Wisconsin women’s basketball

[Geew1992]

And Marissa Mosley seem to be under fire

Tessa Towers Alleges Abuse and Toxic Culture Under Wisconsin Coach

Former Wisconsin women's basketball player Tessa Towers has come forward with serious allegations of abuse against head coach Marisa Moseley and her staff, clai

bvmsports.com

 

[bballnut90]

Allegations are horrendous if true. I can’t see her keeping her job past this season any way. Wisconsin has been a black hole of a women’s basketball program for nearly 20+ years despite every other sport flourishing at points. No idea why they can’t seem to figure women’s basketball out, especially considering Wisconsin has been a hot bed for talent the past 10 years.

 

[pvdoggy]

And Marissa Mosley seem to be under fire

Tessa Towers Alleges Abuse and Toxic Culture Under Wisconsin Coach

Former Wisconsin women's basketball player Tessa Towers has come forward with serious allegations of abuse against head coach Marisa Moseley and her staff, clai

bvmsports.com

That does not sound like the Marisa we know at Uconn but they have not done anything since she has been there so it would not surprise me if her seat is very very hot.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[Vowelguy]

She also claimed the staff pressured her into mental health decisions, stating, "My coach gave me a choice between admitting myself to a mental hospital or getting kicked off the team!"

Uhh, yeah if you think someone is in danger of harming themselves, then forcing them to get help is likely a good thing.

 

[Vowelguy]

Allegations are horrendous if true.

Seems like many of these could be true for innocuous or even positive reasons.

Support from some other players though yes is concerning.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Probably not where my mind should go, but abuse allegations against an M-alliterative coach with an upper Midwestern accent and an appalling W-L record immediately brings me back to the classic Outside the Lines SNL sketch:

 

[bballnut90]

Assuming she is let go end of season, I’m curious where Wisconsin goes next. They’ve tried coaching under Pat’s tree (Albright), Muffet’s (Tsipis), Tara’s (Kelsey), and now Geno’s with Moseley. Albright had some good players and teams in the 90s/early 00s despite teams often underachieving, but aside from that the program just hasn’t been good. At all.

I make this post every year or two, but it’s befuddling how bad they’ve been considering the program has SO much potential to be a power player with the quality of their instate recruits, their proximity to Chicago, athletic budget, and the potential to draw massive crowds if the team can win some games. During the Albright era they were consistently top 5 in attendance despite never being a top 10 team, and their women’s volleyball team sells out every match and is always top 2-3 in the country for attendance.

 

[Geew1992]

 

[cancontent]

Allegations are horrendous if true. I can’t see her keeping her job past this season any way. Wisconsin has been a black hole of a women’s basketball program for nearly 20+ years despite every other sport flourishing at points. No idea why they can’t seem to figure women’s basketball out, especially considering Wisconsin has been a hot bed for talent the past 10 years.

Schools have "investigated" in the past and have opted to retain their coaches. Or the pressure from the media forces their hand to make that decision.

I recall Detroit Mercy had a huge mass exodus with players going to the press and they initially decided to keep their coach until more pressure caused them to change their mind. And don't forget Hillsman and the fiasco at Syracuse.

I sincerely hope Wisconsin does a thorough investigation to determine what happened. Athletes and parents trust coaches when they say they're going to take care of their child while with their program.

 

[Bigboote]

Schools have "investigated" in the past and have opted to retain their coaches. Or the pressure from the media forces their hand to make that decision.

That ties into what I was going to ask, in a somewhat roundabout way:

I may be a dinosaur, but is Twitter the first place someone would go with allegations like this? I'd think, if a coach's actions have adversely affected several players and coaches, that someone would have gone to the athletic department, university administration, conference, or NCAA before airing it on Twitter. It's possible that that did happen and the powers that be did nothing or a whitewash, or that it's a nothing burger and someone's just venting.

The taking to Twitter thing can be effective, as in Sedona Prince's pics of the women's NCAA tournament facilities.

 

[cancontent]

That ties into what I was going to ask, in a somewhat roundabout way:

I may be a dinosaur, but is Twitter the first place someone would go with allegations like this? I'd think, if a coach's actions have adversely affected several players and coaches, that someone would have gone to the athletic department, university administration, conference, or NCAA before airing it on Twitter. It's possible that that did happen and the powers that be did nothing or a whitewash, or that it's a nothing burger and someone's just venting.

The taking to Twitter thing can be effective, as in Sedona Prince's pics of the women's NCAA tournament facilities.

Going to social media has worked in some cases. Others not so much. It all depends on who is paying attention and if they take the allegations seriously.

I recall years ago, players from Northern Kentucky went to the press about their concerns with the head coach. A mother of one of the players went to Facebook as well. Nothing came out of it however. A few years later when more allegations came up, did the school act.

 

[ISUnorth]

That ties into what I was going to ask, in a somewhat roundabout way:

I may be a dinosaur, but is Twitter the first place someone would go with allegations like this? I'd think, if a coach's actions have adversely affected several players and coaches, that someone would have gone to the athletic department, university administration, conference, or NCAA before airing it on Twitter. It's possible that that did happen and the powers that be did nothing or a whitewash, or that it's a nothing burger and someone's just venting.

The taking to Twitter thing can be effective, as in Sedona Prince's pics of the women's NCAA tournament facilities.

