Wichita State Fan base description

[JVShocker]

Agree with many comments. Would also add that many years ago (for a lot of young-uns on here) when (I think) there were a total of four moderators on here. Royal kind of preferred the board on a tight leash, and that's how we worked. It was some time during a season (don't recall which) when people started complaining about this and that and when they went overboard we moderated and removed content that didn't belong or that was completely inappropriate. One fan went so far as to try and create an entirely different fan forum for people who wanted to vent as colorfully as they preferred. This board has a little more freedom than it did at that time, but would say this board is tame compared to the boards of a lot of other teams. I would also add that no player, family member or close acquaintance would be well served in spending 5 minutes on a fan board. You want to peek behind the curtain and see what fans thought of "your boy and his game" because he played so well, OK I understand that. Who doesn't like a little adulation.(?) But you take the good with the bad on here, especially if you take a looksie after a frustrating loss.

We're all fans of this team. :wsu_posters:

[Singeril]

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.

I pretty much agree with this...word for word. I think HCGM, who I think is an outstanding Coach, has over-reacted a bit and is showing a bit of thin skin. The fans were NOT BOOING the players on Tuesday night. He misinterpreted the booing....completely. It was directed at the LA Tech player who dunked in the closing seconds.

The fans on this website LOVE the Shockers and have supported the team for years...some of us, decades. I go back to 1981 with my beloved Black and Gold. It is not being unsupportive to call out a player’s mistakes...nobody is trashing the Shockers for doing so. On a fan site (which is, indeed, quite tame) one can have a reaction to a bonehead play or a lack of effort by a player and not be trashing the team. One can note poor execution of fundamentals. What have we become? Are we in the era where the trophy generation can’t take a little criticism? Remember just last year when McDuffie was (by HCGM’s standards) trashing the Shocker fans? I think the over-reaction is absurd...and uncalled for. We all support the Shockers. And will continue to do so no matter what happens this year. We know it is a rebuilding year. But, we reserve the right to be observant. We reserve the right to comment on our observations. Otherwise, let’s just put the program in a bubble and hope nobody gets hurt.

[Singeril]

And, one should note, that perhaps the fans reaction to that game on Tuesday helped the team to play better last night.

[wufan]

No

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Every fanbase includes some people that deprive some villages of an idiot. Ours is no exception. On the whole, though, we have one of the most passionate, knowledgeable, and level headed fanbases of any college basketball team anywhere.

When players are criticized on this board, it is usually done with justification and with the hope the player will improve. The rest of the criticism is just fans being fans. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen a comment that was inappropriate.

[OregonShocker]

HCGM: "McDuffie and Haynes-Jones played terribly."
Fanbase: "McDuffie and Haynes-Jones played terribly."
HCGM: "I can't believe the way some on social media ripped into the players!"

[wufan]

Not quite. Several posters were asking for a full on youth movement, etc.

[DUShock]

Just a thought, maybe the guys have been reading social media posts and it understandably got their dobbers down. Perhaps, and it isn’t just a thought, HCGM was showing them some love to them with his comments. Just a thought.

Go Shocks!

[Topshock]

I have voiced my strong support of GM on several occasions, but come on, this is a message board and people are, and should be, completely free to voice their opinions. If he want to take exception with any of mine, I will be glad to meet him wherever he wants.

[OregonShocker]

Ask him about free throws!

[IndianaShocker]

Good stuff on here. I agree this is a tame fan forum and even semi sane.

Being a lifelong Hoosier, this place can become a downright lunatic festival. A friend of mine's father literally lost his job over Knight being fired. He was so distraught he couldn't/didn't go to work for three days and ended up unemployed over it.

I'm not excusing anyone's comments on here (including mine which were in piss poor taste and uncalled for), but players arent going to be offended by anything I've read here. The very worst stuff is at best high school level trash talk. I dont know the background of all our players, but many if not most d1 basketball players come from backgrounds that range from challenging to horrible. Just to get this far they've had to have a toughness about themselves that shockernet can't touch.

[choida]

KU fans that think their player's are above the law and think they are the best thing since sliced bread must be really smart.

[top20shock]

SHOCKER NATION is strong and it’s National. I Iove my school and our team and Coach. Carry on 3 G .. he’s the GOAT!

[Shocknroll33]

It's all good. This season has several new dynamics that the team, staff, coaches, and all of us shockernet uberfans aren't used to. This causes some stress and anxiety bc of the sheer # of unknowns. The growing pains of this (talented) team aren't only with the players, but all of shocker nation. I thought some of the posts after the Catawba exhibition we're unnecessarily negative (I called some of you Francises lol) but knew the comments were out of love for our Shox. After the rebounding/ft shooting fiasco known better as the La. Tech loss, I knew criticism was coming on here. Still out of love, just a harsher, borderline meaner criticism.
I'm sure some players/coaches heard or read some of this. I'm also fairly sure that this helped get that fire in their bellies and that grit back in their eyes.
The Providence game is where all the work the young men have done showed up in spades, and we all saw shockers playing shocker ball. (And it was glorious lol)
I figure that when it came together and we got that very nice W, there was a huge sense of relief through out that these guys are doing it sooner rather than later.
So Coach GM gave us a little "in your face" jab, good for him. If you are a true fan, you didn't take it personally. You realized it was aimed at the poser type fans that love spewing negative crud.
Anyways, whatever, we ARE an amazing fan base, we are a top flight team, and we DO have the best head coach we could ever want.
It's still just all love and remember...
Shocks got this
In Gregg Marshall we trust

[Veritas]

He’s probably referencing those similar to Shockworthy@worthyshock on Twitter. Not a a WSU fan and doing what they can to tear down HCGM and the seniors.

[Eric]

Maybe coach won’t have to take him outside. Maybe a couple of us geezers can teach the lad the wonders of old age and treachery.

[ShockerFever]

He’s probably referencing those similar to Shockworthy@worthyshock on Twitter. Not a a WSU fan and doing what they can to tear down HCGM and the seniors.

Wow, what a loser. Seems like some obsessed KU/KSU fan who probably is living off our tax dollars, who has nothing better to do with their existence. I bet they're pretty lonely too.

[Shockm]

I don’t patronize Phognet often, and never post. However, I went there several days ago and there was a poster who obviously knows the Shockers and they were raking HCGM, saying he had called out some fans after the La Tech loss. Definitely not a true Shocker but someone who at the very least lurks around us.

[Blackmag]

I think we have a very knowledgeable and passionate fan-base. Yes we get a little crazy at times and some of the comments are over the top. But I know the fans want what’s best for the team and coach. I love our coach, I think he’d take a bullet for his players and the university. He always talks up Wichita and Shocker Nation when he’s speaking about basketball and the passion the city has for this team.