The Official Embrace The Hate Thread

[another shocker]

Wiggins will come ready next year. He will know what he is in for and he won't want to come off the bench his senior year.

He knows what he has to do this off season and he will do it.

Our 2-4 slots next year will be ridiculous. The questions are for 1 and 5.

his mother was a world class sprinter and his father played in the nba. one would think he will train long and hard this summer, the right way. he should have all the expert mentoring he may need right at home.

[SubGod22]

Wiggins will come ready next year. He will know what he is in for and he won't want to come off the bench his senior year.

He knows what he has to do this off season and he will do it.

Our 2-4 slots next year will be ridiculous. The questions are for 1 and 5.

I'm not really concerned about any spots.

1 - VanVleet, Baker, Bowles, Holland, Cotton are all options
2 - Baker, Wiggins, Wessel, Cotton, Holland are all options
3 - Early, Baker, Wiggins, Cotton, Green are all options
4 - Early, Watson, Lufile, White, Green are all options
5 - Coleby, Watson, Lufile, Morris are all options

There may be a little youth, but these are legit talents. Bowles was originally committed to a BE school. Morris is one of the top players in Oklahoma. Holland has unlimited range.

We'll be just fine. Especially come Valley play.

[Dave Stalwart]

Haha yeah. This is all reminding me...THIS was supposed to be the rebuilding year, people.

My goodness

[ShockBand]

If this wasn't a rebuilding year we would have already clinched the Valley title.

[forevershockerfan]

Next Season, we will be a better % team from the trifecta range I do believe. It is exciting to now hear 3G mentioned twice how well Coleby and FreshVV are connecting on alley oops in practice. Coach said Coleby is a quick jumper and blocks shots quite well. If Wiggy does get stronger, Cle keeps improving, and Bowles is good enough to challenge FVV to the max. , then watch out. Actually Baker and Wessel will not only keep improving on their shooting, but both add to our quality D. Speaking of shooting, Holland only has shooting range from out on the corner of 21st and Hillside so that will be cool.

[Steeleshocker]

I'm not really concerned about any spots.

1 - VanVleet, Baker, Bowles, Holland, Cotton are all options
2 - Baker, Wiggins, Wessel, Cotton, Holland are all options
3 - Early, Baker, Wiggins, Cotton, Green are all options
4 - Early, Watson, Lufile, White, Green are all options
5 - Coleby, Watson, Lufile, Morris are all options

There may be a little youth, but these are legit talents. Bowles was originally committed to a BE school. Morris is one of the top players in Oklahoma. Holland has unlimited range.

We'll be just fine. Especially come Valley play.

This, I'm not able to make the annual trek to St. Louis, but I'm saving up my nickels and dimes for next year. Thinking about the talent of Wiggins and Early as seniors who have figured it out. Kadeem Coleby who is a big talent to help us with the transition to the next generation. Lufile getting it done with physicality and rebounding. FVV running the show for an entire year. All of our top three point threats healthy and available (Green, Baker, Wiggins, Early, and possibly Holland). The defensive toughness of Cotton showing everyone how to get things done on that end of the court.

This really was a rebuilding year for this team. We should be even better next year. We lose some quality players, but gain a ton in returners from injury, transfers becoming eligible, redshirts finishing their year of education, JuCo transfers, and new young high school blood.

[forevershockerfan]

Mr. Green can also shoot well and has range. If more D. is needed, I am sure he is focusing on that along with get stronger. This Season was our deepest team maybe ever until the injuries. Next season, in terms of quality depth, we should be even potentially better. Will we be better than this Season though after graduating some solid Senior leadership? Maybe, so stayed tuned right here for summer updates. Let's hope the prognosticaters keep us under the radar again, pick us 3-6 in the Valley again, pick Creighton to win the Valley again, then we play angry and wake up some folk again. We will make our 'growing hate and discontent posse' so delirious with that scenerio. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!

[1972Shocker]

And then you factor in who everyone else is losing. It starts to feel really good. We could be, but don't have to be, better than our own team this year. We should almost certainly be better than the rest of the valley even if we aren't.

UNI loses a lot. Evansville loses the colt. Ill st loses Jackie. Cu loses what little defense and rebounding they could ever hang their hat on. The list goes on in one way or another.

I guess the only team who doesn't fit that line of thinking is the trees and WSU.

We will be better than the trees next year.

It's not like the Shocks are not taking a hit. We will miss Armstead, Williams, Hall and Orupke. However, the same thing could be said about last year when we had to replace Durley, Blair, Ellis and Hatch and this year when we had to repalce Stutz, Murry, Ragland, Smith and Kyles. What the Shocks have now with 3G is a proven track record of being able to replace and reload and we have the pieces in place and liend up with the potential to continue that track record.

Creighton loses Gregory Echineque and Jake Gibbs. (Josh Jones career ended this year due to health issues). The big question in BJ land is will Doug McDermott stay or go. My guess is that he will return for his Senior year.

Northern Iowa loses three 5th year seniors in Jake Koch, Anthony James and Austin Pehl and one 4-year senior in Marc Sonnen. UNI has another Koch brother coming in next year. 6-9, 210 Bennett Koch.

