AMA about Wichita State Basketball

[shock]

And don't hesitate to shoot me ideas on potential stories or suggestions that you would like to see moving forward.

Let's talk some hoops!

I would really like to know what happens in April and May for a player that declares for the draft but doesn’t hire an agent. We know Duff will get feedback, but how different is his process than Landrys.

[tayloreldridge]

This is a really good idea. I'll try to get that story done because that is a really interesting and good question.

[mjbaker84]

Taylor, Austin is gone... will we ever truly find out why? Who do you see him potentially transferring to? same with Keyser? will any of the walk-ons play elsewhere?

[tayloreldridge]

I'm not sure. I was actually supposed to talk with Austin earlier this week, but it didn't work out timing-wise. I'm hoping to talk to him soon, though. Not sure if he'll say much more than what he said on the Arkansas web site, but hopefully we'll find out. And he's got a nice list of potential suitors, I was hoping to get an update from him on that as well. But have to figure OU and UNI are his top two options if those were his first two visits. No word lately on Keyser, but I heard Penn State, VCU, and George Mason were strongly pursuing him. I'll try to get an update on that soon, as well. No word yet on where Kaelen and Brett are headed.

[ShockerPhi]

So awesome to have you here! Absolutely love what you bring to the Wichita State media.

How long have you been following Shocker basketball and who is your all time favorite Shocker?

[tayloreldridge]

I grew up in Wichita and attended WSU, but was never really a Wichita State fan honestly. I do remember when I was in high school and our class got to watch the Tennessee game in 2006. If I had to pick, it would probably be Ramon Clemente because he was in one of my classes at WSU and would show up to class in sunglasses. It was great.

As far as this season, I really like Rashard Kelly and all of the little things that he did to help make WSU a winning team. He certainly had his shortcomings on offense, but I loved the defense and rebounding he brought to the table. And the double-block in Maui was maybe the highlight of the season.

[Dan]

Taylor, welcome to the board. You’re doing a great job covering WSU, we really appreciate it.

[tayloreldridge]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[choida]

tayloreldridge i do enjoy the numerous articles you write about Shocker basketball... Keeping us addicted fans in the loop... Even recruits that we are on the look out on... Keep up the good work man

[tayloreldridge]

Thank you! I thought I was going to get a break in April, but turns out there's plenty of recruiting news to be done when you have 3 spots open up.

[BOBB]

tayloreldridge the statistical analysis during the season was terrific. Sometimes as fans watching the games it "feels" like something is or isn't working, but the advance stats are always an eye opener.

As a journalist how do you balance a job that requires you to have access to the program up and down, yet provide independent reporting? I always thought that would be a tough needle to thread. How do you see your role?

[tayloreldridge]

Thank you! I appreciate it. Like you said, advanced stats are great to use to research when you have a hunch about something. I wish there would be lineup +/- because I would find that fascinating to see how certain lineups did last season for WSU.

And honestly it's not that difficult. I'm never been a WSU fan or really watched much WSU basketball before this season (and the last season I saw watching film). So that helps staying objective. Of course there is some attachment since I travel wherever the team goes and spend the season with them, but it's not like I'm rooting for them to win or lose. I feel like my role is to provide a look at the team that you can't get from watching the game. I want to add to the experience and tell you something you didn't know, even though we watched the same game. Whether that's bringing you quotes from the locker room, providing advanced numbers that show you something the box score didn't, or breaking down video of plays, I want to add to your experience of being a WSU fan.

[mattdalt]

Love, Love, Love your work during the season, and off season for that matter. Really appreciate the integration of the advanced stats and the video breakdown. Will you get your Synergy video priviledges back? Why were they pulled?

[tayloreldridge]

Apparently I wasn't supposed to have them in the first place and Synergy did an audit on their accounts in January and realized it finally. I e-mailed them a lot of times, but to no avail. They said they are considering giving video access to non-team members but on a limited basis for this upcoming season. I'm hopeful.

