Email to Barta and Mims

K

KJ22

Well-Known Member
Everyone-

I sent Jon a message asking him to delete this thread. I want to make it known that I didn't write this email. I've been away from my computer for a while and left my browser open to this site and was logged in. A friend/co-worker likes to play jokes and thought it'd be funny to put a few things on there "for me." We had been talking about the coaching search this morning and you can obviously tell what I told him. I'm hoping that Barta makes the call, but it's his call, not mine.

He also started the thread about putting an end to the no head coaching experience argument.

For those that asked, I'll be up front. I am a junior golf instructor and have my own junior golf academy. I played college golf for Drake before transferring to Iowa to finish my career there. On top of that, I also just started working for a recruiting service for high school students that are trying to get a college scholarship. I have worked with many college GOLF coaches and am starting to have contacts with coaches in many different sports. That being said, I don't have contact with AD's and don't really know a lot about the hiriing process. The only contact I've had with Barta is when I briefly discussed what I and some other golf alumni wanted to see when he was hiring a new coach a few years back. That was different because I had very good insight into college golf coaches. He was very receptive to our input. He made a great hire and it was the guy that we all wanted to see get the job. But I don't claim that to be because of what we suggested. That would be no different than any former Hawkeye basketball player making a recommendation.

I also think that if you read the email and also read what some of my other posts are like, you'll see a different type of writing. That email would have been a little more over the top than I would write. If I were to write something, it'd be more like the Hawkey3's letter. That was very nicely written
 
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JK22, I do not know your background or qualifications compared the the University of Iowa search committee. I'm sure of this, the average fan does not know all of the facts pertaining to prospective hires nor all of the challenges involved in woeing these prosects.

I trust the seach committee (that includes Bobby Hansen) will do their best to hire a capable coach to fit Hawkeyenation and the University community and to get the program moving in the right direction.
 
I often find that the best way to be taken seriously when giving advice to professionals is to include senetences in caps followed by 10 exclamation points.
 
I trusted the search committee last time as well. That worked out well.

I'm not about to email Barta, but I don't see a problem in doing it. It's the fans who pay for the program. They deserve to be paid attention to in my opinion. I'm not saying that the fans should be allowed to necessarily pick the hire(I want to be clear about that).
 
I don't recall ever saying that it would work but I promise you that it won't hurt.

I'm also not claiming to be more qualified than anyone on the search committee. I do work a lot with high school athletes that are gettting college scholarships, so I do have some insight to the landscape of things.
 
KJ22 said:
Here is what I sent to Mr. Barta and Mr. Mims


Gentlemen-

I just want to email you guys and show support for STEVE FORBES!!! College basketball is about the TALENT that a team has and no one is going to be able to bring better talent than STEVE FORBES. He'll be able to bring in great assistants as well.

Not only that, but he bleeds black and gold already. He has stated that this is his DREAM JOB!! He's not going to have a bunch of success and then leave. He's going to stay here. HE IS A HAWKEYE! People with that much passion typically do not fail

Sure, he hasn't been a D1 head coach, but neither was Frank Martin. Not sure about you guys, but I'd take an Elite 8 appearance right about now.

At least give this guy an interview. His passion will be too hard to pass up. HAWKEYE FANS ARE BEGGING FOR A WINNER AND FORBES WOULD BRING IT TO US!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoever you hire, I will support. Just at least give Forbes an interview. I'd be shocked if he wasn't your guy after that.

Go Hawks
Kevin


For those of you that are worried that Forbes won't get a look, I suggest that you show your support too.

gary-barta@uiowa.edu
fred-mims@uiowa.edu

If anyone can find an email for Bobby Hansen, I suggest you include him as well. As many people on the search committee that see his support, the better.
Click to expand...

What do you do for a living? I would like to do a little bit of research and send you an email on how to do YOUR job!

