The dam has burst.

Two members of the NIU men’s basketball team have broken two weeks of silence about the firing of their coach, Jim Rosborough.

In an exclusive interview with The Northern Star on Thursday, the players, who wish to remain anonymous for fear of possible repercussions, expressed concern about O’Dell’s failure to explain the details of his decision to fire Rosborough.

After the team met with O’Dell Wednesday afternoon, one player said, “We specifically asked him (O’Dell) why (Rosborough was fired) and…we know just as much as we did when we went in there because he told us nothing.

“When somebody takes something away from you, you’re not going to trust that person any more. He (O’Dell) took something away from us and the man turns around and expects us to trust him?

“I don’t trust a person who can’t just tell me the honest to God truth. He can’t be straight. He’s beating around the bush and still not telling us what we want to know.

“The main thing I want to know is why he (Rosborough) was let go. Until they tell me why, I don’t know if I can trust these people or what. He (O’Dell) could talk all day long and never get to the point. That’s the feeling I have. It’s like they’re trying to pull the cover over my face.

“He told us, ‘You guys shouldn’t read the paper. Don’t believe what you read in the paper.’ I guess he’s talking about The Northern Star, but I think he’s talking about all papers in general.”

O’Dell had a different view of the meeting.

“We’re here because of the student-athlete,” he said. “Hence the purpose of talking with them. I told them I was very sensitive to their anxiety. I told them quite candidly that I have some anxiety, because there’s gonna be change.”

The player continued: “Next year, we’re going to have a better record. We’re going to be better than we were this year. So, whoever Mr. O’Dell brings in will make it look like ‘Oh, Mr. O’Dell made a nice move because the team is winning now, they’re playing better defense’ and all that. But, that’s just how it’s gonna be with anybody, whoever gets the job.

“He (O’Dell) said, ‘We’re going forward with you or without you.’ It’s like we’re just checkers on a checkerboard. We’re gonna be moved here or there regardless. It just all makes me feel like they’re using us, and I’m trying to get that out of my mind. I feel like we should have the most say-so over what’s going on around here.”

Not all of what O’Dell said fell on deaf ears. The players said they liked some of O’Dell’s ideas, such as a basketball doubleheader featuring the women versus Northwestern and the men against Nebraska.

“It sounded good what he was saying about how he was gonna promote things,” the player said. “That sounds real good. But that could all mean nothing if we’re not here.

“Why couldn’t he put all that behind coach Rosborough? It looks like when he got hired as AD, he had his plan already mapped out.

“They (NIU) made him (Rosborough) a commitment to give him four years, and (now) to turn around and not do that? That’s one thing right there. He (O’Dell) must have been thinking, ‘These guys are gonna be all right next year, so if I get rid of him (Rosborough) now and bring in somebody else…’ that’s a feather in his cap.”

O’Dell said, “The thing I told them, and I’m telling you word for word, is that I have confidence in this institution. I know we can be successful. And that minimizes the anxiety that I have as far as attracting the next head basketball coach…If it’s not today, it’s around the corner that we are going to be dominant and can be dominant in intercollegiate athletics.”

A second player sounded skeptical of O’Dell’s rosy vision.

“He tried to make everything seem like it was going to be so sweet in the future, but he never really described what kind of coach he’s looking for.

“He kept leaving us in the air. He can’t be straightforward.

“Somebody mentioned the possibility of them considering coach (Robert) Collins as a candidate and he kept saying coach Collins knows what the deal is. And anytime we asked about coach Rosborough, he said coach Rosborough knows the situation.”

The situation remains the same as it was on March 8, when Rosborough and his staff (Collins, Bill Harris and Jon Mackey) were fired. Rosborough is out and Collins is in as interim coach with the option to apply for the head coaching vacancy.