Quincy Ballard - 7'0 240 transfer from Florida State (verbal to WSU)

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

It said this kid could really add to what was already a promising pairing at center last year for the Shocks.

"It would be good to add this kid to bulldozer Udeze and pick-and-pop specialist Pohto, to form a well-rounded trio"

Lost me at calling Udeze promising and a bulldozer. Wowzer.

[WeWillShockU2]

I just don’t get all the negativity about our program. Yes, we had a drop off this past season but that doesn’t mean we won’t win again with the right mix of players. We play in a top 10 conference and have a strong fan base. I believe that the coaching staff can improve and we will once again be a top 3 program in the AAC.

[CBB_Fan]

I just don’t get all the negativity about our program. Yes, we had a drop off this past season but that doesn’t mean we won’t win again with the right mix of players. We play in a top 10 conference and have a strong fan base. I believe that the coaching staff can improve and we will once again be a top 3 program in the AAC.

We returned essentially an AAC championship roster and one additional year of coaching turned them not into a legitimate NCAA threat, but one of the worst teams in the conference. Additionally, the losses of Houston and Cincinnati along with the scandal at Memphis have meant that top-3 may not be good enough to have institutional success in the AAC in the near future; like the MVC this may be a one-bid conference.

The eyes of many on the board, we have locked in an overwhelmed coach for the long haul, losing not just our momentum but also the institutional reputation that may have allowed us to compete for the types of players that could turn this sort of slide around in short order. And the loss of four of the premier programs in the conference over the span of the past 4 years has meant we can't rely on the strength of conference to pull recruits. Being bad in the AAC of the future may disastrous; it would demote us not to level of a power conference bottom dweller, but to something like the AAC's Drake. Irrelevant, squared. Irrelevant conference, and an irrelevant program within that conference.

It isn't hard to see why they would be disappointed, in their eyes we have:

• a bad AD
• a bad coach
• a bad conference
• smaller, less athletic players
• sinking institutional reputation
• no quick or easy way to fix the above issues

[Dan]

Jury is still out on Brown, in my opinion. Overachieved as an interim HC, underachieved with his "ride or die" strategy. Unfortunately for us, we gave him a contract to learn on the job. This coming year will be the true determinant on what kind of coach he is. Can he bring in the right guys to point it back in the right direction or will he continue his dig to the bottom? I was not happy at all with the way he used Tyson this year, but I'm willing to suspend my judgement until I see if he can work his way out of the hole.

[asiseeit]

What makes him a diamond in the rough in your opinion?

I guess potential if we have someone who could motivate him AND a 7'7" wing span. Will he beat out MU or KP ? Seriously doubt it but if he could be taught to value his rim protection skills he could be a very useful third option at center against BIG opponents.

[shoxlax]

More from Mom:



Waterman arranged a special meeting with Dr. Marché Fleming-Randle, the Chief Diversity Officer at WSU, who gave a helping hand in the recruiting process. The family was blown away by the conversation. “That was everything,” Regina Ballard said.

They left even more impressed than they were before they came to Wichita. “Coach IB is fantastic, he really is,” Regina Ballard said. “He’s like the most personable, trusting and caring coach. Q was really impressed by that. He spent a lot of time with Q and I was really impressed by that as well. You can tell he really cares about his players and that’s so important to us and well-appreciated. “It seems like a very strong program and a really tight-knit family and that’s what Q and his family is looking for.”

Marche is an incredible recruiter. She has had her hand in many of our players starting their careers here and continued success thereafter.

[Shocktoberfest]

They left even more impressed than they were before they came to Wichita. “Coach IB is fantastic, he really is,” Regina Ballard said. “He’s like the most personable, trusting and caring coach. Q was really impressed by that. He spent a lot of time with Q and I was really impressed by that as well. You can tell he really cares about his players and that’s so important to us and well-appreciated. “It seems like a very strong program and a really tight-knit family and that’s what Q and his family is looking for.”

This a good thing. A really good thing about IB. Nobody faults the guy for being a really good dude and caring about the players. That is great. I really, really like the guy personally.

Can he coach?

