After Iowa State’s loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament, one thing was evident while I sat in the post-game presser. Jamie Pollard looked like either he had a bad dinner, or he was not pleased with the effort the Cyclones gave. He had the look of a parent who just found out his child had racked up a $10,000 credit card debt and flunked out in the first semester of college.

He wasn’t exactly overflowing with happiness. Strike one.

Three days later, he would find out the Cyclones were not selected for the NIT and teams like Fairleigh Dickinson, Lipscomb and Delaware State were.

I can imagine the discontent only festered. Strike two.

Three days after that, an embarrassing story published on CBS SportsLine.com implicated Iowa State as a centerpiece of a recruiting/scheduling “scam” with potential NCAA violations. It was terrible press for an already fragile program. Foul tip.

Two hours later, Iowa State’s star backcourt – Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock – decided to make themselves available for the NBA draft. Strike three.

Firing Wayne Morgan was not an easy choice, but it was necessary if Pollard wants this basketball program to be nationally competitive annually again. Morgan was put into an extremely difficult position. He inherited a mess after Larry Eustachy was fired in 2003.

Players transferred, others were ineligible and the star recruits from the East Coast were questioning their oaths to the Cyclones.

Morgan rescued the program from going under and admirably led them to two postseasons in two years with help from those East Coast guards he convinced to come to Ames. That was when Bruce Van De Velde was the athletic director.

When Pollard was hired in October, he promised to take an exhaustive look at all the athletic programs. In other words, nobody was safe.

He had visions of success that Van De Velde never imagined. He wasn’t satisfied with mediocrity. Unfortunately for Morgan, a 16-14 record and seven losses in the last nine games, after starting the year in the top 25, came at the most inopportune time.

The program underachieved and Morgan had to be held responsible.

It was clear with the departure of the backcourt to the NBA, the transfer of Tasheed Carr and the lack of development of the big guys, the men’s basketball team wasn’t going to reach the bright lights of the NCAA tournament next year.

So Pollard acted swiftly. Why have another year of anemic basketball and non-sellout crowds? Why have an apathetic fan base which would lead to, as Diddy says, less Benjamins? Pollard is a smart man. He is also taking a risk. This is his first big move, and his legacy at Iowa State will be defined on the success of Morgan’s successor.

Morgan was caught in the crossfire of an ambitious athletic director and a not-so-ambitious basketball team.

Pollard reportedly told Morgan the night he was let go that, “We want basketball to be the marquee program at Iowa State, and we don’t feel you can do that.” He definitely didn’t pull any punches. Morgan was not going to lead the Cyclones to the Final Four level anytime soon, and that just wasn’t good enough.

We are in the dawn of a different age of Cyclone athletics under Pollard.

Average performance isn’t acceptable.

Nobody is safe.

– Brent Blum is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.