Editor:
I am incensed at the letter written Tom Tsang ("Olson should learn from Candrea," March 21) stating that Coach Lute Olson needs tutoring by Coach Candrea on the subject of "player motivation." All of Mr. Tsang's arguments are fallacious. He states, "Last year's win against Missouri was the only time that Coach Lute Olson's team in Arizona has beaten an opponent that was seeded equal to or higher than his team during the NCAA tournament." SO WHAT! The point, Mr. Tsang, is that the Wildcats DID WIN. Also, remember, Coach Olson had a very successful track record prior to his taking the reins at Arizona. In the early 1980s, Coach Olson took Iowa State to the Final Four. Coach Olson was also a very successful coach at Long Beach State before that.
Mr. Tsang states that ". although Coach Olson is a great coach, he is not a great tournament coach." Nothing could be further from the truth. Oklahoma and Indiana made early exits from this year's tournament Ä does that mean the coaches are lousy tournament coaches? Of course not! As a former basketball referee with more than 15 years of experience at the junior college and high school level, I can tell you that there is a lot more to winning or losing a basketball game than just the coach's ability to motivate their players.
In conclusion, I suggest that Mr. Tsang sticks to his chosen field of microbiology and immunology Ä motivating parasites seems to be a logical career choice.
David H. Sheen
Business Graduate Student