"the Spanky loves his son era"
OK Ball, you got a chuckle out of me. I was in the opposing stands a few times (during this era) and I definetly saw some strange things on the field and in the dugout related to this topic. No question the son was a good hitter and very good college player at that level but I also think he was allowed to become an overall major team distraction. I know JMU parents and players (plural with an "s") during that era (starters and bench players) that told me straight up it was a major issue. They would never say so publically, and the team numbers reflect it during that era. The point you are making is a valid one....the Adminstration let it go on so you are questioning their judgement. Fair in my opinion.
Midlo this era was a few years before any of the Cardinal’s you referenced were being recruited. One of your Cardinal parents was aware of this situation because they asked me about it. The recruit decided on JMU none the less, possibly because the coaches son had been drafted and left the program. I’m sure there were other reasons they selected JMU as well. No doubt there are challenges of a father-coach-son dynamic that some of us have to deal with over the years. In this JMU case, what it amounts to is a son having (or not having) the maturity to recognize the father is responsible for the success of an entire roster of mid-major D1 college players and program. These issues went way beyond a father-coach-son dynamic, as it involved 34 other people.
The good news is Coach Ike is now "the man" and he knows how to recruit and run a program. He'll turn this around. As always, JMO.