Wichita State Fan base description

[Shockm]

How would you describe our fan base? I used to think that WSU had some of the smartest fans, but true wisdom means you don't turn your back on a player or players without giving them some opportunity to turn things around. Some comments on here make me wonder if we are just stupid. I know that most of us don't see the team except when they play a game so have some perspective. Common sense sometimes seems to go out the window. Wisdom gives way to "stupidity". You don't know everything from just watching a game or three.

Gregg called out some of the negative comments on this forum last night after the game.

This is what Ed Cooley said about Wichita State.

"“I’m pretty sure their fan base is incredibly spoiled,” Cooley said. “They expect to win, more so understanding a coach has a new roster and a new group of players. When you win at the level Gregg has won at, people get greedy. Good for him on this win because it’s a really good win for him.”

It's like Ed Cooley has been on Shockernet and spent time reading comments.

I know that the TRUE fans will show up and cheer positively for this team just as we have always done when we weren't very good. Memories of this come to me when we showed up for the Creighton game (I think Gregg's first year) after we had lost some road games previously very badly. When the team came out of the tunnel, fans were on their feet cheering throughout the entire game.

I know I won't give up on AM yet. He hasn't played very well in the games so far, and there has been more improvement from the Echineque, and Udeze, but AM is still learning. Samajae had a great game yesterday against a Top Div. 1 team. He is still learning and will have some missteps coming up. MM had a great game last night. He's stumbled in games last year and this year but I've heard that he's been very consistently good at practice. He will have some missteps too but he still is our best player.

Everyone of our players deserves some grace. This team is a work in progress. We will not always have good games. I don't know how good we can get but some people need to show some perspective in their criticism.

This is just some of my perspective. I will always be a TRUE SHOCKER FAN. I hope some of you also post some positive comments. However, I know this won't be very popular so have at me if you wish.

[Windiwu]

I've worried for years that some of the team might read Shockernet and feel like they were getting punched in the mouth. It gets a lot overtop during some game threads. I also hope there has been some warning about the place to the players. BUT, you also have to keep in mind that this fanbase is the same fanbase that will meet the team on campus to cheer them on after coming home from an important road loss.

I think the most important thing about this road win last night is what GGG said. He now feels like he has a Shocker team back. It also lets those young men know what THEIR Shocker team can do. They should also recognize that if they can do that in their 2nd game against a d1 team, their future is really bright.

They will most likely still have some head shaking losses in the process this season but I still expect them to be a force to contend with before conference starts.

[Mr. Pickle]

Pretty tame stuff on here compared to other top flight teams' online forums that I have seen. I dont think the PLAY of the players should be above criticism - they are men at a high level D1 program, and critiquing their play is part of it. I do not, however, agree with any sort of personal attack, calling out players on their social medial accounts, etc. You can make objective statements on a public forum such as "Man, he was really bad last night" without being an a-hole about it, or going out of your way to degrade the player/team/coach.

I think we as a fanbase do have high and/or unrealistic expectations at times, and could probably real it in on occasion. But, at least we are a fanbase that cares, is passionate about the guys, and yearns for them to do well off and on the court.

[Steeleshocker]

I've been marinating on a couple of thoughts here. I don't think most of those who frequent this board or go to the games would be fake fans.

1) Marshall is misappropriating the booing from the season opener. Our fans are supportive of the team as long as they hustle. We boo at refs who do a poor job and opposing players who showboat in our arena. Both of those were true during the season opener. These fans are willing to go to war for their team.

2) we want this team to be a successful, but all fans know this will be a process. Regardless, there will be moaning and groaning during each turnover, bad shot, freshman mistake, poor box out, etc. And the reaction is pretty much consistent with the coaching staff.

3) the negative criticisms on social media are regrettable, but they are mostly spur of the moment reactions. Not unlike Gregg flipping out about a forced shot or missed layups or poor boxouts. The difference is those posts are semi-permanent. If we are talking about the game and living its ups and downs is evidence of true fans. Fake fans would not stick out any sort of suffering and just get off the bandwagon.

