Optimism

[Wushocka]

I wish I could dredge up the thread where ABC berated KC for his weird buzz kill behavior. I think it was last baseball season. It was a classic.

I'm sorry I'm sure he thinks he is cute or smart for doing it but to me he is just a big coward! He hides in the safety of his negativity, thus giving him a "win, win" if he is wrong then great the Shox won or did well. If he is right he soaks his wounds in "see I told you so salve". Dude send me your address and I will UPS you a KU hoodie!

[GarH]

Yesterday's game was really frustrating and disappointing, but like everyone else I feel very good about the future. Actually VERY,VERY good.

I feel so sorry for the seniors for not winning a game in the dance, but I will be forever be grateful for what they did accomplish this year and that they were the foundation of the future.

[KC Shox]

It must be miserable being you! You are without a doubt the most pessimistic fan I have ever seen. Why do you bother?

Cuz I keep it real little fella. Living in the land of the Sunshine Pumpers can be downright miserable. Discussions of basketball can be a wasted effort due to the Pumpers emotional take hold of the topic. Not all Pumpers are bad, some actually provide support for their train of thought. If you're trying to pick a fight and get me stirred up, I hate to tell ya' that it would be an exercise in futility.

By the way, I'm living quite well. Got my degree from WSU, I have a beautiful wife, two beautiful children, a funny Boston Terrier, live in the suburbs, have zero credit card debt, am employed in a stable industry and still have my mental and physical faculties. Life ain't bad over here.

[Wushocka]

Cuz I keep it real little fella. Living in the land of the Sunshine Pumpers can be downright miserable. Discussions of basketball can be a wasted effort due to the Pumpers emotional take hold of the topic. Not all Pumpers are bad, some actually provide support for their train of thought. If you're trying to pick a fight and get me stirred up, I hate to tell ya' that it would be an exercise in futility.

By the way, I'm living quite well. Got my degree from WSU, I have a beautiful wife, two beautiful children, a funny Boston Terrier, live in the suburbs, have zero credit card debt, am employed in a stable industry and still have my mental and physical faculties. Life ain't bad over here.

Good for you! Little buddy!

[wufan]

@KCShox:,

Nothing wrong with being a realist. Nothing wrong with keeping an even keel in good times and bad, but you've always got a negative slant. That's okay too, but this thread is titled "Optimism." There are plenty of threads available for you to post negative thoughts right now. You could have held your thoughts and posted them in a different thread. Just a thought.

As to the future, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Hall, Williams, Orukpe, Armstead. Cotton and White. Early, Van Vleet, Hawkins, and Green. Wessel, Baker, and Anacreon. Marshall, Jans, and co.

I like our chances!

[forevershockerfan]

Last Season, our peak began one game too late. Even so, ending the Season with a win was something few teams at this level have ever accomplished. Recently, shortly after the Shocks pounded Creighton, I had a Shocker fan accost me with a statement about our beloved Shocks at that juncture. What he said was something I did not breath a word of on here. However, what he said stuck in my lil pea brain and never left. I fought this thought both tooth and nail. This is what he said, right after that Creighton win. "hey FSF, you don't suppose our Shocks are peaking too early do you." Quickly, I blew him off but kept that potential pragmatic possibility in my sub-conscience. Then comes the last 2 games, both being as close losses for the good guys.

Yes, this Season's team could have, should have, might have and if if if. However, I am very thankful this group of Seniors got us to th Dance and we will NOT be waiting 6 more years to dance again? Stutz did not lose the game last night. When we go down, we all lose together. We were sure all right there when things were cooking in olive oil. Thus, let's hope the Shockers returning and heading our way will want to raise the black and yellow bar still another notch. When? The sooner the better. Let's make this Dance Thang a Shocker protocol. Stay tuned.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

If we hadn't have peaked when we did, I'm not confident we would have gotten into the tournament. And if we did, our seed would have probably been significantly lower.

[KC Shox]

@KCShox:,

Nothing wrong with being a realist. Nothing wrong with keeping an even keel in good times and bad, but you've always got a negative slant. That's okay too, but this thread is titled "Optimism." There are plenty of threads available for you to post negative thoughts right now. You could have held your thoughts and posted them in a different thread. Just a thought.

As to the future, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Hall, Williams, Orukpe, Armstead. Cotton and White. Early, Van Vleet, Hawkins, and Green. Wessel, Baker, and Anacreon. Marshall, Jans, and co.

I like our chances!

You're right. If GM stays, which means our recruits stay, our program is in terrific shape. Will FVV be our version of ISU red's Nic Moore? I hope so and then some. With Armstead in the mix, would it be better to RS FVV? In order to finish in the top 4 of the conference, some of our key players who came off the bench this season are going to have to demonstrate that they improved over the off-season by double or triple of what they contributed this season.

Creighton and ISU red are 1 and 2, if our incoming freshman can make immediate impacts we'll be young, NIT quality and the future will be bright.

[pinstripers]

exactly

[Aargh]

I could see next year's team with a shot at making the NCAA's.

