ISU game - Positives, Negatives, Observations

[SpanglerFan316]

#3 Lance Harris came to play. RC, MG, GM had good moments. We won't win many if PJ keeps getting in foul trouble. Hatch can stroke the 3 when he gets set and has an open look. PT was flat tonight. WP and AE are stuggling to find their niche on offense. Our team defense tonight was lacking. JT needs to really shore up his defense. GM sees the floor and made some very nice assists tonight. Illinois State has an impressive vetern squad and will make some noise this year.

Good post. I hope Lance Harris gets a few more minutes because he brings a spark to the team (and has some game). I hate to pick on anyone but WP needs to improve. Gris needs to keep improving.

I have not given up on the MVC tourney run. We need to shore up the defense but the season has turned into "improve the team, piece by piece, and maintain confidence." With a lot of luck, we could be the "(2006) Bradley of 2008."

[SpanglerFan316]

Here is a positive: This will keep volleyball and baseball as WSU's principle sports. ;-)


(Quit throwing things at me. :lol: )

[7hottamales]

#3 Lance Harris came to play. RC, MG, GM had good moments. We won't win many if PJ keeps getting in foul trouble. Hatch can stroke the 3 when he gets set and has an open look. PT was flat tonight. WP and AE are stuggling to find their niche on offense. Our team defense tonight was lacking. JT needs to really shore up his defense. GM sees the floor and made some very nice assists tonight. Illinois State has an impressive vetern squad and will make some noise this year.

Good post. I hope Lance Harris gets a few more minutes because he brings a spark to the team (and has some game). I hate to pick on anyone but WP needs to improve. Gris needs to keep improving.

I have not given up on the MVC tourney run. We need to shore up the defense but the season has turned into "improve the team, piece by piece, and maintain confidence." With a lot of luck, we could be the "(2006) Bradley of 2008."

O'Bryant, Sommerville, Wright, Ruffin, Bennett, and Andrews aren't walking through that door...

C'mon guys let's get any silly notions of things this team is nowhere near good enough to touch accomplishing out of our heads now. If only sets us up for future meltdown. This team will have accomplished something if it can play a competitive game on Friday in the Valley tournament.

[ShockerFever]

WP has been loyal since day one.. and has been done everything that has been asked. He should be applauded for that.

At the same time, coach has a job, and that's put together the best possible group of players that fit under his plan to win basketball games and come together as a team to go on to do great things.

I just don't think WP is turning out into what people thought him to be. He defends well some games, and looks lost at others. He can't hit a free throw if his life depended on it. His outside range rivals that of Craig Steven. And at times, he feels the need to force things, whether by a risky, difficult pass, or a wild shot into numerous defenders.

He's definitely a great kid that deserves a chance to play somewhere, at some level. I just don't think this is his level. It never really was.

[Phantom]

Hey Shox fans..

Just wanted to add in my 2 cents about the game tonight. The main thing I wanted to say (and please do not think I'm trying to rub it in or give you guys any crap or whatever 'cuz that is NOT my intent, and never would be), is to keep your heads up. You have a good team that never quits, at all. Despite the final score, I know my Redbirds and we had to earn this one tonight. The score was misleading. You guys came into our place and fought hard, made a lot of big shots, grabbed some big boards and overall just hustled.

I was happy to get nearly 6800 there tonight...considering how things have been the last few years thats a good crowd for us on a weeknight. Our fans were into it, but I'm sure the vast majority knew coming in that it wasnt going to be easy and again, despite the final score, it wasnt. I can say that the Shockers are NOT a team I want to run into in St. Louis in March. Hang in there, and hats off to your players for a tough but clean game (which is nothing new) tonight, and dont get down on your team. They are a solid group who I know, and all Redbird fans know, are not done yet. Not by a long shot.

:posterwsu:

[C0|dB|00ded]

Hey Shox fans..

Just wanted to add in my 2 cents about the game tonight. The main thing I wanted to say (and please do not think I'm trying to rub it in or give you guys any crap or whatever 'cuz that is NOT my intent, and never would be), is to keep your heads up. You have a good team that never quits, at all. Despite the final score, I know my Redbirds and we had to earn this one tonight. The score was misleading. You guys came into our place and fought hard, made a lot of big shots, grabbed some big boards and overall just hustled.

I was happy to get nearly 6800 there tonight...considering how things have been the last few years thats a good crowd for us on a weeknight. Our fans were into it, but I'm sure the vast majority knew coming in that it wasnt going to be easy and again, despite the final score, it wasnt. I can say that the Shockers are NOT a team I want to run into in St. Louis in March. Hang in there, and hats off to your players for a tough but clean game (which is nothing new) tonight, and dont get down on your team. They are a solid group who I know, and all Redbird fans know, are not done yet. Not by a long shot.

:posterwsu:

Being consoled and hearing "hang in there" from Illinois State fan is more sobering than anything I have yet experienced this year...

The current condition of the Shocker Basketball Program is a black eye on the university and the Shocker Nation. Just like HCGM said to the players at the half at Bradley "we are ALL letting down the proud tradition" of Wichita State and the city of Wichita for that matter. Let's pray for the bleeding to slow and hope that next year will be a big 180.

"Hanging in there..."


T


...8)

[Snapshot9]

I hope so, but it is a little disturbing to mark off the whole season pretty much when you are only half way done.