4) some of the criticisms of McDuffie and SHJ are overblown, but it is perfectly reasonable to point out they were forcing against LaTech. I'm ok with them shooting 20% from the field as long as they are the same shots they took against Providence. But when they force bad shots on the move and dribble into traffic causing turnovers it's just as frustrating for the coaches as the fans.

5) the fans overall have high expectations for the program, but we are far from spoiled (with maybe the exception of the students when they can't fill up free seats for an elite program). Every game, regardless of opponent, regardless of time, regardless of weather we show up 10k strong each game to support our team. Very very very few other fanbases can claim the same.

We may overreact and freak out and criticize, but the vast majority of these fans here at WSU care and will always support the coaches and players as long as they put forth maximum effort and represent the university well.

[Chickenhawk hunter]

I think that was very well put. A coach can call out fans for being fake, but a lot of us have lived through the 80's and 90's and we are still here. Supporting, cheering on the team and going to the games when there were about 6,500 fans at the most. so now we pack the house and get frustrated at times. We are still here and we will always support this team even when we are a bit impatient with the process. Go Shocks!!!

[BOBB]

Did I miss HCGM complaining about the fans?

[Windiwu]

Yeah. Evidently coach misinterpreted the boos on the final possession at Koch as about shockers and some players were getting bad comments on their social media later.

[WuDrWu]

Coach flat out said on the radio that he was ready to step outside and settle things with some of the fans.

[Kung Wu]

Frankly, our fan base rocks compared to any fan base out there.

On booing: Coach doesn't realize that our fans weren't booing the team - we were booing bad sportsmanship conveyed by the other team. I have never once heard our fan base boo our own team -- even in the dreadful 90s. I personally have only ever heard us boo bad sportsmanship and extremely bad refereeing (and even that is rare) -- that's actually amazing considering how passionate our fan base is. I once stood up and booed when I was served stale nachos, but my wife kicked me when nobody else in the crowd would join me in my cause -- sue me.

On "smarts": There are a lot of former D1 athletes, collegiate athletes, and collegiate basketball players contributing and lurking on this board. There are a lot of high level youth coaches on this board. The stadium has a LOT of those types of fans sitting in the seats. Our fan base knows the game. Our problem isn't that we are too dumb, but unfortunately at times we think we know more than we do. Thank God for HC3GM who actually DOES know what he is talking about. Can I get an "amen"?!

On Shockernet: Yes, the players are warned about Shockernet. Social media is MUCH more toxic than Shockernet, and they are also warned about social media. Yes, Shockernet is bi-freaking-polar, and I suppose it always will be. Just part of having an anonymous board full of passionate fans, I suppose.

On fickle/bandwagon fans: Yes, we have some. The way to get rid of them is lose all your games so that they will go cheer for KU. Other than that, success lures casual fans that hop on the bandwagon. Hopefully over time they become more educated and ingratiated into the typical Shocker fan "way". But sometimes they are just know-nothing, loud-mouth, negative nancies that expect perfection when perfection isn't on the menu. Don't know what you can do about it. Calling them out doesn't work because that looks like you are calling out the fans you actually appreciate, and the idiots aren't listening to you anyway. Every successful team gets these goofballs.

[shock]

I was there for “no more whistles” and booing the ref for calling fouls on the other team. Was that Creighton or ISU-b?

[proshox]

Shockernet is for self-indentified fanatics. Anybody expecting this place to be rational doesn’t understand fan psychology.

Also, as with any group, people play “roles” that are somewhat crazy on purpose.

I know for a fact that HCGM reads this site. I hope he uses it for entertainment only... and occasionall motivation. Using it to publicly weaponize press conferences is probably a bad idea, but the mad genius may be up to something....us against the world.

[AndShock]

Wichita State has some of the best fans on the internet especially when you break it down by total number divided by idiots. As has been mentioned, ShockerNet might seem bad but that’s because you haven’t been on enough fan message boards. ShockerNet is a heck of a lot cleaner than most boards.