This is absolutely ridiculous, and I don't know if it was you yesterday posting asking Jon if he emailed Barta. This is completely uncalled for, and I guarantee that they will not take you seriously unless you have a ton of money and your name is Bruce Pearl. (And I don't want to open up the lines of "Pearl has been lobbying for Forbes to get the job")

Sorry, but this really freakin ticks me off that any amount of people in our fan base would go this far. If Barta makes the wrong hire will it suck??? Yes! However, will life still go on? Yes.

Get off your high horse and let the man do his job!
 
I sent one too, for what little good it probably does:

Greetings Director Barta,

My name is Andrew Lilleg. I am an Iowa Hawkeye fan who was born at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City and raised here all my life. I have a deep passion for Iowa athletics, as many others do, and wish to express an opinion regarding the potential candidates for our next men's basketball head coach. I hope to convince you that it is possible for an Assistant Coach to become our Head Coach. Mr. Forbes is confident, Iowa would be a landmark job that he desires and there is an undeniably growing fan sentiment for his hire.

I would find it unfathomable that you have not heard Mr. Forbes' name within the last two weeks in connection to interest in the Iowa Men's Basketball coaching vacancy. In St. Louis recently, as noted by John Bohnenkamp, Mr. Forbes describes Iowa as being his "Dream Job.[1]" Mr. Forbes has also been interviewed on WMT Radio by Bob Bruce and was asked outright about his ability to be the Head Coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mr. Forbes replied: "I don't think there's any question that I can . . . I've climbed the ladder every place I've been . . . I'm not afraid of a challenge like that.[2]" These responses are not surprising. Surely anyone will express confidence in their abilities. Given his long and diversified resume, one might be willing to extend the opportunity for him to prove it.

On that note, one main difference that Hawkeye fans such as myself are noting is that Mr. Forbes actually desires to be a Hawkeye. Ryan Suchomel of the Iowa City Press Citizen remarks in his article Don't Dismiss Hiring Assistant Coach that Mr. Forbes "sees Iowa as a destination job, not a step on the path to something greater.[3]" Such passion for our University cannot be lightly dismissed. How many candidates are seriously considering Iowa that have lived here, grown up a fan, and are excited about "bleeding Black and Gold?" Mr. Forbes' sheer enthusiasm to be a Hawkeye will immediately connect to an apathetic and divided fan base. If there is any proof of such an occurrence needed, look no further than Ames and Coach Paul Rhoads. This leads to my final point.

A quickly rising support base is solidifying for Mr. Forbes on many of the public forums that Hawkeye fans use to express their opinions and concerns. As I am writing this, there exists literally dozens of forum threads, encompassing thousands of posts, from hundreds of fans, all calling out -- to you Director Barta -- for the strength and wisdom to look beyond the template and possibly see the future of Iowa Men's Basketball. Fans are concerned that an over-emphasis may be put on Division I Head Coaching experience and rule out a true diamond-in-the-rough.

I'll conclude with a words of your own, "We're going to be looking for a person who is a proven winner, someone who has competed for championships, someone who is committed to student-athletes, and someone who shares the value systems of our state, of our university and me personally.[4]" Look at these words and ask yourself if Mr. Forbes truly doesn't fall into place. I believe, as a life-long Hawkeye, that all options in this coaching search can and will be reviewed. Mr. Forbes no doubt is confident in his abilities, would see Iowa as a destination in his career, and has growing support from fans every day. I hope that by speaking from my heart I have convinced you that even an Assistant Coach just might be the next Iowa Men's Basketball Head Coach.

Thank you very much for your time!

Sincerely,
Andrew Paul Lilleg

BTW, the title of my email to him identified Steve's full name -- that's why I go on to Mr. Forbes
 
KJ22 said:
I don't recall ever saying that it would work but I promise you that it won't hurt.

I'm also not claiming to be more qualified than anyone on the search committee. I do work a lot with high school athletes that are gettting college scholarships, so I do have some insight to the landscape of things.
Click to expand...

And working with high school athletes does not give you the landscape of the hiring process. This is a ridiculous ploy to credibility! There are MANY of us on this board that work with these athletes and high school students, and none of us are qualified to make the decision that Barta has to make. Unless Rick Hartzel frequents hawkeyenation.
 
