gal's gone (Staff: Not accurate)

[Rosewood]

Ok. For some reason I wanted to know what was really going on. I don't know where that comes from. It just bothers me when I see a post that says "gal's gone" and then I actually read the thread and find out that he isn't and at least publicly has committed to being back.

I know with this stuff it can change day to day. Tomorrow we could see an article that says Gal is gone.

But for right now, he isn't gone.

(So can we get an edit up in here?)

Oh, I finally defrosted today. My goodness it was beautiful out there today. I didn't even have to use gloves, my blanket or my second coat!

[ShockerFever]

Can rip comment on any of this or has he abandoned ship for the year?

[RipEmUpShox]

i dont care if gal comes back or not. thats his choice.
however i understand why gal wouldnt wanna be here.
Other players can make mistakes, and not get the shaft for it.
gal cant do anything, without criticism.
good move on gals part if you ask me.

[fuball7]

i actually didnt see the clip, ill have to watch it, but heard about it from a friend. Now if he said he wants to return then im sorry.

[tropicalshox]

I take it that the "annoucement" of Gal not coming back is premature?? I said it before the string of sub-par games for Gal, and I still think it's true ....if Gal doesn't return, it will hurt.

[Shocker85]

i actually didnt see the clip, ill have to watch it, but heard about it from a friend. Now if he said he wants to return then im sorry.

We wouldn't want to let actuals facts start getting in the way of posting here, would we?

--'85.

[SubGod22]

I'm kinda indifferent at this point. It would be nice to have an experienced guard returning next year. Gal has the ability to be quite good, and at times shows that. But I sometimes question his basketball. He and JT are the two most frustrating people on the team. Sometimes you love 'em, and sometimes you want to kick 'em in the head. If he leaves, fine, and I wish him well. If he stays, fine, and I hope he improves his decision making.

Personally, I'd be surprised if he's back next year. Down the stretch he just seemed to have a look about him at times like he can't believe he's here and not playing 30 minutes a game or something. Then he went back to doing more of the stupid stuff he did as a FR like he just didn't care anymore. But maybe that was just him panicing or something and falling back on bad habits.

[molly jabali]

I agree, subgod...he has a world of talent, but at times looked disinterested..but who knows the reasons, or if that was in fact true?

[RoyalShock]

Everytime I saw him late in the year, provided he wasn't just taken out or just made a mistake, he appeared happy and at times was the most visually supportive of the team. Even before the start of the N. Arizona game where he didn't start, he looked happy.

If Gal was unhappy, I sure didn't see it.

Someone asked why Gal would go back to Israel pro ball now instead of out of high school. I think Gal had the NBA in his sites. If we were hearing that you know he was being told it was a possibility. I think he's probably realizing now that he isn't NBA-caliber.

[SpanglerFan316]

Reading this thread, I thought I had jumped to the Illini board or the KU board. What a silly thread!! The M&Ms (Marshall and Mekel) will work this out; I trust them.

I wrote a thread on next year's team but didn't post (or keep it). Maybe I should have. For next year, WSU needs Gal a lot more than Gal needs WSU. Many of you don't understand the huge value of having a PROVEN D1 player over a HS or juco player who looks great. How did Abby Butler, Chris Brown & Ryan Bradley turn out? Heck, even Mantas Griskenas was a little disappointing.

My predictions for next year.
Gregg Marshall will be back. (95%)
The "recruits" (Murry, Hannah, Stutz, Kyles) will ALL be here. (90%)
Ehimen Orukpe will not be here. (90%)
Wendell Preadom will not be here. (80%)
Aaron Ellis will be here. (95%)
Gal Mekel will be here. (80%)
Ramon Clemente will be here. (99%)
Graham Hatch will be here. (51%)
A.J. Hawkins will be here. (99%)
J.T. Durley will be here. (80%)
Mantas Griskenas will be here. (85%)
This makes 11 scholarship players. This means we need 2 new players. My guess is 2 juco front court players.

Why did I make some of my guesses?
1. Hatch. We need an "Ogirri type" outside shooter. Hatch can't create his own shot but if Stutz, Clemente, Ellis, Griskenas, Durley, etc. give us a post game, then the kick-out to Hatch (ala Miller-Ogirri) may be available. I'm 51% here, 49% gone for 2008-9 for Hatch.
2. Mekel. He proved that he can run the point. Hannah is not playing much point guard right now in juco. Even if Hannah becomes the starting point guard next year, we need a backup and we need a proven point guard going into 2008-9. WE need Gal.

[Snapshot9]

Almost agree with you, except Hatch is gone I think. Murry, Hannah, Kyles can all shoot the 3. Hatch is too slow, he would have to make big improvements on speed and defense to stay.

Wouldn't Gal have to serve his 2 years of required Military service if he went back home before being able to play on a Euro pro team? That very fact, I am sure, plays a significant part in his decision.

I think we sign 3 more, a Juco PF, a Juco PG, and a HS PG. If the HS PG can not be signed, we opt for a swingman, Juco or HS.

[1972Shocker]

90% that E.O. will not be here. Hope you are wrong on that one, but the trend is certainly not our friend.

[ShockRef]

Note to SN staff - In the interest of not perpetuating rumors, why not just delete this thread? It serves no purpose and only feeds the squirrels. 8)

[SB Shock]

I would love to see him return......I have a mostly different opinion of his skill set than many on this board.

So would I. The guys a sophomore, and he was basically asked to do more in role he's not suited for. You don't see many teams successfull in the MVC by asking sophmore to lead your team.

He's a fighter and this team needs fighters. Sure he needs to mature, but the program will be worse off if he leaves than if he finishes what he started.

[Aargh]

I am confident Gal will be back. There are many reasons. Here are 2:

1) Gal is from a business-oriented family. That could lead him toward a career emphasis on business over basketball. He's well-positioned to have business earnings in the range of Euro ball.

2) There are exemptions for Israeli military duty. College in another country is one. If Gal were to complete his degree at WSU, then perhaps get a Masters, then take a job (outside of Israel) related to that education, he would probably be exempted from military duty. I have no idea how the exemption would work if he were to get a job playing basketball in Germany, but I just don't think that's Gal's career objective right now.