Indiana State has no seniors on this year roster and will have 5 solid seniors, 2 juniors and 2 sophomores that have all played good minutes this year.

Illinois State loses Jackie Carmichael, Tyler Brown, John Wilkins and Anthony Cousins.

Evansville loses Colt Ryan, Ned Cox, Troy Taylor and Lewis Jones. We will have another father-son combo in the league next year as Marty Simmons' son joins his dad as an incoming freshman. I think he is supposed to be a pretty good player also. I think he is about 6'5". Will he be the one running off all of the endless screens next year?

Bradley loses Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Will Egolf and Jake Eastman.

Drake loses Ben Simons, Jordan Clarke and Chris Hines.

Missouri State loses Anthony Downing. I assume the will get Jamar Gulley back for his senior season after missing this year with injury.

Sourthern Illinois loses Jeff Early, T.J. Lindsey and Kendal Brown-Surles. Some speculation on SaltukiTalk earlier this year that Desmar Jackson isn't that fond of school and my leave early to play pro-ball overseas. My guess is he will be back.

While the Shocks cupboard seems to be fully stock for another reload year, I don't really know enough about the other schools recruiting classes and/or transfers to have a good feel for how other MVC teams will fare in replacing their losses. Maybe @tropicalshox: can shed some light on that.

My guess is we will see the Shocks picked to finish 3rd next year when the preseason polls come out behind Indiana State and Creighton (assuming McDermott returns).

[Dave Stalwart]

It's really going to make the valley vanillas mad when they have to pick us first because there are no other arguments.

[Dave Stalwart]

1972 I just now saw your post. That was a really nice break down. I do agree. We lose some solid players. I was thinking more along the lines of who we bring back rather than who we are losing. When I think about all the turnover everywhere else and compare that to coleby/Lufile, early/white, cotton/Wessel, baker/wiggins, freshvv/whoever....

And then all the new people

It's hard to see any teams other than the trees and maybe the blue jays (IF mcd returns) as even having arguments unless, like you said, they have solid incoming groups that we don't follow.

Also we showed that we can win without hall this year. Armstead has been awesome but not irreplaceable, DWill didn't even start for a while, and EO is EO. These guys are all fantastic in one way or another but compare that to cu losing Echenique, ill st losing Carmichael and brown, UNI losing everything. It doesn't feel like the same magnitude of a loss with this team.

The trees are it for me. Especially if McD goes pro, although he will probably want to be loyal to family as best he can

[Dave Stalwart]

How long until someone comes on and says 'hey everybody, the season isn't over. Stop talking about next season'

Shouldn't be too long now.

[forevershockerfan]

As I look out at the "winter wonderland" outside today, I can't quit thinking about and relishing in the "white out" at Omaha last Season. Is this wrong of me and only adding fuel to the fire forthcoming? Should we be scart? Should we remember we still live in Wichita and try to forget the somber, but not always sober, premature exiting during that game?
Was it not their worst home loss ever?

Should we forget about the "WSU NIT signs" they use to flaunt at us? Was it wrong of me at the basketball camp here last summer to pause for so long and embellish in that very game that was playing on our scoreboard as Ben Smith and Rags was lighting them up like a Christmas Tree in downtown Omaha all over again? Okay, enough of looking back because our Shocks have unfinished buswax to do moving forward. First Detroit, then purple aces, and only then the blue-blue jaybirds. Lots of tough games left to play for our MTXE Angry Shockers, one at a time. Got it.

[shockmonster]

I believe ‘strength’ is Wiggy's major ‘weakness’... he can jump out of the gym, but can't take it to the rack with authority. He's had several dunk attempts rejected recently. If he'll commit to the weight room during the off-season, watch out next year.

That (strength to get to the rim) and a mid-range pull up game.

[1972Shocker]

It's really going to make the valley vanillas mad when they have to pick us first because there are no other arguments.

As I said, I think they will pick us 3rd behind INS and CU. Not sure who they will pick first between INS and CU. They will do what they always do. They will see that WSU is losing 4 starters and just assume will not be able to overcome that again (despite doing exactly that last year and this year).

However, when you really analyze it we will effectively be returning 4 starters: Baker, Wessell, Early and Cotton. We can fill in the front court quite nicely with Coleby, Lufile, Watson and Morris. We have the potential to be a very good perimeter shooting team with Baker, Wessell, Early, Wiggins, Green and Holland (assuming Holland doesn't redshirt).

Perhaps our biggest quesion, and it is a very important question, will be at the point. FVV has shown signs that he can be very good but has also had his growing pains this year. Is Bowles good enough to push FVV for starting time at the point guard? I guess we will find out. The good thing is that Ron Baker has shown he can capably man the point if needed, although I don't see that as his primary function, but we will be young at the point next year.

[pogo]

I always hate (embrace it) it when someone says "hey I told you so" but I told you so at the beginning of the year. I believe my post was in reference to a conversation I had with Mr Kennedy and he told me "We're going to be better than last year". I am going to agree with everyone so far that we will be better next year again. The only questions will be who the red shirts will be. Also whenever we have had a thread like this we have the guys show up and call the positive ones "sunshine pumpers" where are those guys? Inquiring minds want to know.