Orukpe - won't score a lot but he's awfully disruptive on D and he gets boards.
Hall - With a year of D1 under his belt, I expect we will see THE BEAST on a regular basis.
White - A sumer of workouts and a year older plus what he was doing at the end of the year and he should be solid.
Early - Just may end up playing SF. He's likely to be the scoring punch on the front line. 6'8" guy with handles and a cross-over.

That's 3 experienced front court players and only one new guy to work into the mix.

Williams - Proven player.
Armstead - Great defender. Mature PG with lots of high-level D1 experience
Cotton - Should have better stats with an expanded role and expectations.
Baker - Supposed to be the best shooter on the team THIS year. 3-point shooter with some handles and ability to drive.
VanVleet - True PG. Coachable. Deceptive. Killer crossover. Great direction reversal and stop-and-go moves with the ball. Solid shooter. Can go to the hoop.
Mitchell - JuCo AA who is only needed as a role player.

There's the back court and there's only one new guy to work into the back court. Not as much experience as this year, but there's ONLY ONE player new to the program in that group - and he's a top-100 type player.

Then there are a couple other guys

Wessel - Probable role player giving relief minutes at SF
Anacreon - ??? I don't see a spot where he's likely to be able to contribute
Uwadiae - RS
Green - RS
Hawkins - Eligibility?? If he's here - potential 3/4 backup

While the Shox will be considered inexperienced, I see a potential 11-deep rotation that has only two true first-year players. We don't often see true first-year players with the apparent potential of Early and VanVleet.

I'm certainly not predicting an NCAA team, but you might want to at least keep that thought on the back burner, just in case things heat up nicely.

[Aargh]

One thing I forgot in the previous post, but it's worth its own post.

I'm not of the opinion that Marshall is the best X's and O's coach in the Valley or the best in-game coach in the Valley. I do see him learning and I do see adjustments from year to year. IlSU and VCU both used the sme thing - relentless "in your face" pressure on the perimeter players. I suspect there will be a plan to counter that next year. That's just one example. Marshll gets out coached and he gets beat, but he learns and he adjusts. He's not stubborn about thinking his way is the best way or the only way. He learns, adjusts, and adapts, just not with the instantaneous action fans would like to see.

We will have a better coach next year.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

I could see next year's team with a shot at making the NCAA's.

Orukpe - won't score a lot but he's awfully disruptive on D and he gets boards.
Hall - With a year of D1 under his belt, I expect we will see THE BEAST on a regular basis.
White - A sumer of workouts and a year older plus what he was doing at the end of the year and he should be solid.
Early - Just may end up playing SF. He's likely to be the scoring punch on the front line. 6'8" guy with handles and a cross-over.

That's 3 experienced front court players and only one new guy to work into the mix.

Williams - Proven player.
Armstead - Great defender. Mature PG with lots of high-level D1 experience
Cotton - Should have better stats with an expanded role and expectations.
Baker - Supposed to be the best shooter on the team THIS year. 3-point shooter with some handles and ability to drive.
VanVleet - True PG. Coachable. Deceptive. Killer crossover. Great direction reversal and stop-and-go moves with the ball. Solid shooter. Can go to the hoop.
Mitchell - JuCo AA who is only needed as a role player.

There's the back court and there's only one new guy to work into the back court. Not as much experience as this year, but there's ONLY ONE player new to the program in that group - and he's a top-100 type player.

Then there are a couple other guys

Wessel - Probable role player giving relief minutes at SF
Anacreon - ??? I don't see a spot where he's likely to be able to contribute
Uwadiae - RS
Green - RS
Hawkins - Eligibility?? If he's here - potential 3/4 backup

While the Shox will be considered inexperienced, I see a potential 11-deep rotation that has only two true first-year players. We don't often see true first-year players with the apparent potential of Early and VanVleet.

I'm certainly not predicting an NCAA team, but you might want to at least keep that thought on the back burner, just in case things heat up nicely.

If only...

[shockmonster]

One thing I forgot in the previous post, but it's worth its own post.

I'm not of the opinion that Marshall is the best X's and O's coach in the Valley or the best in-game coach in the Valley. I do see him learning and I do see adjustments from year to year. IlSU and VCU both used the sme thing - relentless "in your face" pressure on the perimeter players. I suspect there will be a plan to counter that next year. That's just one example. Marshll gets out coached and he gets beat, but he learns and he adjusts. He's not stubborn about thinking his way is the best way or the only way. He learns, adjusts, and adapts, just not with the instantaneous action fans would like to see.

We will have a better coach next year.

Wow, you're smart.

[SubGod22]

I'm starting to lean towards Green playing. We may need another shooter.

[wufan]

You're right. If GM stays, which means our recruits stay, our program is in terrific shape. Will FVV be our version of ISU red's Nic Moore? I hope so and then some. With Armstead in the mix, would it be better to RS FVV? In order to finish in the top 4 of the conference, some of our key players who came off the bench this season are going to have to demonstrate that they improved over the off-season by double or triple of what they contributed this season.

Creighton and ISU red are 1 and 2, if our incoming freshman can make immediate impacts we'll be young, NIT quality and the future will be bright.

Holy cow! I can't believe you just wrote that. I think FSF just hi-jacked your account.