I have a prediction

[C0|dB|00ded]

Good to see Cold in fine mid-season form.

I haven't been around for a while.. I'm still trying to get up to speed. I will say the pickup I witnessed helped. I was absolutely flabbergasted at what I saw. I don't know how to say this without clowning my own team, but several of the players on the floor that day looked like they belonged on a team up north. The athleticism and altitude of which several were operating at seemed foreign to me. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement.


T


...:cool:

[C0|dB|00ded]

I should have been more specific.. northeast.


T


...:cool:

[tropicalshox]

Celtics?

[pinstripers]

U of Maine?

[shoxtop]

somebody is setting up for disappointment

Without disappointment, how can you truly appreciate victory?

[Ricardo del Rio]

Stony Brook.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Undefeated in the Valley??!! You're forgetting, this is the Valley, home of Evansville, Drake, or whatever flavor of the week decides to suddenly rise up one night and play lights out to beat the top Valley teams, only to just as suddenly return to horrific play and end the season with an RPI of 192, thereby severely damaging if not destroying the at large chances of the top teams they beat. It happens practically every season in this stupid league. End rant.

On a more upbeat note, ending the drought in the Lou, or making the tournament as an at-large, is by no means out of the question for this talented squad. I am optimistic, but I want to see these guys play a real D-1 game before I start making predictions.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Bold Prediction... Shocks are extremely disappointing in 2012-2013 and lose early in the NIT following an 11-7 MVC record and another failure in St. Louis. 1 real bad loss in non-conference too. Shockernet has multiple meltdowns about whether Marshall is "the guy".

2013-2014, Shocks return to the Sweet 16 and all is good again.

[ShockerPrez]

You don't need experience to win in college basketball. We had all the experience last year and we lost in the semis in St Louis (Again) and got knocked out by a CAA team in the tournament (Again).

In college, you need better players. And I have to agree with Cold. We have better players.

Another thing. Follow these guys on Twitter and all you hear from them is when they are going to go play ball. When they are going to go lift. How high they are setting their goals. Etc, etc, etc.

Not saying they are going to go undefeated, but....

Not saying we will win the Valley, but....

Not saying we will have 2 NBA players, but....

Don't tell that to these guys.

[Speed]

I didn't buy season tickets to see a play-in team. Marshall doesn't show up to lose. We lost 2 guys being talked about for the NBA & replaced them with a HOF coach's best recruiting class ever. A coach who got a 6'4" guy to play well at pf.
If you are in the best recruiting class for a coach who just won a league title & went to NCAA, you don't plan on doing worse.
The league will be all about those we lost. I'm hoping for a predicted 3rd or 4th place finish. It will light a fire.

[BOBB]

@Speed: Who's predicting a play in team? But, let's cool it on the HOF talk. Being in the Big South HOF is like being a NJCAA DII All American.

[Aargh]

I think all the players know about each others credentials. When you know you're playing with 4 JuCo AA's, last year's National JuCo POY, a Parade AA, a top100 PG, a former starter in the Pac10, and you've got an athletic and muscular 7' center - then in pickup games you realize an unheralded former walkon (Baker) has some handles and is deadly from 3.

The expectations of the players on this team are going to be pretty high. They better be confident in their abilities or they will see the competition for PT and get freaked out. They all know there's going to be competition for starting spots. There's even going to be competition for who's the subs - even if Marshall goes with a 5-out and 5-in rotation.

I think the players are going to have a lot of respect for each other and realize what they can accomplish if they accept their role in the group, buy into what Marshall insists on - and play D "like their hair was on fire" and box out. It's going to be obvious to the players that if they don't meet Marshall's stndards, there's someone else on the squad who probably will.

This could be a very coachable group - due to the depth of quality players.

[ShockerPhi]

With the direction Shocker Basketball is headed right now, it's gonna be hard to be disappointed. HCGM defintely recruited some CAREER basketball players. These guys are coming to school to be able to take it to the next level. Just like @ShockerPrez: said, see these guys' posts on Twitter, and you know they are not messing around.

[1972Shocker]

I'm hoping for a predicted 3rd or 4th place finish. It will light a fire.

I think that will probably be the case, although one of hallmarks of consistently good programs is that the fire is lit even when they are picked 1st.

[WSUwatcher]

I seldom predict, but all the scrimmage and video watchers have me ready for action: so, assuming the Shocks stay healthy...

(a) they'll be fighting it out for the Valley regular season championship (first or second),
(b) they'll play for the tournament championship in St. Louis, and
(c) they'll be in the NCAA regardless of exactly how (a) and (b) turn out.