2018-19 Media Love Thread

[WuShock Reaper]

"Ranking The Top 15 College Basketball Coaches Right Now" - The Big Lead

By: Ryan Phillips
Posted: 04/10/18, 11:00am cst

https://thebiglead.com/2018/04/10/top-college-basketball-coaches-rankings/

"The 2017-18 college basketball season has come to a close. With this year’s results fresh in mind, it’s time to rank the 15 best college basketball coaches in the nation right now. Emphasis was put on recent results, though a long track record of success was also considered....

..12. Gregg Marshall, Wichita State:
Gregg Marshall continues to resist overtures from bigger jobs as he appears settled at Wichita State. And why wouldn’t he be? Since arriving from Winthrop in 2007, Marshall has led the Shockers to an incredible mark of 286-97 (.747) and a 141-50 (.738) record in conference. A move to the American Athletic Conference should provide more competition and, in turn, a higher profile.

Marshall’s team fell far short of expectations in 2018, but his consistent success has him marked among the nation’s best coaches. The Shockers went to the Final Four in 2013, and won five MVC regular season titles before their move to the AAC. Marshall knows how to win and that should continue despite the move to a better conference...."

[WuShock Reaper]

"MWC Recruiting Roundup: Is the MWC or AAC the best Group of 5 conference?" - SB Nation Sports

By Jeremy Rodrigues
Jun 15, 2018, 10:00am PDT

https://www.mwcconnection.com/2018/6/15/17467048/mwc-recruiting-roundup-is-the-mwc-or-aac-the-best-group-of-5-conference

Our team offers their thoughts on the matter.

“We need to address the elephant in the room, is the AAC leaving the MWC in the dust?” - Jeremy

Or maybe more simply: “Which of the two is the best conference in the Group of 5?”

Matt: Right now it’s the AAC. In both football and basketball. Top to bottom, their conference average was above ours in S&P over the last three seasons, and now they’ve added Wichita State in basketball....

Duane: I am an unapologetic homer and I want to go with the Mountain West, but I can’t in either football or basketball. The success of Central Florida and Houston the last few seasons in football, along with South Florida being an above average team and then thrown in teams like Cincinnati, Memphis, Temple and Navy who have had really good seasons the past few years and it really puts the balance of power in the AAC. I think Boise State and San Diego State would hold their own in that league, but not at the level of what Central Florida did last season. In basketball, Wichita State has become the midwest version of Gonzaga,...

Thomas: I am a homer and I will remain that homer but, until we see better results from the MWC, the AAC wins out....Adding Wichita State is like adding a cherry on top of the best Group of 5 conference....

Zach: It is the AAC and it is 100% Craig Thomson’s (MWC Commissioner) fault....In basketball, it is clearly the AAC and it is because Thompson dropped the ball by not adding Wichita State....

Mike: It’s the AAC for me as well....but the AAC has shown it is ahead currently and seems set up long-term to keep widening that gap....

Jeremy: Is there really any room for argument?...

Vic: ...Basketball-wise, the AAC also gets the nod. The AAC has more than just a couple teams buoying their conference with teams like Cincinatti, Houston, UConn and now mid-major power Wichita is in the mix, and in the NCAA tourney, you saw their 3 teams as top 6 seeds. In addition, the AAC has just also shown more aggressive strides to become a Power 6 school...

Terrance: At this time it’s the AAC and its not even close. From the leadership to the on the field/court product they’ve done what they needed to do to compete. Craig Thompson is an incompetent commissioner who has done nothing to benefit the conference since 2012. The AAC has done a good job of growing the conference with the right combination of teams, and putting a good product out there consistently. They have a favorable TV contract and they are consistently putting teams in the NCAA tournament. Thompson had the chance to add Wichita State which would have bolstered the olympic sports. He didn’t, and he completely botched the Gonzaga move as well. In order for the Mountain West to reach a new level their needs to be a change in leadership at the top. We can get back to a top G5 conference but not with Thompson in charge."

[another shocker]

i don't know why that guy, thompson, didn't want wichita state in the mwc for basketball. that's right down there with that guy, rowe, that didn't want to sign the beatles ("guitar bands are passe' "). i state that objectively.

good job, reaper, as usual.

[WSUwatcher]

Personally, I think WSU is a much better fit for the American and vice versa, geographically and otherwise (and obviously, so does President Bardo; it's much more in keeping with the "urban research university" vision he presents).

Still, there was probably an opportunity for the MWC first, and the sad part from their point of view is that they actually had much the same setup as the American did, just less imagination at the top. The AAC had 11 all-sport programs plus Navy for football, and so added WSU to give it a total of 12 with Navy effectively serving as WSU's football team (a considerable upgrade from the previous version of Shocker football, too). But the MWC had 11 plus Hawaii for football, and Craig Thompson just couldn't envision adding WSU as #12 with Hawaii as its vicarious football team.

Tough break for the MWC; good break for the American and for WSU.

[Topshock]

Everyone is making the assumption that the MWC conference chose to not add WSU while it is a real possibility that both conferences pursued WSU and the AAC won.

