WSU IS A PROGRAM ON THE RISE

[vbird53]

I have one concern - MVC refs. Gregg does not know how they call games and his aggressive style may result in many foul calls. I just don't trust the MVC refs to have a clue.

You're right, but both teams have to play with the same crappy officials.

[SpanglerFan316]

I have one concern - MVC refs. Gregg does not know how they call games and his aggressive style may result in many foul calls. I just don't trust the MVC refs to have a clue.

You're right, but both teams have to play with the same crappy officials.

Yes but Gregg might decide to leave the Valley in disgust after a couple of years because the MVC won't let teams play "real" basketball.

[wushock]

I dont buy this Missouri Valley Refs crap. I watch games every night on TV and the same referees that work our games are working Big 10, Big 12 Wac, etc. so I dont see why they would call them any different when working Mo Valley games

[WuDrWu]

As bad as it is, it doesn't seem to affect the felonius assaults of the Salukis. Poor officiating is the least of my concerns (and I "work" the officials as much as the coaches do) going into this season.


Like poker, more often than not, chance favors the aggressor. The days of being pacifists are over.

[RoyalShock]

Like poker, more often than not, chance favors the aggressor. The days of being pacifists are over.

That didn't work during the Smithson II regime! ;)

[WuDrWu]

Like poker, more often than not, chance favors the aggressor. The days of being pacifists are over.

That didn't work during the Smithson II regime! ;)

Good point. And if it turns out that it continues to work for SIU and not for us, then we will have a problem, a big problem.

[vbird53]

Isn't it amazing the differences you see between what two schools of thought think about the same subject.

For instance:

The Salukis Defense.

I would assume that most Saluki fans feel very proud of their stand-up D and the way the players get after the opponents.

On the flip side, opponents feel that they've had the sh*t beat out of them for 40 minutes, and that the officiating just lets it happen.

[AZ Shocker]

The days of being pacifists are over.

I like the sound of that! Not that I want our Shocks to be thugs and bowl people over...I would simply like to see us getting in the passing lanes and "go for the steal young man!" :good:

[rZ]

Isn't it amazing the differences you see between what two schools of thought think about the same subject.

For instance:

The Salukis Defense.

I would assume that most Saluki fans feel very proud of their stand-up D and the way the players get after the opponents.

On the flip side, opponents feel that they've had the sh*t beat out of them for 40 minutes, and that the officiating just lets it happen.

As long as the officiating is fair and we are the ones handing out the beating....I have no problem with that style of defense!

[MSNSaluki]

As bad as it is, it doesn't seem to affect the felonious assaults of the Salukis.

That's classic ... good one!

[Ricky Del Rio]

Like poker, more often than not, chance favors the aggressor. The days of being pacifists are over.

That didn't work during the Smithson II regime! ;)

You mean, "Let's get down in the trenches and go to waaar."

[SubGod22]

Officiating doesn't have to be good. It has to be consistent. 5 years ago the Valley was poorly officiated. For the most part, it's much better now. I do think there are some areas they need to do a better job at on the whole.

As far as the same officials calling it differently, it could happen. Each conference has it's own set of guidelines in how it wants games officiated and what areas need more focus. If these officials want to keep working in these conferences they're going to do their best to do what those conferences want. If that's calling post play tight than they'll do that. If it's letting them play on the perimeter that's what they'll do.

Even at the HS level there are certain commishioners that want certain things done or done a certain way. If you want to keep officiating in those leagues you learn what each one wants or expects and do your best to do it that way. Even if it varies from game to game as you officiate different leagues.

But all in all the Valley has gotten much better officials as they've stepped up and started paying more. Good officials will have bad games. It happens. Some officials have a good rep but still suck. (See Hightower) But I've been fairly pleased with the overall level of officiating the past few years.

[forevershockerfan]

"Will I get skewered if I say fourth or fifth? My pick is only because WSU has a lot of new guys coming in. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Shockers finish higher."----Thanks for your honesty MSN Saluki. I just bought the New Sporting News on the way home and they picked WSU 5th.

