How large is the athletic gap between Wichita State and the rest of the league?

[LuskingforGuttin]

That is very surprising to hear. I would think the MSU fan base would be on fire about their game tonight against Philander Smith College. With all due respect to Mr. Smith I can honestly say I have never heard of this institution of higher learning. Apparently an NAIA school.

Not a great matchup for my Bears but at least they won't bring down the good old RPI. That being said I don't see NC Central as being too much of an exciting opener for WSU either. Both of the schools that we cheer for should win handily tonight. Best of luck!

And I don't post on bearnation anymore because I was banned for negativity in the wake of coaching changes, football struggles, etc. So I just post on MVCfans and some other Valley boards. I don't drink the Koolaide like some Missouri State fans and they have made it pretty clear that they don't appreciate my honest appraisals, critiques, and so forth.

[1972Shocker]

Who knows how much, but we will find out soon enough.

Yes we will and when you get down to the bottom line the real question is who has the best basketball players that have melded into the best basketball TEAM. Athleticism of indiviudal players is only one component of that.

[im4wsu]

Both of the schools that we cheer for should win handily tonight. Best of luck!

I sure hope not, because my tickets are for TOMORROW!

[1972Shocker]

I sure hope not, because my tickets are for TOMORROW!

Maybe he is predicting a win for the Lady Shocks VB team over the Lady Bears.

[ShockerFever]

Maybe he is predicting a win for the Lady Shocks VB team over the Lady Bears.

I hope Casey enjoyed that beat down.

[moshock]

I hope Casey enjoyed that beat down.

I'm thinking Trout

[Dave Stalwart]

Hehe BUMP!!!

It's really big :) even Greg McD said it on record after the game.

[Trueshock]

Case in point. Mc Dermott is a very fine player,but he is not much of an athlete.He is 6'8" and rarely dunks if ever . I don't know that he can. He is not slow, but not speedy either and has little muscle strength

[ABC]

Someone who can average 25 points in high level college basketball is a good athlete. McD can score in a dozen different ways.

[SHOXAAC]

Case in point. Mc Dermott is a very fine player,but he is not much of an athlete.He is 6'8" and rarely dunks if ever . I don't know that he can. He is not slow, but not speedy either and has little muscle strength

Take note of the "reply with quote." If you are defining, in part, an athlete as a player with 6-8 height and rarely dunk then how do explain Larry Bird. Bird was not speedy, but he was a successful basketball player. SoW is a very successful basketball player that will make a ton of money in a league called the NBA.

[CBB_Fan]

There are two types of athleticism. One is what normally call athleticism: jumping high, running fast, etc. In more technical terms, this is known as gross motor skill. Essentially, gross motor skill involves the usage of the larger units of the human body: legs, arms, feet, or the entire body. Dunking is a skill that requires a high level of gross motor skill.

The other is type of athleticism is known as fine motor skill. This is control over the smaller units of the human body, such as fingers, toes, or wrists. Shooting the basketball, dribbling precisely, and using post moves all involve fine motor skill.

Doug does not have a large amount of gross motor skill. He cannot out-run or out-jump every D1 athlete, though he probably would be surprisingly athletic to a normal person (see Brian Scalabrine dominating people in 1 on 1 to see what I mean). His fine motor skill is very high though, and that is what he uses to score so easily. He can execute small, precise motions very quickly and with a high degree of precision, which explains his shooting touch and excellent post moves.

In terms of making it to the next level, his gross motor skill probably will not inhibit him on offense. He can use his post moves to get open or knock down contested shots at a high enough level that he can play in the NBA. The question will be defense, which rewards gross motor skills more than fine motor skills. If McDermott is a slow small forward, can he do anything to prevent a freak athlete like Paul George from blowing past him? Or, if he is a small power forward, can he prevent a taller player like a Kevin Love from posting him up or shooting over him?

Either way, I think at a minimum he will make it as a catch-and-shoot gunner.

[AZ Shocker]

He will totally play in the NBA. So will a couple Shockers!

[pogo]

Looking at our halftime score not as much as we had hoped.

[Dave Stalwart]

Looking at the moments that followed the halftime situation I feel a little better about it.

[Dave Stalwart]

We just broke the resolve of another mvc team in the same way we did it to UNI. I was starting to feel bad again towards the end.

Picket committed a cheap foul just to get taken out of the game at one point and his coach patted him on the back as if to say "I support that cop out because I don't want to coach this game anymore either"