The perception of Thomas during his stint at FIU has always been that his hiring was more of a publicity stunt than anything else.
As the losses mounted, skeptics questioned why FIU would put faith in a man with no prior recruiting experience, limited success as a coach and seemingly as much interest in reestablishing a foothold with the New York Knicks as building the Golden Panthers into a winner. Although Wozniak understands the criticism because Thomas didn’t win, he also insists the perception of his coach’s lack of commitment to FIU is unfair. Wozniak noted that Thomas always had an open door when his players needed advice, always emphasized academics and has even checked in with all his players this weekend to make sure they’re handling the upheaval.
The turmoil in the program has left Wozniak and his fellow underclassmen unsure whether to remain at FIU or to consider a transfer.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now,” he said. “We all want what’s best for ourselves. We’re going to give the new coach a look, but we’re going to keep our options open.”
Article Appeared in The Black Truth news Volume 3 Issue Issue 4 April 2012