[WstateU]

This a good thing. A really good thing about IB. Nobody faults the guy for being a really good dude and caring about the players. That is great. I really, really like the guy personally.

Can he coach?

That's the million-dollar question...stay tuned!

[WstateU]

Cold's used up all his moist towels...

[ventichai]

can’t teach tall. can’t teach hustle, drive, and humility. but everything else can come with time & guidance.

I want to see IB succeed, and I want to believe he’s the guy to instill that “everything else”. He needs to get players that will buy into his plan and prove it with their actions.

Hope Q is part of that journey and we see some magic happen

[Ashockalypse]

can’t teach tall. can’t teach hustle, drive, and humility. but everything else can come with time & guidance.

I want to see IB succeed, and I want to believe he’s the guy to instill that “everything else”. He needs to get players that will buy into his plan and prove it with their actions.

Hope Q is part of that journey and we see some magic happen

Please tell me what “plan” you are referring to. I’ll listen.

[ventichai]

Please tell me what “plan” you are referring to. I’ll listen.

I’m not IB, so it’s really not for me to speak on behalf of what his plan is for the product on the floor or the programs goals long-term. He had one “successful” and one collapse of a season with a roster primarily inherited from the previous coach; we haven’t really seen a roster primarily made up of his guys thus far.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This offseason we are going to see what team IB assembles. Not inherits—assembles. If IB gets some quality “diamonds in the rough”/established transfers/high school recruits that put together a strong third season of his tenure, it’ll be easier to see what IB brings to the table.

The first two seasons of IB, when you boil it down, have been chalk. With COVID, a roster not of his own, a flip of a coin schedule..none of it can be ever considered “normal”. Let’s see what happens when he has a full offseason with no influences to lean on to form a team that can be fully attributed to his vision play out.

But if what you’re asking for is my opinion…well shoot lol I hope it all works out, but I’m also not banking on it either.

[eeshocker]

I’m not IB, so it’s really not for me to speak on behalf of what his plan is for the product on the floor or the programs goals long-term. He had one “successful” and one collapse of a season with a roster primarily inherited from the previous coach; we haven’t really seen a roster primarily made up of his guys thus far.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This offseason we are going to see what team IB assembles. Not inherits—assembles. If IB gets some quality “diamonds in the rough”/established transfers/high school recruits that put together a strong third season of his tenure, it’ll be easier to see what IB brings to the table.

The first two seasons of IB, when you boil it down, have been chalk. With COVID, a roster not of his own, a flip of a coin schedule..none of it can be ever considered “normal”. Let’s see what happens when he has a full offseason with no influences to lean on to form a team that can be fully attributed to his vision play out.

But if what you’re asking for is my opinion…well shoot lol I hope it all works out, but I’m also not banking on it either.

I think you could argue that his one "successful" season was a direct result of the roster he inherited and had limited time to put his stamp on the game plan and that the collapse of a season is a direct result of the new players he brought in and him being able to coach his style.

[calfan]

Totally disagree eeshocker, almost the same team two years in a row.

You really change a team when a starting position is totally open.

WSU has 2 open spots this year at 2G and PF.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

I’m not IB, so it’s really not for me to speak on behalf of what his plan is for the product on the floor or the programs goals long-term. He had one “successful” and one collapse of a season with a roster primarily inherited from the previous coach; we haven’t really seen a roster primarily made up of his guys thus far.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This offseason we are going to see what team IB assembles. Not inherits—assembles. If IB gets some quality “diamonds in the rough”/established transfers/high school recruits that put together a strong third season of his tenure, it’ll be easier to see what IB brings to the table.

The first two seasons of IB, when you boil it down, have been chalk. With COVID, a roster not of his own, a flip of a coin schedule..none of it can be ever considered “normal”. Let’s see what happens when he has a full offseason with no influences to lean on to form a team that can be fully attributed to his vision play out.

But if what you’re asking for is my opinion…well shoot lol I hope it all works out, but I’m also not banking on it either.

Can we discuss what the teams he has put together in the past looked like? How they played? I hear past behavior is the best predictor or future behavior.