Idaho State Observations & Conjectures

The NCAA investigating Idaho State (apparently triggered by a letter from former interim head coach Deane Martin), has been a hot topic on this blog and around the web on Idaho State sites and message boards. Everyone seems to have an opinion or thought on the topic, and that is what makes Idaho State's fan base one of the best certainly in the Big Sky.

Here are some of my thoughts, observations, and conjectures on the whole situation. Not I am not saying any of this is fact, only things that I think to be true about the whole situation based on what I have been told, what I have read, and what I can logically assume.

- Deane Martin knew about any violations relating to the booster well before his letter to ISU AD Jeff Tingey and to the NCAA. This booster activity was also going on while Joe O'Brien was the coach. In fact, it was pretty well known within the athletic department that this particular booster was friendly with the players, practicing with players at times, and doing other things which (at the very least) toed the line. However, nobody told him to stop, possibly because they liked the benefits that he brought, or they feared retaliation.

- If Martin had become the head coach rather than being passed over for it, it seems likely that he would never have sent the letter opening this can of worms. To be honest, it is pretty tough to conclude otherwise. You would have to think that this will hamper Martin's ability to get another job soon.

- The alleged booster and AD Jeff Tingey are friends, which may further be complicating (or maybe, did complicate) the investigation by Tingey into the matter.

- Tingey did not handle the initial letter from Martin very well, accusing him of making "potentially slanderous statements." Safe to say, this didn't go over too well with Martin, and he then sent the letter to the NCAA with the information.

- There are big concerns within the ISU fanbase on whether or not Tingey is the right guy to lead the athletic department. It seems like almost a given among people that family ties played a big role in him getting the position. While he has done some nice things, he seems to be in a bit over his head. If these allegations turn out to be true, many feel that should be a call for his job.

- Most of all, terrible luck for new head coach Bill Evans. He walked into what looked like a rebuilding situation, but also a situation that looked like he would have a fresh start with new staff, a lot of new players, etc. Instead, he is left to deal with this mess. Certainly this will have a big impact on his ability to do the job well.

Anything I missed or any assumption or conclusion you think I am coming to erroneously? Would love to hear thoughts and feedback.

Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball

Deane Martin's letter key in ISU investigations

Last week I passed a report on that Idaho State athletics were under investigations, including the men's basketball team. New details emerged over the weekend, and it probably won't make a lot of Idaho State fans very happy.

The key to triggering these investigations was a letter from former interim head coach Deane Martin sent to AD Jeff Tingey and the NCAA, according to the Idaho State Journal.

The former interim coach, Deane Martin, sent the letter to ‍ISU Athletic Director Jeff Tingey the day after being passed over for the permanent men’s basketball coaching position.

After Tingey responded by saying Martin was making “potentially slanderous statements” in the letter, Martin provided the document to the NCAA. The Journal has been told that NCAA investigators are currently on the ‍ISU campus trying to figure out if sports teams at the university have committed violations of NCAA rules. Typically, NCAA investigations take several months before any findings are released.

Martin’s letter, dated March 6, alleges that a booster told him “in the presence of another witness, that he wanted to insure that ‍ISU got the best recruit we could, and he offered his support. Specifically (the booster) indicated that if it took a ‘money handshake’ from him to a coach or a recruit, to seal the deal, he was happy to do that.”

Obviously many ISU fans are crying sour grapes, and really, it's not hard to blame them. For one, Martin did not contact the AD when first contacted by the booster, but reportedly the day after he was passed over for the permanent head coaching job, which was given to Bill Evans. If he was concerned about the NCAA violation, why didn't he contact the athletic director immediately when the [alleged] violation occurred? Why wait until after he was not hired? Maybe he was just doing this to cover himself, but the timing is odd at best, nefarious at worst.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Idaho State handled it well. It appears that AD Jeff Tingey didn't exactly try to work with Martin to figure out if there was a problem or not. He responded (again, this is all based on reports) by saying Martin was making "potentially slanderous statements." At best, his response, or what we know of it, seems a bit arrogant. It apparently led to Martin sending the letter to the NCAA, and the rest is history.

Bottom line, nobody comes out of this looking good. I think it is too early to presume that violations did occur, but even the fact that ISU will have to go through this does not look good on them. They wanted a clean break from the past coaching staff, but it appears it will be a while before that break can fully happen.

Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball