red,2,300]Cheap shot alert:[/glow]


Not to mention making them play a 10am match so Arizona could insure an NCAA bid...



What a mess.

[chilipalmer]

wasn't Hansen the one who was shot by her girlfriend in college? Rochelle Ka'aiai?

[Boom]

Hey, as someone pointed out on the other board after your post there, what are you doing? Let it go... leave it alone... or what do you have against this person?

[chilipalmer]

?

All I did was ask a question. I'm not doing anything.

[IdahoBoy]

Anyone wanna play good cop/bad cop with me here?

I'll start, I'll be uhm, well one of the donut-munchers:

Here are some of the examples from the article:

• Told a player that she (Hansen) had never been able to throw up, and asked the player how she could make herself throw up and "how many fingers she used."

Ok, I think the fingers asked question is a little rude, but not when implying the person is FAKING!! Everyone knows you can use one finger to stimulate the throw up response to get out of further running! Duh! But, what I don't get is, what is the big deal? The coach is obviously trying to motivate her players to be tough and using herself as an example. The players seem like crybabies from this example.

[IdahoBoy]

• Publicly announced grades of team members to the rest of the team

Ok, this one is a little vague to me. Publicly announced (to the public?) grades to the rest of the team. My question is this: Is there such a rift that team members are embarrassed to hear their teammates grades? Isn't part of going to college to learn and excel? We all know there are NO pro-leagues in the US...and let's face it, if you're going to NAU, you ain't getting in one anyways!

"Publicly announced grades to the team"... sounds to me like there are some serious crybabies on the team searching for an easier way to keep their scholarship.

Besides, a team is a supposed to be a tight bunch of friends so they can gel together on the court. If studies are a problem that are influencing on the court issues, than why not address them as a team?

[IdahoBoy]

• Asked a player to waive the confidentiality clause in meetings with the player's counselor so Hansen could talk to the counselor about her. When the player refused, the outline alleges, Hansen called the counselor herself and tried to find out what was said.

Scenario on this one: Popular Prissy player is doing bad in school. The coach has responsibilities to keep her kids in school so tries to help since Miss Prissy player doesn't talk to her. Miss PP HAS to talk to her counselor (who may or may not be competent, but does realize that she can't talk about her confidential students without waiver) to figure out what the problems academically are. All parties refuse, the coach, still trying to help, continues to seek a way to help said player through counselor. Counselor, who wants a piece of Miss PP tells student-athlete her coach is trying to manipulate her (or find out that I'm a bad counselor!!).

Ugh, this seems very junior high-ish to me.

[IdahoBoy]

• "Badmouthed" players to other team members, including asking her players if they thought another team member was gay.

Here's a scenario for this one.

Hey team, help me out. Such and such player is failing, (Badmouth?!) its our duty to help her. Does she have a boyfriend? No? Is she gay? Who is her girlfriend? Obviously, she isn't spending enough time on studying. Lets talk to her partner to help her with school!

[IdahoBoy]

• Accused one player's parents of calling to complain about her behavior.

OK... this will be fun:

Coach: "Hi, this is the coach."
Parent: "Hi, I'm an anonymous parent!!" (scary music plays) "Your behavior sucks to my precious princess!!"
Coach: "Oh, hi such-n-such player's dad, how are you today?" (cheerful voice)
Parent: Furiously! "I am not that person!!!!" **CLICK**
Coach: later that day "Hey Precious Princess player, your dad called and told me I suck, what's going on?"
Player: "My dad did NOT call you!!" (thinks deep down: "it was my girlfriend!! Mwah ha ha!, you're getting fired because of this!!! Mwah ha ha!!")

[IdahoBoy]

• Told a player to "see a counselor because all her injuries were fake, (and) she was 'mentally unstable.' "

Another one:

Player: "Coach, my liver is killing me!! I can't play today."

Coach: "Your liver? Watching too much Beavis and Butthead? Drinking too much? What are you holding your elbow in complaint?"

Player: "The doc said my liver was inflamed and I'm pressing on it to relieve pressure."

Coach: "Were you even listening? You're making this up. You seriously need help. Here is a counselor's number, she'll help your mental stability. You can go now since you can't practice."

Player: "Drat's! I wanted freedom, not another meeting! Foiled again!!! I'm gonna git' that coach!!"

[IdahoBoy]

A quote from the players:

"Coach has been talked to before, and she hasn't changed," the players told Lloyd, according to the outline. "Our seniors last year were completely honest with (NAU athletic director) Steve Holton in their exit meeting, and nothing changed."

Ok girls, here's the thing. You're all WOOSIES!! C'mon, you expect free and easy street for that scholarship money? Go to practice! Deal with it! You guys should join the military to make real people out of you!

Oh, another thing: If she has been spoken to about it and nothing has changed, maybe nothing was said in the previous speaking-to-about-session that requires change?! They were probably just laughing at how pathetic you all were as humans!!

[IdahoBoy]

The letter was written four days after Holton met with the team on Jan. 15 and told them the team's complaints had resulted in Hansen's being disciplined, but that she would remain the team's coach.

I can see it now. After the meeting, the girls got together:

Girl 1: "Damn! She's not fired yet?! I told the AD she was harshing my gig! I mean, practice two hours a day three days a week? Who does that anyway?"

Girl 2: "I knooooooow! I mean, OH MY GOD! Volleyball practice time is, like, killing any chance I have to grow fingernails! This is such a put-off. Jessica Simpson doesn't have it this rough, we shouldn't eithah!"

Girl 1: "Hey, lets complain again and say all the REALLY mean stuff she's done, okay?"

Girl 2: "Okay! You mean like forbidding us from wearing jewelry on the court?"

Girl 3: "How about the time when she told us we had to wear our spandex instead of our tight miniskirts and pumps?"

Girl 1: "Yeah, that'll work!! Dig up everything you can girls, we'll get a hot man coach when we get rid of this one!"

Girls 2 and 3: "Yeah! Like Nick from that boy-band group that married Jessica Simpson on Mtv!!!"

[Huskyfan]

I also noticed that this is only Michelle Hansen's second season (she was hired in July 2002). Players' revolts are not unusual with new coaches.

From the outside, the allegations seem rather petty

[vbfan]

In all fairness we should let all the facts come out before we pass judgement although I'd agree that on the surface some of these disagreements seem rather petty.

However, the university probably had to show they are taking some action, in today's litigious society this could have lawsuit written all over it. People bring frivilous lawsuits all the time, remember all it takes is a sympathetic jury and who knows what could happen, anyway the university would probably settle out of court to avoid a PR disaster.