"...someone would have gone to the athletic department, university administration" and that's were discrimination or abuse complaints and the like go to die like in most organizations without someone to advocate for them.

It's why stuff seems to come out later rather than sooner.

 

[Puppy Love]

I’m sure that every coach at the collegiate level has on at least one occasion run into a player who has mental health issues. Those issues could be big or small, but they’re always going to be there. The coaches are probably unaware of those issues when they were recruiting that player. The problem is, most coaches are totally unqualified to assess any mental health condition. I’m not saying it happened in this case, but it would seem like the absolute power that the coach has over a student athlete puts that athlete in a vulnerable position if they also happen to have a mental health issue.

 

[cancontent]

I’m sure that every coach at the collegiate level has on at least one occasion run into a player who has mental health issues. Those issues could be big or small, but they’re always going to be there. The coaches are probably unaware of those issues when they were recruiting that player. The problem is, most coaches are totally unqualified to assess any mental health condition. I’m not saying it happened in this case, but it would seem like the absolute power that the coach has over a student athlete puts that athlete in a vulnerable position if they also happen to have a mental health issue.

I don't think we're expecting coaches to diagnose anything but be mindful that more could be going on than they realize. And when coaches are mindful it can be a huge thing.

For example, Coach Legette-Jack helping Hanna Hall with her issues with weight and overtraining while at Buffalo. That had a huge impact on helping her get the support she needed to get better. It's carried over into Hall's efforts as mentor to kids in Ontario now that she's no longer in basketball.

Programs like Wisconsin have access to some of the best resources in mental health. Just being there and making sure their athletes know help is available is key. It's still up to the athlete to get the help, no different than anyone else going through mental challenges.

 

[Puppy Love]

I don't think we're expecting coaches to diagnose anything but be mindful that more could be going on than they realize. And when coaches are mindful it can be a huge thing.

For example, Coach Legette-Jack helping Hanna Hall with her issues with weight and overtraining while at Buffalo. That had a huge impact on helping her get the support she needed to get better. It's carried over into Hall's efforts as mentor to kids in Ontario now that she's no longer in basketball.

Programs like Wisconsin have access to some of the best resources in mental health. Just being there and making sure their athletes know help is available is key. It's still up to the athlete to get the help, no different than anyone else going through mental challenges.

I think what I was trying to say, not very eloquently, is that the student in this particular incident is claiming that the coach was active and involved in her treatment and perhaps interfered with it. There’s a fine line between running a program and being responsible for the kids in it and not overstepping your boundaries.

 

[cancontent]

I think what I was trying to say, not very eloquently, is that the student in this particular incident is claiming that the coach was active and involved in her treatment and perhaps interfered with it. There’s a fine line between running a program and being responsible for the kids in it and not overstepping your boundaries.

I better understand where you're coming from. Appreciate the clarification.

 

[YoDore]

 

[XXXBgEast]

There was zero chance she was heading to WI.

Right now their reputation is in the negative among coaches.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I get that Wisconsin has an opening and they have to move now, as do other schools in the same position. But Fairfield is playing in their conference tourney final tomorrow in a 1 bid league. Her team's entire season comes down to this. How can you possibly expect her to be talking to other schools right now when her focus needs to be 100% on Fairfield?

 

[XXXBgEast]

I get that Wisconsin has an opening and they have to move now, as do other schools in the same position. But Fairfield is playing in their conference tourney final tomorrow in a 1 bid league. Her team's entire season comes down to this. How can you possibly expect her to be talking to other schools right now when her focus needs to be 100% on Fairfield?

She turned them down days ago.

 

[nwhoopfan]

She turned them down days ago.

Okay. It was still a critical time of the year for Fairfield.

I know that's just the way it works, but I hate it. Obviously Molly Miller has been approached by multiple schools while Grand Canyon is trying to cap off a great season with an NCAA tourney bid. In my little fantasy world coaches would be left alone to coach their team until their season concludes.

 

[Zonepress]

She turned them down days ag

Perhaps waiting for penn state or Rutgers to become avaliable

 

[nwhoopfan]

Perhaps waiting for penn state or Rutgers to become avaliable

Are those jobs any better? Once upon a time both were strong programs, but it's been a while and they kinda look like they'll never be good again.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Are those jobs any better? Once upon a time both were strong programs, but it's been a while and they kinda look like they'll never be good again.

I actually have an opinion on Rutgers, as it was my alma mater and we followed so closely from when Vivian arrived till we left for AZ in 2011. We haven't attended a Rutgers game since they won the WNIT in El Paso, where we were one of the 10 Rutgers fans in attendance. Still, I do participate on their message board and wish them the best.

My opinion is 2-sided. On the one hand, the idea among fans that Rutgers is somehow "special" because they had a very good run under Vivian, and they should be an attractive job and have little obstacles to a return to greatness is nuts. Conversely, I think the line that they will never be good is only a possibility. They are a major conference school with passable facilities - a fairly new training center and they are doing some renovations (again) at Jersey Mikes Arena. OTH, while they can attract a decent fan base, it is somewhat limited by there being so many other entertainment options available. They are between AD's and University Presidents so that's a factor as well.

My ultimate conclusion is that Rutgers has as much chance as any other P4 program to return to respectability. It will all depend on who they choose to hire when they make a coaching change, which should be a priority with a new AD.