Felton loses control, coaching abilities

The Red & Black did absolutely nothing wrong by allowing students to voice their opinions on whether it was time for men’s basketball head coach Dennis Felton to go, contrary to the opinion expressed in Wednesday’s column by Ryan Lavner, “Unbacked commentary fuels Felton fire.”

I am by no means a supporter of The Red & Black, as I use it most often for the Sudoku, but I found Lavner’s comments ridiculous.

It’s not like The Red & Black is going after Felton. It simply asked for students’ input.

And apparently students seem to feel that maybe it’s time for a change.

It’s not as if this came out of nowhere. It’s not like they were asking if football head coach Mark Richt should be fired. This was a legitimate question and not some witch hunt, as Lavner seemed to suggest.

I think we all can agree Felton is a nice guy and seems to interact well with students. But five years into this and his team has yet to even sniff the NCAAs.

I’m sorry, but that’s just unacceptable. He had lots of talent left over from the Harrick years and failed to equate that into anything except National Invitation Tournament bids.

His recruiting has been mediocre at best, and that’s unacceptable when you consider how close the University is to the hotbed of talent in the Atlanta area.

Lavner talked of Felton being a disciplinarian, and maybe he is.

However, I can’t seem to figure out how a coach who demands discipline and respect from his team manages to have multiple arrests, four suspensions, two members transfer and one member leave the team.

The suspensions for skipping class are easily the most unforgivable. How does a coach who demands discipline manage to have three guys suspended for a bulk of the season for missing classes?

The turmoil that has surrounded this team is a result of Felton seeming to lose control. And when a disciplinarian loses control of a team, it’s over.

So don’t act as though The Red & Black is on some crusade to can Felton, and don’t make a martyr out of him.

Lavner even claimed in His column Felton probably never will bring a National Championship to Athens. Well then why keep him around?

Is not a National Championship the ultimate goal of a basketball team?

If we aren’t trying to win a National Championship, then what’s the point of even fielding a basketball team?

Lavner seemed to feel instilling discipline is of utmost importance, showing no regard for winning. Perhaps Georgia could go in a different direction and achieve both.

MATTHEW FORTSON
Senior, Danielsville
Marketing Education

Absurd cartoon lacks quality

As far as I can tell, there are two purposes to editorial cartooning – to entertain (through witty writing and humorous caricatures) and to enlighten (by presenting a novel viewpoint or opinion on an issue), with the ideal cartoon fulfilling both purposes.

In her past cartoons, L. Ray has attempted to fulfill at least one of these functions, so I have refrained from commenting on them since I do not pretend to have the skill to improve these aspects.

However, as far as I can tell, today’s cartoon attempts neither. It’s utter pointlessness stretches beyond absurdity. If meant to be taken as avant-garde anti-humor, its quality could be defended, but I doubt this is the case. In the future, I would advise her to stick to taking concrete stances on real issues instead of attempting to express vague existential angst.

MAX MARTIN
Grad. Student, Decatur
Artificial Intelligence

Show courage by backing lab

The “No Bio terror lab” campaign around Athens is weak and un-American.

The strong are willing to fight for our freedom and liberties from the terrorists who want nothing more than to rob us of those very things. Fighting is not always easy or convenient, but that’s just the price we have to pay.

America is strong and brave, so the people of Athens should be strong, brave and proud to take on the risks of the BSL-4 lab and support our government’s efforts to fight terrorism through the proposed research facility.

Let’s not ask someone else to take on this mission just because we are too worried about our own safety. We need to show some courage and strength and be a example of a great American city willing to do whatever it takes to preserve our liberty and freedom.

TRENT LAWRENCE
Senior, Atlanta
Finance