You think there is a problem here

[IndyValpo]

So it took 10 of 12 returning players leaving on top of 5 the prior year for Loyola to decide there may be a problem.....

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15213902/loyola-university-chicago-launches-internal-investigation-women-basketball-coach-sheryl-swoopes

[usc4valpo]

I read this and I find it surprising. Swoopes is a basketball legend and at least for the most part has led her life with integrity. Loyola's women's basketball has always sucked since they started the program, and Swoopes' record there has been unacceptable. Her work ethic is insane. Who knows what is happening there - maybe it is millennial player attitudes and maybe something that is unethical on Swoopes part.

Perhaps if she is clear of any ethical issues, Swoopes can coach at Valpo soon. She does take her faith seriously, which cannot hurt.

[VU75]

She does take her faith seriously, which cannot hurt.

Actually it can, if you believe your faith gives a person moral authority over others.  This is from the student newspaper. The players have no problem with Swoops the coach, they have a problem with Swoops trying to control their personal lives.  Is that faith based?  Given Swoops statements in the past you can draw that assumption.  Think Luke 18:9-14.


Players' Departures Bring Swoopes' Demeanor Into Question

Posted by Madeline Kenney Date: April 11, 2016in: SportsLeave a comment7233 Views
By Nader Issa and Madeline Kenney

One week after she was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Loyola's women's basketball head coach Sheryl Swoopes may have a problem on her hands.

For the second consecutive year, members of the team have decided their time as Ramblers is up. A number of players on the 2015-16 roster plan to quit or have already put in requests to be released from their scholarships, according to Loyola's Athletic Department.

Among those players are redshirt junior standouts Taylor Johnson and Taylor Manuel, who received NCAA and Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) honors, respectively, during the season.

The PHOENIX has learned through sources close to Loyola's women's basketball team that some of the student-athletes have decided to leave due to displeasure with Swoopes' treatment toward individual players.

Loyola's Athletic Department sent The PHOENIX a statement regarding the departure of players.

"Roster turnover is something that affects every NCAA school and is becoming more and more prevalent," wrote Deputy Director of Athletics Jermaine Truax. "We are fully committed to helping our student-athletes find the right situation for them. We will have the best interest of the student-athlete in mind when it comes to transfer decisions."

The Athletic Department declined to meet with The PHOENIX to discuss further details of the situation. Swoopes was also unavailable for comment.

Although roster turnover is expected from year to year with any NCAA Division I team, a mass exodus in consecutive years has left question marks around the women's basketball program.

After the 2014-15 season, five members of Loyola's women's basketball team left the program to play for other teams.

At least one of Swoopes' current players has met with Loyola Athletic Director Steve Watson regarding her future with the program, according to multiple sources. In that meeting, the player detailed her concerns with Swoopes' demeanor.

Swoopes has a tendency to "cross the line" when dealing with members of the program in regards to their performances and personal lives, according to a source close to the team who chose to remain anonymous.

"She really pushes them to the point of misery and to the point where they shut down," said the source. "A lot of them feel very trapped about who they can talk to in the Athletic Department because regardless of who they choose, it usually gets back to Sheryl ... And I think when it gets to that point ... there is no outlet."

The source also said Swoopes manages the players' social lives outside of basketball. Last season, first-year player Courtney Williams decided not to return to Loyola due to off-court problems with Swoopes.

"It was a lot of stuff off the court that [Swoopes] made difficult, but as far as her coaching style, it wasn't really a factor," Williams told The PHOENIX last April. "It was a lot of stuff that was unrelated to basketball."

Both Williams and Swoopes declined to go into further detail about that specific situation last April.

Swoopes was in Houston for personal reasons until April 11. Her absence delayed the players' requests to be released from their scholarships, according to Loyola's Athletic Department. It's unknown whether meetings have been scheduled with the players to discuss the possibility of releasing them from their scholarships.

Swoopes is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time WNBA champion. She was also named WNBA MVP three times, the most in the league's history. Swoopes finished her third season heading the women's basketball program with a quarterfinal loss in the MVC tournament in early March.

[usc4valpo]

Who knows what is going on here. Are these players minnenial-like, feel entitled and do not want to push themselves? Is Swoopes digging too deep into personal issues? Nothing concrete has been reported.

In reality, if Loyola removed their women's program, they would not care. If Swoopes gets pushed out and no unethical actions are reported against her, Valpo should consider bringing her in to help our struggling program.

[M]

Sometimes the best players don't make the best coaches

[usc4valpo]

totally agree - look at Ted Williams in baseball, Magic Johnson in Basketball, Bart Starr in football, Isiah Thomas in basketball, Cheryl Miller in basketball.

I will say this, for all Swoopes has done for women's basketball, and the way she has performed and handled herself in college, Olympics and the WNBA, it is sad to see her in this situation. Cripe, it is even sad to see her coach at Loyola as you would think she could have some job or position somewhere better than that.

[StlVUFan]

In this day and age, I tend to lean slightly toward the players.  I believe it probably happened at Illinois and Oakland, and there's probably other schools I'm not aware of who have dealt with this issue.

[usc4valpo]

StL - I want to know what happened before making conclusions.

[StlVUFan]

StL - I want to know what happened before making conclusions.

I said I lean *slightly*.  I didn't say I was drawing any conclusions.

I want to know too, but in half the posts in this thread I sense people leaning slightly in the opposite direction.

[Vinny]

If this were a case of one or two players, I'd tend to lean towards Swoopes' side. However, 10 out of 12? C'mon! I don't care how many gold medals she won as a player, she's obviously created a chasm the size of Texas in that program as a coach. I would be pointing my daughter elsewhere.