We'll be better

[pogo]

Standing in line to meet HCTB Dave Dahl and I had a llittle time to talk about the Final Four run. At the end of it he said "we are going to be better this year". Last year it was Mike Kennedy that told me the same thing. I think Dave knows a little about what he's talking about and he admitted he hasn't even seen the new guys work out yet. So you heard it here first. We will be better.

[jdshock]

I really think our talent on paper will be better. I don't even see any chemistry issues. I think all of our guys are great young men. But how much of our final four run was Carl Hall? Part of making the final four is talent, part is having the cards fall right, and I believe for us this last year part was having a grown man who just refused to lose.

[shocks02]

I really think our talent on paper will be better. I don't even see any chemistry issues. I think all of our guys are great young men. But how much of our final four run was Carl Hall? Hall was 26 years old. He graduated high school at 20 and was six years out. A 26 year old leads a team much differently than a 19 year old. Part of making the final four is talent, part is having the cards fall right, and I believe for us this last year part was having a grown man who just refused to lose.

Not sure where you heard that. Carl was born on March 29, 1989. http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticl...CLID=205241927

[GoShockers89]

.

[wufan]

We have a chance to be better. Van Vleet, Baker, Cotton, Early and Coleby…Bowles, Wiggins, Wessel, Carter, Lufile…Simon, Holland, Green, Watson, Morris.

Our third team is talented, though lacking experience.

[MadaboutWu]

Carl was born on March 29, 1989. He was 23 for almost of his senior year.

Until the final four run. At that point he used a time machine to go forward to 2015 and brought back his 26-year-old self, that's why his hair looked different. The Eagle was in on the cover-up with the article on the haircut and sending his locks to mama. I don't blame 'em; we would have been looking at massive sanctions, plus a possible rip in the space-time continuum.

[MadaboutWu]

In March-April 2015 you can expect Carl to drop out of sight for about a month with some unexplained injury. He'll be leading our team to to 2013 final four run.

[ShockerPrez]

We will be better during the regular season.

The rest can be a crap shoot. I would be willing to say an NCAA tourney win would be expected. After that. ???? Could have a better team, but not catch that lightning we had this year.

This year was special.

[jdshock]

You're all right, of course. I had something mixed up from this thread. http://shockernet.net/forum/showthre...rl-Hall-rumors Posts mentioned that he graduated at 20 and I knew that he got the 6th year of eligibility granted from the NCAA. I put two and two together, when one of those two's was inaccurate.

Regardless, he was 24 and had a child. My point was that Carl Hall was an excellent leader and I think a part of that was maturity from his age and his experiences. I think VanVleet showed a heckuva lot of maturity for being a freshman this last year and I think he will do an excellent job this next year.

[Rlh04d]

We will be better during the regular season.

The rest can be a crap shoot. I would be willing to say an NCAA tourney win would be expected. After that. ???? Could have a better team, but not catch that lightning we had this year.

This year was special.

Definitely. I don't think particular expectations for the tourney are anywhere near fair at this point, beyond making it and maybe at least one win.

I have almost no doubt we're going to be better in the regular season, though. Unquestionably in the conference. Our second team wouldn't lose six conference games this season.

Just hope we're clicking and (mostly) healthy going into the tournament again.

[choida]

sometimes you gotta draw a over rated Big East team, then the softest one seed maybe ever...i kid i kid...then catch a street balling team from out from Philly, and then an experienced team who had been barely winning themselves...We lost to the eventual champion on a controversial call...so it is what it is...GOSHOX and love the future...so bright need Ray Bans

[Aargh]

There isn't much doubt that Paul Miller put the team on his back and refused to lose in the 2006 run to the S16.

Carl Hall was a key figure in the run to the F4, but who was it that put the team on their back and refused to lose? Was it Hall, Early, Baker, or VanVleet? Or Cotton?

There wasn't much doubt in 2006 - much less doubt in 2007. There's more doubt about who was carrying the team now than then.

It doesn't matter how good or bad the team is in 2013-14 compared to 2012-13. Beating the #1 team in the nation, a #1 seed and a #2 seed in the NCAA tourney isn't going to happen every year - or to a team that may be better than another team that has done that.

[WuDrWu]

Quick, don't look it up:

In the last 4 seasons combined, how many games have we lost outside the conference to teams that did not go to the Final 4?


My point is we need to schedule up, next year we are, and the results might not be as lofty as we hope, just on that change alone.

And please don't discount what Mal and Ehimen did. If we're to win, we'll have to do so in a different way because we aren't replacing either of their skill sets this fall.

[pogo]

All of the above statements are true. I did not predict a run like this year for next because something like this year was indeed special filled with lots of different people stepping up when they needed to. We can't predict what the season will bring but being better is better than being worse.

[Uncle Rico]

I think next year's key will be at PG and replacing Malcolm. We're in good shape with FVV, but what Malcolm was doing at the end of the season was pretty special.