[SHOCKvalue]

If the MWC pursued WSU then it was either behind the back of Thompson, or he had a 100% about-face with his previous opinion on the issue. The dude more or less trashed WSU in the press.

[WSUwatcher]

If the MWC pursued WSU, Top, they did so in a way that was beyond stealthy, given their leader's comments. The excitement about the MWC from our end was entirely a product of comparing it to the Valley, which was understandable -- San Diego or Terre Haute? Vegas and Reno or Cedar Falls and Carbondale?

But all's well that ends well, and for WSU this whole episode ended very well. For the MWC, not so much.

[Kel Varnsen]

MWC would have been an awful fit for both us and them. Would have severely hampered our ability to get players east of the Mississippi.

I also doubt the MWC seriously pursued us as a member. This is very similar to the "well x recruit didn't choose WSU, so I didn't want him anyway!" discussions I constantly see on here.

[WuShock Reaper]

"The Cinderella Code, Part 4: The Valley of Elah" - SB Nation

By Matt Craig
Posted: Jul 31, 2018, 9:03am PDT

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/7/31/17634742/the-cinderella-code-part-4-the-valley-of-elah-wichita-state-gregg-marshall-2013-final-four

Wichita State’s rise and the formula behind the mid-major Final Four run

"In 1886, when Rev. Joseph Homer Parker was putting together plans for the establishment of a new college, he chose a hill north of the Arkansas River Valley overlooking a booming cowtown along the Chisholm Trail. The location was important, as Parker’s vision was to give the members of his Plymouth Congregational Church and the abundance of local wheat farmers a cheaper alternative for higher education. And this was an excellent site. One early settler of the region had called it a “fair mount.”

The area surrounding the hill Parker chose bears no resemblance to the Valley of Elah, where David met Goliath to do battle in the 11th century BCE. That region of ancient Palestine was mountainous. The terrain there forced a stand-off, with the Philistine army camped on the southern ridge staring at the Israelite army camped on the northern ridge, neither wanting to descend into the valley and give up the advantage of high ground. That was the reason the Philistines sent Goliath down as their representative. The rest is history. Parker’s hill, on the other hand, was surrounded by miles of flat farming land. Yet just like Elah, that specific land and the basketball courts that would one day be built on it became the perfect place to defeat a giant.

In 1895 the doors were opened for the first 30 students to attend classes at Fairmount College. In matching with the Christian values of its founder and the salt-of-the-earth nature of its students, the earliest recorded slogan for the school was “Fairmount builds character...."

[ShockingButTrue]

Good article.

[WuShock Reaper]

"The (Gregg) Marshall Plan: Young Shockers getting acquainted off the court, defensive on it" - The Athletic

by CJ Moore
Posted: 08/27/18, 645am cst

https://theathletic.com/489446/2018/08/27/the-gregg-marshall-plan-young-shockers-getting-acquainted-off-the-court-defensive-on-it/

"Gregg Marshall was strolling through the Wichita State student center one day last week when an economics professor (and diehard Shockers fan) asked if he had slimmed down. Marshall was giddy over the inquiry — later he’d tell his son to make sure he told his mom — but eventually the conversation shifted to everyone’s favorite subject around town: Marshall’s basketball team.

The topic that will dominate the program during the next few months is how quickly Marshall can rebuild a winner. The Shockers graduated six seniors, point guard Landry Shamet departed for the NBA, two players transferred (including Austin Reaves, who would have been the top returning scorer) and two assistant coaches moved on.

“Wasn’t the last time you had this much inexperience 2013?” the professor, Jan Wolcutt, asked. Marshall shakes his head and chuckles at the reference to the team that lost its five leading scorers and still went to the Final..."

[wichshock65]

"Marshall may have also found a gem in Dexter Dennis, a 6-5 freshman wing who wasn’t even scouted by some of the major recruiting services (he has zero stars at 247 Sports). The most impressive newcomer in early practices, Dennis has the athleticism, size and jump shot to be a 3-and-D wing with the ability also to score off the bounce."

[60Shock]

Just wanted to add my appreciation and thanks to everyone who posts during the 'dreadful lull of the off-season' and come up with interesting tidbits to keep us going until the next season officially starts.

[WuShock Reaper]

"Tipoff: 10 best nonconference games from the first month of college basketball season" - The News-Gazette (Champaign, IL)

by Scott Richey
Sun, 09/23/2018 - 7:00am

http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/2018-09-23/tipoff-10-best-nonconference-games-the-first-month-college

"...7. Florida vs. Oklahoma, Nov. 21
Both teams will have a new point guard this season, with the Gators replacing Chris Chiozza and the Sooners replacing one-man show Trae Young. Florida is probably in a better place with a backcourt of KeVaughn Allen, Jalen Hudson and Andrew Nembhard.

8. Memphis vs. Oklahoma State, Nov. 22
The Memphis coaching staff is the story this season with Penny Hardaway taking over and hiring Mike Miller and Sam Mitchell as two of his assistants. How they try to turn the Tigers around is worth watching. What Mike Boynton does in year two with the Cowboys post-Jeffrey Carroll is key, too....

