ISU women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly has declined further comment on an ESPN The Magazine story alleging the coach uses negative recruiting tactics.

Fennelly and his staff have always used the term “family” as a recruiting pitch to describe the atmosphere surrounding his program. Fennelly — who has two sons on the coaching staff at Iowa State — caught the attention of the magazine.

The attention doesn’t portray the recruiting tactics in a positive light. A current Cyclone player, who remained anonymous in the story, was quoted.

“Iowa has morals, and people who live here have values, wholesome values,” the player said in the article.

The recruit’s visit to Iowa State came after visits to two programs that were rumored to have lesbians employed on their coaching staffs.

Gay rights activists are viewing this statement as a reportedly underhanded recruiting tactic that spans all women’s sports, not just basketball. Fennelly spoke to ESPN The Magazine and admitted that he does use the word “family” when recruiting and doesn’t feel that doing so is negative.

He also told ESPN The Magazine that he feels his coaching staff is being “penalized because they’re married and have families.”

There is no official data that shows how many recruits are swayed by pitches that could be, viewed to some, as outside social norms.

The ISU Athletics Department doesn’t expect Fennelly to address the issue again in the future.