Shocks picked 9th

[C0|dB|00ded]

You would think with the recruits alone we would be picked higher than a cellar-dweller? I think last season's debacle certainly knocked off any remaining pixie dust that was scattered across HCGM's ass from his days at Winthrop.

For a coach to earn/maintain respect he/she must outperform the average coach with a hypothetical crop of players. I don't think anybody feels like we outperformed last year. Especially when a team like Drake, with nobody of any exceptional skill or athleticism on their squad, does what they did...

There are no more national illusions being held about the Shocker men's basketball program or HCGM. This year everyone will be free of any targets and should be able to perform to their potential. Everybody has had ample time to digest our highly intellectual "system" and hopefully aborts the 300 3pt shots/game strategy that we opened with last year.


T


...8)

[Aargh]

Kenpom only rates regular season and conference tournaments. There are 6 BCS leagues. Here are kenpom's league ratings for the Valley the last 4 years

2005 - 9
2006 - 7 (services that rated post-season play had the MVC at #5)
2007 - 7
2008 - 7

Last year the Valley beat up on each other too consistently to get multiple bids. IlSU was 25-10 (13-5 - MVC - RPI:64) and didn't have a win over anybody decent outside of the Valley. SIU was 3rd at 18-15 (11-7 - RPI:63)

That's a one-bid situation when the regular season winner wins the auto bid. The Valley is still the best non-BCS league, but that's not a guarantee of multiple bids.

[Rosewood]

Being picked 9th doesn't matter as WSU will still have a perfect season and win the national title.

Wait, is this not a prediction thread?

[C0|dB|00ded]

People, a Drake-like run doesn't happen all that often. Please don't put all your hopes and dreams into a "If Drake can do it.." mentality.

I think 9th is a little low though. 7th is more realistic to me. We just need some growing and some patience..

Next year will be better.

Three years to achieve better than a 7th place finish in the Valley? How sad if that becomes true... How wasteful of a program's comparative resources in relation to the rest of the lowly Valley.

Bob Huggins walks into a program that was the Drake of the Big 12 and turns his first season into a 23-12 (10-6) performance. That's what you expect when a top-notch coach takes over a struggling program.

If we aren't AT LEAST .500 this season it will take HCGM a while before he can even carry The Turdge's jock strap. It's amazing that I would ever hear myself say that, but the proof is in the pudding. Winning .500 in the Valley earned a tie for 5th place last year. If we achieve only .500 I will be disappointed, if we do worse I will be furious and a bigger a-hole around here than you would ever imagine (I guess I better start stocking up on my backup logins :D )

The number is 9. That is the minimum number of Valley wins required to appease the C.B. :clap:

Anything less would be a direct slap in the face of the great tradition that is, the Wichita State Shockers!


T


...8)

[Ricky Del Rio]

Actually, I expect ISASO to show up soon to jump on this one.
I do recall him quoting our 9th place pick a few years ago on numerous occasions and it appears history is sort of repeating itself. 8)

Actually, Isaso and I are in lockstep every year - 9th place.

I like the adage, "Promise little, deliver big" or "Don't tell me, show me."

[C0|dB|00ded]

The Turdge inherited a team that was 12-17 (5-13 -8th place Valley finish) the previous year, and was teetering on the abyss. HCGM inherited a team that was 17-14 (8-10 -6th place Valley finish) the previous year, and at one point achieved a consensus #8 national ranking.

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to "figger" out who had more to work with when they signed on. The Turdge hit 15-15 (9-9 -5th place Valley finish) his second year and then proceeded to reel off 3 consecutive 12-6 Valley finishes with the icing being a 14-4 Valley Championship season.

There's no question that HCGM has big shoes to fill, but considering he has already been anointed "Greater Coach Than The Turdge", he should have NO PROBLEM shadowing AND exceeding the successful track that was laid before him.

So far his 4-14 conference kick-off was a masterful job if you don't take into consideration the tremendous advantage he had (program, money, jet, arena, other facilities, national exposure, players, assistants etc.) over what The Turdge inherited. I forgot... did I mention money?


T


...8)

[wu_shizzle]

The Turdge inherited a team that was 12-17 (5-13 -8th place Valley finish) the previous year, and was teetering on the abyss. HCGM inherited a team that was 17-14 (8-10 -6th place Valley finish) the previous year, and at one point achieved a consensus #8 national ranking.

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to "figger" out who had more to work with when they signed on. The Turdge hit 15-15 (9-9 -5th place Valley finish) his second year and then proceeded to reel off 3 consecutive 12-6 Valley finishes with the icing being a 14-4 Valley Championship season.