IRL we’ve pulled in 10k+ for every regular season game over the past 13 years, that’s including a 5 year stretch of no NCAA tournaments. There are not a lot of programs that could pull that off. I can’t recall ever booing our team off the court. I can recall cheering the teams’ effort after losses.

We have one of the best traveling fan bases in the country, straight up, even without adjusting for enrollment or alumni size.

Any program that has had or will get Gregg Marshall is spoiled, he’s a top 5 coach and AFAIK probably the #1 clean coach. So Wichita State is definitely spoiled but we probably also deserve him as much or more than any other program.

[SHOCKvalue]

If you’re posting criticism towards players directly at their social media accounts, then brother, you be cra-cra.

Good grief... leave them alone; they’re kids.

[bunck]

No kidding. I hadn't heard about this until this thread but stuff like this is a big part of why I find so much of social media disgusting.

[ShockerFever]

lol you think this place is bad?

Go to the KU board after a loss and make some comparisons.

[SHOCKvalue]

This really is a VERY tame internet forum, no matter the subject/theme.

[DUShock]

Hey coach unless you want to see a lot of this from the old men & young punks of Shockernet, please do something about the shitty sound system, the crappy music instead of the band, and for fook's sake tell that autopilot of an AD Boatright to pay the damn heating bill and turn up the heat. Folks are wearing coats in the arena to watch our Shockers.

This is coming from a guy who would fall asleep listening to Shockers radio stream in the FOB Hornbeck TOC after 4 (occasionally more) of no real sleep to catch live games after jobs out in the City of Mosul.

I am very happy that you are "our" coach. I will be sitting in my seat with my family long after you hang it up or move on the greener pasture.

Please do not ever question my loyalty to this team or my alma mater.

[OregonShocker]

I'm not sure which social media sights HCGM was referencing last night, but there is irony in complaining about fans ripping MM and SHJ when the man himself told all the world his srs played like frosh and they needed to step up. I don't think anyone here said anything more personal than that.

[proshox]

I made similar comments... he ripped fans and then said the same exact things about MM and SHJ.

That is some Trump level projection.

[ShockTalk]

I'm not sure which social media sights HCGM was referencing last night, but there is irony in complaining about fans ripping MM and SHJ when the man himself told all the world his srs played like frosh and they needed to step up. I don't think anyone here said anything more personal than that.

It's one thing to take it from the coach and something else from fans, in content and volume.

The players have a personal relationship with the coaching staff. Perhaps it is part of his job to do so, the players know that, and hopefully take it to build on.

That being said, most everything posted on here is fairly tame for FANatics. I do believe some was touching boarderline. If we are indeed concerned with the success and well being of our athletic programs, that also includes wanting success and well being for those (the athletes) that try hard to provide those programs. I believe it also important to have a grounded base on reasonable expectations (the level of expectations were much higher last year than this year due to the experience level of the players and what we, as fans, had already experienced from those players).

I'm not sure how much we should expect from a senior who missed half the season last year and then never found his mojo; a senior who's playing time was dwindling to almost nothingness last year, a sophomore big man (remember, they take longer to develop) who saw very limited minutes, a red shirt freshman, two first years JUCOs, 6 freshmen (who are not 5 stars), and a handful of walkons.

I was one of many who stood up and cheered our players on the floor, who were all on the floor, fighting for position of the ball late in the second half of the last home game. They had not packed it in and neither had many of the fans. The players worked hard against Providence (and won) and as long as they continue that trend of work and dedication, I will try to temper my criticism (but not eliminate it).

[shoxlax]

This is so true. I can’t believe anyone is equating how a coach handles his players through the media and one on one vs fans crapping out of their mouth towards the team. This is not a double standard-completely different motives and relationships

[shoxrox89]

Honestly, I don’t think this fan base is that bad, I’ve never heard any stories like a fan showing up to one of the players dorm room and trying to offer free throw lessons, if it gets to that point then I’d be worried.