I'm waiting for a response email stating you guys do not contribute to the program by purchasing season tickets and are worthless... oh wait, that was Pollard.
 
HAWKEY3 said:
I sent one too, for what little good it probably does:

Greetings Director Barta,

My name is Andrew Lilleg. I am an Iowa Hawkeye fan who was born at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City and raised here all my life. I have a deep passion for Iowa athletics, as many others do, and wish to express an opinion regarding the potential candidates for our next men's basketball head coach. I hope to convince you that it is possible for an Assistant Coach to become our Head Coach. Mr. Forbes is confident, Iowa would be a landmark job that he desires and there is an undeniably growing fan sentiment for his hire.

I would find it unfathomable that you have not heard Mr. Forbes' name within the last two weeks in connection to interest in the Iowa Men's Basketball coaching vacancy. In St. Louis recently, as noted by John Bohnenkamp, Mr. Forbes describes Iowa as being his "Dream Job.[1]" Mr. Forbes has also been interviewed on WMT Radio by Bob Bruce and was asked outright about his ability to be the Head Coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mr. Forbes replied: "I don't think there's any question that I can . . . I've climbed the ladder every place I've been . . . I'm not afraid of a challenge like that.[2]" These responses are not surprising. Surely anyone will express confidence in their abilities. Given his long and diversified resume, one might be willing to extend the opportunity for him to prove it.

On that note, one main difference that Hawkeye fans such as myself are noting is that Mr. Forbes actually desires to be a Hawkeye. Ryan Suchomel of the Iowa City Press Citizen remarks in his article Don't Dismiss Hiring Assistant Coach that Mr. Forbes "sees Iowa as a destination job, not a step on the path to something greater.[3]" Such passion for our University cannot be lightly dismissed. How many candidates are seriously considering Iowa that have lived here, grown up a fan, and are excited about "bleeding Black and Gold?" Mr. Forbes' sheer enthusiasm to be a Hawkeye will immediately connect to an apathetic and divided fan base. If there is any proof of such an occurrence needed, look no further than Ames and Coach Paul Rhoads. This leads to my final point.

A quickly rising support base is solidifying for Mr. Forbes on many of the public forums that Hawkeye fans use to express their opinions and concerns. As I am writing this, there exists literally dozens of forum threads, encompassing thousands of posts, from hundreds of fans, all calling out -- to you Director Barta -- for the strength and wisdom to look beyond the template and possibly see the future of Iowa Men's Basketball. Fans are concerned that an over-emphasis may be put on Division I Head Coaching experience and rule out a true diamond-in-the-rough.

I'll conclude with a words of your own, "We're going to be looking for a person who is a proven winner, someone who has competed for championships, someone who is committed to student-athletes, and someone who shares the value systems of our state, of our university and me personally.[4]" Look at these words and ask yourself if Mr. Forbes truly doesn't fall into place. I believe, as a life-long Hawkeye, that all options in this coaching search can and will be reviewed. Mr. Forbes no doubt is confident in his abilities, would see Iowa as a destination in his career, and has growing support from fans every day. I hope that by speaking from my heart I have convinced you that even an Assistant Coach just might be the next Iowa Men's Basketball Head Coach.

Thank you very much for your time!

Sincerely,
Andrew Paul Lilleg

BTW, the title of my email to him identified Steve's full name -- that's why I go on to Mr. Forbes
Click to expand...


Well written, I am sure you will also be subject to ridicule for writing it as well but I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.
 
tmurph2643 said:
And working with high school athletes does not give you the landscape of the hiring process. This is a ridiculous ploy to credibility! There are MANY of us on this board that work with these athletes and high school students, and none of us are qualified to make the decision that Barta has to make. Unless Rick Hartzel frequents hawkeyenation.
Click to expand...


However being an American he does have the write to express an opinion even if it differs from yours. So chill out and let the man speak...
 
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