Kanen Storr at the Junior World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)In the midst of a college wrestling season that has seen hype-worthy "super duals" like Penn State vs. Ohio State, and incredible individual match upsets, what may have seemed like a simple announcement about a college wrestler being released by his school became a significant storyline this winter which has garnered plenty of attention in both traditional media as well as social media.
Kanen Storr's departure from Iowa State generated considerable media coverage -- and fan speculation -- that went on for a couple weeks. Here's a timeline of the Storr-Cyclone storyline.
On Tuesday, Jan. 23, Storr, a three-time Michigan high school state champion at Leslie High School, asked for -- and was granted -- a transfer out of Iowa State. The school issued a statement that appeared to be standard in every way.
"'Kanen (Storr) requested permission to transfer to another institution,' Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said in a statement. 'I am going to honor that request and allow him the one-time transfer exception. We wish him the best.'"
That following weekend, there were two developments that generated attention far beyond the Iowa State campus and the Cyclone wrestling community.
On Saturday, Jan. 27, first-year Iowa State head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser alleged on Takedown Radio that Storr "was being tampered with ... by some former coaches."
The next day -- Sunday, Jan. 28 -- the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that Storr's request to leave Iowa State involved "alleged illegal contact from Virginia." (NCAA rules prohibit coaches from one college program contacting an athlete from another for recruitment.)
Ben Visser of the Gazette wrote, "According to a source close to the Iowa State athletics program, last week, Iowa State compliance requested the phone records of a University of Virginia assistant coach in regard to possible illegal contact with Storr, who was then a member of the Iowa State wrestling team. The source said Virginia ran the phone records the same day Iowa State reported the violation and the phone log showed substantial text messages and calls over an extended period."
The following week -- Thursday, Feb. 1 -- Kanen Storr shared his side of the story with a detailed statement on Twitter, describing his growing frustration with the Iowa State coaching staff which came to a head with an altercation between the wrestler and assistant coach Brent Metcalf after the dual meet vs. West Virginia on Jan. 21.
Storr opened his statement by writing, "It's difficult for me to write this, but in the end, I had to do what's right. I chose to wrestle at Iowa State because of the long outstanding tradition and wanted to join the legacy.
"The story (Iowa State coach) Kevin Dresser and his staff have been portraying in the media is simply not true and now it's time to share what really happened."
In his Twitter statement, Storr also addressed the allegations that a coach from another team had been in contact with him, writing, "Any claims of tampering are a lie… Has there been communication between me and the Paulson's (sic)? Yes, they are my landlords… Has there been any type of recruitment or 'tampering' with the Paulson's? Absolutely not… " (The Paulson twins -- Travis and Trent -- had been on the coaching staff at Iowa State and coached Storr in his first year as a Cyclone. They are now coaching at the University of Virginia.)
Storr told the Des Moines Register on Wednesday, Jan. 28 that he had been in contact with at least Travis Paulson during the season. He said then that he reached out because he was unhappy with his treatment at Iowa State and felt pressure.
"I started to reach out to him after the Las Vegas tournament, when I felt pressured to the point where I felt like I was only an asset to them if I was winning," Storr told the Register. "So I asked him how to handle that situation. He told me to set up a meeting with the coaches, tell them how I feel and encourage change.
"It was by no means like, 'Oh, this wouldn't happen at Virginia.' It was more encouraging to try and better my situation here and fix the relationship here. He wants to see me do good no matter where I'm at. He was just encouraging me to better my situation."
Storr went on to tell the Register that he felt like the Iowa State coaching staff gave him an ultimatum in a meeting following the West Virginia dual. When reached by the Register on Wednesday, Iowa State said the coaching staff asked Storr not to contact the Paulsons anymore, a condition with which Storr did not comply.
When addressing the media early last week, Iowa State assistant coach Mike Zadick said, "I look at it like this. I'm not married, but if I had a girlfriend or was married, and I came home and she put a nice plate of dinner on the table and she was in love with another man, it probably just wouldn't work."
"It was a situation where you can't be in it, like half in but in love with something else. That's where we're at. When we're trying to change the culture and get going in the right direction, the sooner, the better. That's where it is. Decisions were made, and we wish him the best."
This week, ISU head coach Kevin Dresser reiterated that there weren't any hard feelings between Storr and his staff.
"It's never fun when there's an athlete that is upset," Dresser said Monday. "It's never fun, but I can tell you this: He's a great kid. He's going to figure out where he wants to go and where he wants to be. At the end of the day, that's what life's all about.
"I'm a parent. I've got a 16-year-old, basically, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old. And if they come home and say, 'Dad, you know what, I'm not happy here,' wherever that is, I want them to be happy. I want my kids to be happy, and I want Kanen Storr to be happy."
In addition, Dresser said Storr will remain on scholarship at Iowa State through the end of the spring semester. He is free to transfer wherever he wants, Dresser said, so long that it is to an institution outside the Big 12 Conference, per conference rules.
"(Storr) was immediately released to everybody else, including the University of Virginia. He's going to be able to start over and get some things done. And more than that -- to me, it's about making sure the guy gets to go where he wants to be."
"We wish him the best. He's a very good young man, and he's a very good wrestler."
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