At this point, I am wondering who we can beat the rest of the way besides Evansville, and that isn't a given.

It might be a race between the Lady Shox and the Shox for best record this year........ :cry:

They don't look like the same team that played UAB and LSU.

Isn't it April 15th when spring recruiting opens up?

[tropicalshox]

Isn't it April 15th when spring recruiting opens up?

The regular signing period begins at 7am on April 16 and goes through May 21.

[wsu789]

The impediment to Phil driving is that they are playing off him five feet and begging to shoot from the outside.

[t7017s]

So you walk or dribble right up to the guy. Whats he gonna do back all the way down to the basket and let him have an open look at 15 ft. The important thing is that hes aggressive and makes that defender defend him rather than just standing out there doing nothing. Like I said I like seeing him throw up a couple 3s just to keep them honest but you have to assert your will on offense and this team let alone phil just is not doing that. We are playing into the game and pace that our opponents want rather than taking it to them and making them adjust to our pace and play. Not gonna win many when we play like a bunch of mommas boys on offense. We have got to be aggressive period.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Is it me or does anybody just wanna scream everytime Phil tries to shoot a 3, most of the time it barely hits the rim.

odd Everybody seems to moan and groan when he doesnt take that shot.

I spoke about it in the Creighton thread. But this is refreshing to know Im not the only one that thinks him shooting from behind the arc is down right.........


Lance played some good minutes. I was surprised.

As far as Wendell im sorry. I have been very high and in his corner since freshman year. Unfortunately hes just not getting it.

[Snapshot9]

If they aren't 'getting it' by the time they are a sophmore, I don't think you want to waste another 2 years on them, when you could get someone in here that does get it.

And that goes back to MT era too, carried a bunch of players that didn't get it or were 1 dimensional in their playing which resulted in minimal role players.

[kcshocker11]

Wendell deserves to graduate from Wichita State.

If we can't have one Wendell Preadom who has stuck it out through thick and thin and has done everything asked of him and never caused a problem then I don't want to be a supporter of the program.

:wsu_posters: :goshocks: :posterwu: :posterwsu:

You tell em Doc!

:posterwu: 8) 8)

[kcshocker11]

Hey Shox fans..

Just wanted to add in my 2 cents about the game tonight. The main thing I wanted to say (and please do not think I'm trying to rub it in or give you guys any crap or whatever 'cuz that is NOT my intent, and never would be), is to keep your heads up. You have a good team that never quits, at all. Despite the final score, I know my Redbirds and we had to earn this one tonight. The score was misleading. You guys came into our place and fought hard, made a lot of big shots, grabbed some big boards and overall just hustled.

I was happy to get nearly 6800 there tonight...considering how things have been the last few years thats a good crowd for us on a weeknight. Our fans were into it, but I'm sure the vast majority knew coming in that it wasnt going to be easy and again, despite the final score, it wasnt. I can say that the Shockers are NOT a team I want to run into in St. Louis in March. Hang in there, and hats off to your players for a tough but clean game (which is nothing new) tonight, and dont get down on your team. They are a solid group who I know, and all Redbird fans know, are not done yet. Not by a long shot.

:posterwsu:

Thanks Phantom. We Shocker fans never say die! :goshocks: 8)

[HockeyShock]

Positives:
Gal Mekel looking more mature. I refer back to my comparisons to Paul Miller his sophomore year. I think Gal may be turning the corner in understanding what he needs to do.

Mantas Griskenas (or as I call him: 'Zorak') taking another baby step forward in confidence. True, we'd rather he take leaps and bounds forward, but the fact that his soul isn't being crushed by this situation is good news for us next year.

Graham Hatch puts in another solid performance as role-player. No matter what the scholarship situation is, I don't see GH going anywhere - he's too good a shot and too mature a person; could end up being a real 'glue-guy' for the team.

Ramon: Just a warrior. Your dark horse candidate for 2008-09 Valley POY, you heard it here first.

Negatives:

Ball control - lazy passes have been pretty constant, and it sometimes looks like they want to finesse a pass inside (that lob in the first half). Guys, you can't finesse passes - you either get it there before the other team can react, or you put it where you KNOW nobody but your guy can get it, and frankly, we don't have the height to do the latter.

PJ playing out of control. You know he's frustrated, but he had some positively Jamar-ian mental breakdowns.

JT Durley, a.k.a. 'This Year's Phil Thomasson': A nice surprise in the non-con, completely disappeared since, and I don't see how he didn't get a concussion on that fall.

Lack of Height: We get blocked a lot, a lot more than I thought we would. Of course, that's what happens when your outside shooting is sub-par and you have to start banging things inside with an undersized team.

Observations:
I think Coach, the team, and the fanbase have all made the mental switch from "we need to compete for the Valley title" to "we need to get as ready as we can for the Valley tournament." Even if we were able to get Orupke here today, enrolled, and upload Tim Duncan's skillset into him a la The Matrix, we'd still need outside help to win the Valley regular season. For everybody's sanity, I think this is a right and proper mental shift to make.

Between the Creighton game and this, I think Coach is starting to make a list of teams he's going to exact some revenge on next year, and I'm MORE than okay with that.

:clap: :wsu_posters: :yahoo: :clap: