I am an LDS BYU grad who has been close friends with Matt's father Mark Carlino since 5th grade.

I think it is funny that people think they can read an article about someone and feel they know everything there is to know about something. Half of what is said in the media is false to begin with. But people like the "narrative" of the overzealous father who pushes his kid. That is not Mark. Mark is a supportive father who supports his kid. That's it. He didn't push him to Indiana, that is where Matt wanted to go as a Soph in H.S. After choosing IU he was invited to play on some of the Indiana All-Star travelling summer teams and made friends. He thought it would be awesome to play High School Basketball in the Hoosier state, so he joined his friends there. His dad supported it, but it wasn't Mark's idea. Matt chose UCLA on his own. Matt decided to transfer for well-known reasons, but his father actually counseled him to stay. But when Matt was miserable in the UCLA atmosphere, he supported the transfer.

Matt is a class act who had a great time at BYU, he respected and appreciated our unique culture in Provo. He made great friends. I have never known him to say anything negative about anyone or anything, even when there were plenty of negativity said about him on this board.

Hey Icecougar, Matt's dad has never posted anything on this board. He never even read it. What a joke that you think he did. Do you think a supportive father wants to read a bunch of arm-chair quarterbacks blame BYU losses on their son?? Trust me, he is a busy man with better things to do. You don't know Mark Carlino, but you think he is an example of the parent who can't accept that his son just isn't good enough. The fact that you don't think Matt Carlino is good enough just shows how wrong you are, see the stats I am going to post below.

I will admit that I became a Matty Carlino apologist on Cougar Board, but that was because of all the garbage and misinformation I would read. I also became an apologist for BYU with all the negativity that would occasionally go around about Matt. For those who don't think Matt was a good player, you must also think that the BYU basketball program must stink, because in only two and a half years, Matt is our 7th all-time leader in assists, 6th in Steals and would have ended up in the top ten in most categories if he stayed one more year. He led the Conference in Assist to Turnover ratio (KC was 11th--who would have thought that reading CB???). He was 3rd in steals. He was 11th in 3 point percentage in the WCC, 4 spots ahead of ALL_WCC Kevin Pangos. He made 8 3s in one game. He had 7 steals in another. He had two double doubles last year. I think he is an above average college player, maybe even an excellent one.

He was a highly recruited non-LDS kid who chose to come to Provo. That doesn't happen very often. Some people on CB treated him fairly, but others I don't think did. I think it is too bad. We should appreciate a good kid like Matt who isn't LDS but will sign an Honor Code and come to Provo and play basketball for us. Most highly recruited non-LDS kids don't think like that.

Thanks Matt, for wearing the Blue and White with class, dealing with your adversity with class and transferring with class. I am proud of you for graduating in four years! Good luck next year at Marquette, but I will miss watching Matty Basketball on BYUTV!!!