There's no question that HCGM has big shoes to fill, but considering he has already been anointed "Greater Coach Than The Turdge", he should have NO PROBLEM shadowing AND exceeding the successful track that was laid before him.

So far his 4-14 conference kick-off was a masterful job if you don't take into consideration the tremendous advantage he had (program, money, jet, arena, other facilities, national exposure, players, assistants etc.) over what The Turdge inherited. I forgot... did I mention money?


T


...8)

Your ability to cherry pick facts and figures is masterful.

10/10 for stirring up dissension around here.

8)

[vancedave56]

Instead of considering the records from the previous years of those teams, how about considering what players were still on board for each coaches initial seasons?

[pogo]

Bob Huggins did take k-state from nothing to at least being a basketball team of some relevance. He did however have a whole year to talk to recruits, coaches, and parents with NO restrictions on when he could come by and just shoot the breeze. While Bob was on his 'sabatical' he was not burdened by ncaa guidelines of when or who he could contact, so yeah I would expect him to be able to land some significant players to a program of little significance. As we have seen time and time again its not the institution that attracts these kids but the coach aka Arizona vs Olson. You should not compare HCGM's first year to Bob or Turge's. Apples to grapefruit comparisons. GO SHOX

[60Shock]

Other than upsetting Shock fans, this pre-season poll is worthless.

Would being ranked number 6, 7, or 8 have made any difference?

So what if they had ranked us in the top three? Just what would that have proved? We know damn well that at the start of this season we aren't anywhere near the top of the MVC.

We know we are young and inexperienced, so we got nowhere to go but up.

There is only one poll that means anything and that is our ranking at the end of Valley play and where we fit at the end of the tournament. If we are still ranked # 9 then, we got a legitimate *****, but it will not be at the pollsters.

[Overtime]

I'm pretty sure we were ranked 5th in the pre-season poll the year we made it to the sweet 16....We did lose our best player from last year's team and no-one really knows how quickly our younger players will respond...I'm just hoping for a talented, promising team that avoids a play-in game at the MVC Tourney

[WSUwatcher]

Other than upsetting Shock fans, this pre-season poll is worthless.

There is only one poll that means anything and that is our ranking at the end of Valley play and where we fit at the end of the tournament. If we are still ranked # 9 then, we got a legitimate *****, but it will not be at the pollsters.

Well said, 60. As a prediction it's meaningless -- and really, when you stop to think about it, isn't that true of all predictions? Predictions just exist to give sports guys something to do, magazines something to sell, and those who happen to get them right something to brag about.

As a motivational tool, though, it's a good thing, because you can bet that Marshall and his coaches aren't going to let their team buy the notion they're that bad even if the players were inclined to believe it (as most certainly they don't seem to be). So bring on the predictions of doom, and let the Shocks work to prove the naysayers wrong and celebrate when (not if) they do.

And speaking of shocks, I'll personally be as shocked as Alan Greenspan was about the subprime debacle if WSU finishes 9th (or lower). I don't expect WSU to be playing on Thursday in St. Louis.

[Ricky Del Rio]

The Turdge inherited a team that was 12-17 (5-13 -8th place Valley finish) the previous year, and was teetering on the abyss. HCGM inherited a team that was 17-14 (8-10 -6th place Valley finish) the previous year, and at one point achieved a consensus #8 national ranking.

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to "figger" out who had more to work with when they signed on. The Turdge hit 15-15 (9-9 -5th place Valley finish) his second year and then proceeded to reel off 3 consecutive 12-6 Valley finishes with the icing being a 14-4 Valley Championship season.

There's no question that HCGM has big shoes to fill, but considering he has already been anointed "Greater Coach Than The Turdge", he should have NO PROBLEM shadowing AND exceeding the successful track that was laid before him.

So far his 4-14 conference kick-off was a masterful job if you don't take into consideration the tremendous advantage he had (program, money, jet, arena, other facilities, national exposure, players, assistants etc.) over what The Turdge inherited. I forgot... did I mention money?


T


...8)

You forgot to mention mediocre returning players, injuries, lack of depth, recruit defections, recruit death, late start recruiting.

[Shirley Schmidt]

How bad do you guys think we will drill Northern Iowa this year?

I bet we kill them.

[Ricky Del Rio]

How bad do you guys think we will drill Northern Iowa this year?

I bet we kill them.

N. Iowa and you! I think your hot button might be cooled off some this year.

You make me laugh.

Return my phone calls.

Sell something.

I need some new weatherstripping for my front door. Will you help me install it?