Sporting News did select PJ as best athlete in the Valley and best NBA prospect and picked Bryan Mullins of SIU as best passer and best leader. This was their top 5 in order this year--1.-SIU 2. Bradley 3.Creighton 4.Mo State 5. WSU They also had N. Iowa at 8th where others think they may crack the top 5. The Valley is indeed up for grabs.

For WSU, there is no question we have the right Coach. Just how fast can these young men mesh together with chemistry and win on a consistant basis? We have so many new faces and Sporting News only ranked our recruiting year 5th in the Valley. 5 new Coaches in the Valley and so many new faces on several teams. In the scheme of things, I really think our new players will produce and be better then advertised by the magazines thus far. PJ will have a great year this Season on both sides of the court.

With EO, we should land somewhere between 1-3. Without EO ( I feel good he will be playing in mid Dec.), 3rd or 4th. It is not a matter of me putting so much emphasis on a Freshman. It is more that adding EO solidifies to me that we have quality depth at each position. Also, an athletic tall force inside that can rebound, alter shots, and play some D is something WSU really needs right now and lacking that last year came back to haunt us.

[MSNSaluki]

"Will I get skewered if I say fourth or fifth? My pick is only because WSU has a lot of new guys coming in. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Shockers finish higher."----Thanks for your honesty MSN Saluki. I just bought the New Sporting News on the way home and they picked WSU 5th.

Sporting News did select PJ as best athlete in the Valley and best NBA prospect and picked Bryan Mullins of SIU as best passer and best leader. This was their top 5 in order this year--1.-SIU 2. Bradley 3.Creighton 4.Mo State 5. WSU They also had N. Iowa at 8th where others think they may crack the top 5. The Valley is indeed up for grabs.

For WSU, there is no question we have the right Coach. Just how fast can these young men mesh together with chemistry and win on a consistant basis? We have so many new faces and Sporting News only ranked our recruiting year 5th in the Valley. 5 new Coaches in the Valley and so many new faces on several teams. In the scheme of things, I really think our new players will produce and be better then advertised by the magazines thus far. PJ will have a great year this Season on both sides of the court.

With EO, we should land somewhere between 1-3. Without EO ( I feel good he will be playing in mid Dec.), 3rd or 4th. It is not a matter of me putting so much emphasis on a Freshman. It is more that adding EO solidifies to me that we have quality depth at each position. Also, an athletic tall force inside that can rebound, alter shots, and play some D is something WSU really needs right now and lacking that last year came back to haunt us.

I have to admit one thing ... I still think SIU is the team to beat. We've got three starters returning and a host of other players who can fill roles pretty nicely. We SHOULD be the preseason favorite.

BUT, I really and truly believe our success will be predicated on the play of our 2 and 3 spots. If Lowery chooses he could move Shaw to the 3 and play the highly regarded freshman, Carlton Fay, at the 4. But I suspect he's gonna use a combo of Josh Bone (nice potential), Wesley Clemmons (great athlete, so-so offense), Tyrone Green (great athlete, no offense) and true freshman Brandon Wood in those spots. Add in those guys with Mullins, who is a great point guard but not a great shooter, and we may be a bit deficient offensively at the guard spot.

That's why I think this league race is going to be a lot tougher than many of my Saluki brethren imagine. If we get some offense from the guards and our defense doesn't suffer, we'll be fine. If the opposite happens, we'll struggle.

That's why I'm not discounting ANYBODY in the Valley race. And, you guys scare the shiiit out of me. :)

[RoyalShock]

MSN basically admitted what many of us have been saying about SIU. They will live and die by their perimeter shooting. If they can't find the shooters, everyone will double-team Falker, make sure Shaw is covered and dare someone else to knock down outside shots. If that doesn't work, slap on a zone.

If they do find a shooter or two, then I would fall in line with the notion SIU is the odds-on favorite.