Much of this info does not require a leap of faith to be believable to a rational person. FBG's ego was well chronicled.
While the term "elite" program is not as important as it used to be, there are many (including FBG) who still think it means something.
It is not at all unusual for strong personalities to clash, especially in big time sports. Just because we appreciate the success on the court, does not mean there is a lovefest occurring in the athletic offices.
Much of FBG's personality quirks are well reported. While as fans, we may have marvelled at his devotion, an objective observer would also see that his obsessiveness could be a problem.
Many of you are demanding a rational explanation for all of this, and worse, defining rational in terms of your emotional attachment to a particular school, namely Texas A&M. You must remember that, while coaches will use that devotion to your school to garner money and support, rarely do they share that devotion themselves. This is, above all, a business. It is not the least bit surprising that FBG may have used his star status to demand bigger, better or more quickly built facilities from Byrne. The fact that Byrne was moving to build those facilities means nothing if FBG wants them quicker than Byrne can or will deliver. Again, think "rational" from an egomaniac's perspective.
Here's the most surprising thought I have had reading these posts. We all scratched our heads that FBG would go to UA, when the AD is retiring. However, if the AD is new, in a sense, FBG would outrank him in seniority. This would make him easier to push around. And, if he is resurrecting a once vibrant basketball program, a new AD is not going to have leverage to say no. In FBG's mind, this may be a way to control the athletic program while only being the basketball coach. It may fly in the face of logic, but not if your ego overrides your common sense.
We have seen a lot in the past few years that a competent AD is the path to a successful athletic program. A competent AD must be intelligent, competitive, proactive, a good judge of coaches, and above all, strong enough to keep bullhead coaches in line. That is going to cause friction with coaches, as they are only concerned with their program.
I am not upset with what FBG has done at A&M. I applaud it. I am not even upset that he was looking to leave. We are new to basketball success, so it is to be expected for a few more years. However, it is not impossible to support his contribution to A&M basketball while condemning his outsized ego. Specifically, I condemn the way he left. UK gave him a 7 year contract. They want him long term. There is absolutely NO reason he could not have waited 24 hours to announce, so that he could tie up loose ends at A&M, i.e., his PLAYERS.
I don't care that Frank Broyles and Bill Byrne gave him ultimatums. These are 2 strong ADs trying to keep control of their programs. I don't care that FBG thinks he will find happiness in living under the biggest microscope in college basketball. I DO care that he screwed over the kids that got him to this point. There is no excuse for that.
Aggies that believe that we must ignore FBG's faults because he upgraded the program are myopic. Aggies that now believe he has NO redeeming qualities are unrealistic in their expectations of their coaches. FBG is simply a very good coach who has some serious character flaws. I think he is exactly where he ought to be.
[This message has been edited by 8T2 (edited 4/8/2007 8:43a).]
