Are you ready for basketball season?

[capnkirk]

I'm not sure I am.

The closest metaphor I can think of to compare to last season is just hoping to go to the senior prom. Not only do you end up going to the prom, you show up with Jennifer Aniston and come to school on Monday with a neck full of hickies.

I still go back and read pages from shockernet dating back to late January. January 29th to be exact. It was a 68-55 loss at the hands of a decent Indiana St team that had no business beating my team. Let alone spanking them. It was the first game I have ever wanted to leave before the final buzzer. The team showed no heart, no desire, no energy and if they were not going to put any effort in to the game then why should I? Well, I did stay. But I quit cheering and just stood in shock of what I was watching.

My faith in the team had disappeared after that performance. I told all my friends that I saw a long losing streak happening and I didn't know if the ship could be righted. Luckily it lasted only 3 games.

Flash back to October 2012. Carl Hall was granted one more season. I figured with Carl returning we were assured a top 5 finish in the valley. Afterall we did lose our top 5 scorers from the last season. But for some reason a lot of my fellow shockernetters had this crazy idea we would compete for the MVC title.

Now think back to senior night against Evansville. I watched in a fog as my team was in a losing battle with (to quote cold)freaking Evansville. A chance to secure a tie for first place on the line. Nope. Didn't happen!

Next up, the valley tourney. For some reason Marshall puts Baker in the line up. I could not believe Marshall would waste an opportunity to redshirt Baker just for him to play in 4 games tops and no time to gel with the team. Thank goodness I am not the coach! With Baker in the game this was a whole new team. A team that had the look of something special.

Then the magic carpet ride started. Simply amazing!!!

[benishock]

Baker had already used his red shirt

[wusphlash]

2012-2013 was certainly a year of the unexpected. An early season road win at VCU with virtually no experience. Games we should not have won at Intrust and Normal. Games we should not have lost in Carbondale and on Senior Night. An MVC Championship in our grasp only to let it feebly slip away. A team with a very unMarshall like penchant for giving up scoring runs to the opposition. Tekele Cotton treys, broken hands and feet. Certainty of a Tourney bid followed by apprehension on Selection Sunday.


Then the unexpected dream. Spanking of a Big East Beast. Jumping out on top of the nation’s number one team, falling behind, coming back and winning behind an unexpected salvo of three point shots. Handling a La Salle team as expected. Grabbing a big lead on OSU only to require survival from another of those unexpected and infuriating scoring runs. A breathless and exhilarating trip to Atlanta that only whet the appetite.


It has been a glorious off-season spent basking in the memories of last season. Now it is time to lace up the sneakers and dive back in. I can’t wait much longer for Cleanthony Early threes, Fred Van Vleet’s crossovers and the silky smooth game played by Ron Baker. The expected and unexpected will certainly provide Shocker Netters with six months of material. But then expectations, met and unmet, are what makes it so much fun.

[pogo]

Why ruin a good rumination with a fact? Do you get invited out to alot of festive occasions just to be the wet blanket?:)

[kcshocker11]

I am always ready for Shocker basketball!

[Capitol Shock II]

One additional perk from our Final Four run last season, was silencing the "So called" fans that said a WSU run to the Final Four couldn't and wouldn't happen.

Well screw you people because it did happen and it's not the first time and hopefully it won't be the last. Those that say it can't be done should get out of the way of those that are doing it. - Chinese Proverb

[Kung Wu]

Baker had already used his red shirt

He could have petitioned the NCAA for a medical hardship and possibly got back one year of playing time. He played in only 10 games out of 31 regular season games. I guess he would have been denied. He couldn't play in more than 30% of the games. It's dicey here though because I believe at least one conference tournament game would have counted (its guaranteed). They do have a +1 rule for conference championships but I think that applies to sports like football, probably not basketball. It would have been very precarious.

[Kung Wu]

Oh wow! The calculation works like this:

Let's say you have a 31 game schedule (which we did). Then you add one to that for the tournament (regardless how many games you played in the conference tournament you only get to add one). So that brings it to 32.

Now you take 0.3 (30%) times 32, and you get: 9.6

The rule is: If there is a decimal -- any decimal at all -- you _round it up_! So that would round it up to 10 games that Baker could play in and qualify. And that's exactly how many he played.

Crazy stuff.

[SpanglerFan316]

I'd love to see 5000 fans at a volleyball match in October. Imagine how HCGM could use that example of WSU fan support in recruiting.

[im4wsu]

He could have petitioned the NCAA for a medical hardship and possibly got back one year of playing time. He played in only 10 games out of 31 regular season games. I guess he would have been denied. He couldn't play in more than 30% of the games. It's dicey here though because I believe at least one conference tournament game would have counted (its guaranteed). They do have a +1 rule for conference championships but I think that applies to sports like football, probably not basketball. It would have been very precarious.

Usually,in order to get a medical redshirt, there has to be two seasons of injury. Baker's first year was voluntayr (non-medical) and therefore the extra year award would highly unusual.

[Kung Wu]

Usually,in order to get a medical redshirt, there has to be two seasons of injury. Baker's first year was voluntayr (non-medical) and therefore the extra year award would highly unusual.

Ugh, you're right. I was so focused on the issue as to how many games he played that I overlooked the obvious. :)

Maybe they could prove he had to sit his freshman year out due to the medical condition of "clunibus assula iniuriam", a common injury for redshirt freshman?

Thanks!

[SubGod22]

Ugh, you're right. I was so focused on the issue as to how many games he played that I overlooked the obvious. :)

Maybe they could prove he had to sit his freshman year out due to the medical condition of "clunibus assula iniuriam", a common injury for redshirt freshman?

Thanks!

Isn't that essentially how Grant Gibbs got his 13th year?

[ShockerPrez]

Yes

[Rlh04d]

I'm not.

I've got too much excitement about football season still. I'm going to overdose on Kool-Aid once basketball season starts up as well.

Too ... much ... excellence.

[kcshocker11]

nm