The decision to let Thad go was not totally unexpected but what was unexpected was the timing of it. Roughly 3 months after an opening-round loss to Rutgers in the first round of the Big Ten tournament and the departure of more players it was not a shock to me but I certainly was surprised by the timing. It seemed to come from out of nowhere. Unless Gene Smith has someone in mind you wonder who out there is available. Crowds at home had been dwindling, interest was not there and the departure of more than a few players in the past several years made you wonder. I attended a couple of Thad's press conferences and particularly after the loss to Rutgers in Washington he was visibly upset by the lack of effort by many of his players. That leads to the question of did he recruit the right players. Probably not. With his back issues and health concerns maybe it is best if he steps away from the game for awhile, regroups, and collects his 9 million over the next 3 years. He had a lot more ups than downs and I wish him well.