[Kung Wu]

Taylor, I'd love to see an article along the lines of a "day in the life of Marshall", which includes a trip (with lots of photos) on the private jet to go meet a recruit. Obviously you may need to obfuscate the recruit's name, but how cool would it be to have a documentary-style article covering a Marshall recruiting trip?

[shock]

I just want to know how fast he walks everywhere.

[tayloreldridge]

That would be fascinating, unfortunately I don't think any media will get that kind of access. Would be cool to watch though!

[Singeril]

Welcome!!! And, even though we all expected you’d been lurking, glad to know you’re now making it official. Great to have you here!!!

[Singeril]

What do you think of how the Sunflower writer went after AR in a student paper? Is it right that a student newspaper can be so critical of another student?

[tayloreldridge]

I think a student newspaper can be critical, but you better do your research and have a lot of evidence to back up your claim. I think the headline came off way more aggressive than the actual story was. There were some compelling points. Everyone knows about the turnovers on the in-bounds and missed free throw, but Synergy also shows that Reaves shot 6/16 (37.5%) in the last 5 minutes of games where the difference was two possessions (6 points) or less. Personally, I would have still played Reaves because he's too good of a shooter not to have out there. But I can also understand how some fans were disappointed in some of the results down the stretch with him.

[InWuWeTrust]

as a market technician i absolutely love that the advanced statistics are catching on nationwide... it is a truly unbiased way of looking at different parts of the game. i appreciate that you’ve incorporated that into your journalism.

[tayloreldridge]

Thank you! I'm still reading and learning about them every day. It's one thing to be able to report them, but I'm always looking to make sure I am able to digest them and present them in a clear-cut way that makes sense to everyone.

[RoyalShock]

So this is what it's like to feel entitled. I like it!

But seriously, we are spoiled now. The quality of work we WSU fans get from Taylor and Paul is amazing. Thanks, guys!

[wusphlash]

1) Is Gregg a Shockernet lurker?
2) Why doesn't he listen to some Shockernetters regarding timeouts?
3) Why did he hire assistants who, according to some SNers, know nothing about basketball?
4) Do you consider being a fan and being objective to be mutually exclusive?

[tayloreldridge]

1. Cannot confirm.
2. With a senior-laden team with a future pro playing point guard, he wanted to see the team work through its struggles on its own. There are some times where I was expecting a timeout to stop a run that never happened, but I think it's safe to say that Marshall deserves the benefit of the doubt here. The wins and championships speak for themselves.
3. I think that's a common misconception. I've talked basketball with all of those guys and I can assure you that they know the X's and O's of the game, just fine. I think last year was a learning experience for everybody playing up a weight class in the AAC.
4. I think you can come pretty close if you truly are trying to be objective, but you have to keep in mind that as a fan you are automatically going to be viewing the data through a different lens as another person who isn't a fan. I think that prevents you from being 100% objective, but I think you can come pretty close to it if you really do try to be impartial.

[proshox]

He reads shockernet. I have seen him do it during the MVC tournament (in the hotel lobby).

[proshox]

The assistant’s definitely “know” basketball. I think last year was more of a case of in familiarity with players and HCGM. It is hard to be assertive during critical periods of a game if that trust level isn’t there. Trust takes time.

[bighouse]

I love this! Both a sign of where sports and sports information is heading, and as if we couldn't already tell by the fantastic work he has done, how invested Taylor is.

[tayloreldridge]

I appreciate that!

[im4wsu]

1) Is Gregg a Shockernet lurker?
2) Why doesn't he listen to some Shockernetters regarding timeouts?
3) Why did he hire assistants who, according to some SNers, know nothing about basketball?
4) Do you consider being a fan and being objective to be mutually exclusive?

Just read yesterday that Phil Jackson was admired for not taking timeouts and letting his players work through adversity. Maybe GGG thinks Mr. Jackson was a prettty good coach.