10. Wichita State vs. Davidson, Nov. 15
How about some love for the little guys? Both teams have holes to fill in their lineup. The Shockers lost Landry Shamet and Conner Frankamp but bring back Markis McDuffie (it's his team now). The Wildcats graduated leading scorer Peyton Aldridge but have Kellan Grady (taller Steph Curry) to run the show."

[WSUwatcher]

Good grief -- "the little guys?"

[UCONN_Husky]

St Johns-Cal over UCONN-Syracuse? LOL. What a farce.

[AZ Shocker]

Lol - I know. Little guys? Sounds kinda weird.

[WSUwatcher]

Especially when said by a writer from Champaign, IL, where despite their share of past glory, they've now been to the tournament a total of three times -- even with the help of being in one of those conferences where mediocrity can equal an at-large bid -- since Marshall came to WSU.

[WstateU]

https://twitter.com/goshockersmbb/status/1045362903321333761?s=21

[Aargh]

https://twitter.com/goshockersmbb/st...321333761?s=21

Who is 22 in the black jersey? Really nice dime right there toward the end of the clip.

[WstateU]

I believe it’s Chance Moore.

[Dan]

I think Chance is going to be a nice surprise

[wufan]

I’m concerned about Chance’s defense. Dude can score though! Hopefully he picks up the system quickly!

[WuShock16]

https://watchstadium.com/news/american-athletic-conference-chain-of-command-best-jobs-in-the-conference/

Not sure it you can consider this media love, but I thought this was an interesting comparison of American schools. I don't have too much of an issue with this, except how we are ranked so low in buy games (meaning getting bought). I can think of only one time in the last 15 years (and never under 3G) that the Shockers went on the road for a check, and that was the Syracuse game in Mark's last season. Granted, some of the old Big East schools likely have never been bought...but that still seems odd.

I also don't get what this means: “The recruiting base. Wichita is one of the worst cities in the league. They could go national when they were in the Missouri Valley, but they can’t do that and win the American.” – AAC assistant coach

[jdshock]

https://watchstadium.com/news/americ...he-conference/

Not sure it you can consider this media love, but I thought this was an interesting comparison of American schools. I don't have too much of an issue with this, except how we are ranked so low in buy games (meaning getting bought). I can think of only one time in the last 15 years (and never under 3G) that the Shockers went on the road for a check, and that was the Syracuse game in Mark's last season. Granted, some of the old Big East schools likely have never been bought...but that still seems odd.

The buy games thing is very strange. It almost makes you wonder if there was confusion in how it was asked because East Carolina and USF jumped way up the rankings for that category. UCONN ranking 1 makes me think that's not true, though. Also, the early description suggests buy games means the number of times you go on the road to get a check. In Memphis's description, it says "Memphis ranks in the top five in the league in everything except spending money on buy games" which seems to be a different metric. So, just speculating here, since it is a question about ranking dream jobs, maybe it was the coach's perception of the program's ability to spend big money on buy games?

That's a weird metric in general, though. If it's actually just who goes on the road for buy games the least, it seems like we could just get an objective answer rather than relying on polling the other assistant coaches.

[ShockTalk]

"Buy Games – Programs who are bought the fewest number of times will rank first."

Seems very clear and no idea why WSU would be so low.

I don't take any issue with the "recruiting base" ranking on it's own merit. The AAC comment I think meant that due to the lack of a good/large home area recruiting base, WSU could go national to "find enough" players to win the Valley, but questions whether WSU can do that in the AAC without a bigger home recruiting base. Actually, he said "can't" which after one year is very presumptuous on his part. Time will tell and I think he'll eat his words.

[jdshock]

UCONN_Husky - the funniest part about the admissions requirements is that it's reverse ranked. I saw whoever was listed first and thought "they have someone above Tulane??" and then I realized what they'd done.

[SHOCKvalue]

It’s like someone just looked at our non-con while in the MVC and assumed we were getting paid for any and all non-MTE away games. Strange.

Stating the obvious here, but Marshall is entering his 11th season at WSU and is as anti-buy game as they come. Won’t even do 2-for-1’s. Takes some heat for those stances, even.

[Aargh]

I'm wondering if the stated description varies from the data used for the buy games.

Getting bought seems like an odd stat for a league with teams that virtually never get bought. It would make more sense to make the evaluation on the quality of teams that are bought by the member institutions.

[OregonShocker]

https://watchstadium.com/news/americ...he-conference/

I also don't get what this means: “The recruiting base. Wichita is one of the worst cities in the league. They could go national when they were in the Missouri Valley, but they can’t do that and win the American.” – AAC assistant coach

I interpret this quote as meaning that the level of recruits the MVC Shockers could get were found nationwide, but recruits for AAC level ball may be more limited and may not be plentiful in Doo Dah. Whether that's true or not is debatable, but I don't believe it. At least not with our newfound name recognition status.