Few, GU do the job

It was clear after reading the letters submitted by David Greaves and Dick Brauner (Dec. 13) that these two discouraged fans just don’t get it.

True sports fans who follow NCAA athletics realize that each new season brings a fresh crop of raw student athletes for the coaches/teachers to work with. The teaching and learning process never stops for coaches and players and continues while on and off the court.

The words used by Greaves and Brauner to describe their view of the GU program and coaches showed the typical narrow-minded vision of sport fans who place these young college athletes in the same category as older and experienced professionals who also make mistakes on and off the court.

“Ignorantly ushered,” “full-year suspension,, “brain-dead brutality,” “blood-thirsty young and dumb fans” and “thuggery” were just a few of the choice descriptions these two used to broadcast their view of an overachieving basketball program with a very respectable graduation rate.

Mark Few and his staff mandate community involvement and charitable contribution for all team members, and we see GU players visiting patients in local hospitals, working with youth groups and the underprivileged or whatever charity is important to them.

Gonzaga University is about teaching and grooming young people for their future and learning from mistakes is just a piece of the large puzzle that the teachers and coaches are assembling.

Elias Harris deserves the opportunity to prove he is not the brain-dead thug condemned by Brauner, and Coach Few and GU will again prove their ability to shape leaders out of the youth they are handed.

Brian Steckler

Spokane