Shaquille Morris is a Shocker!

[MadaboutWu]

Great post.

[Dave Stalwart]

Does anyone else remember that time Coach said he was disappointed in Cle over his first summer performance?

I sense two things. 1: Coach has a unified front from EVERYONE pushing Shaq from all directions... Coaching staff, other players, Rosenboom, etc
2. It sounds like the entire unified front really believes Shaq could be special and that the pushing is worth it, even on a roster loaded with other talent. In other words, if Shaq was going to burn out at the D-1 level, I doubt everyone would he riding him so hard. They would just encourage him and let other players pass him by. No, there is potentially dominant talent here, I think. No offense, but nobody rode Derail Green, but they did ride Cle & JT

[Kung Wu]

No offense . . . but they did ride Cle & JT

Oh there was plenty of offense. It was their lack of defense that got 'em in trouble. :)

[pinstripers]

Does anyone else remember that time Coach said he was disappointed in Cle over his first summer performance?

I sense two things. 1: Coach has a unified front from EVERYONE pushing Shaq from all directions... Coaching staff, other players, Rosenboom, etc
2. It sounds like the entire unified front really believes Shaq could be special and that the pushing is worth it, even on a roster loaded with other talent. In other words, if Shaq was going to burn out at the D-1 level, I doubt everyone would he riding him so hard. They would just encourage him and let other players pass him by. No, there is potentially dominant talent here, I think. No offense, but nobody rode Derail Green, but they did ride Cle & JT

IMO, they'll ride his azz, either he will give 100% or he'll be gone and they'll get another. People on this board will weep, and the coaching staff will go back to work and find the next one.

[Ricardo del Rio]

A nice piece by Sully.

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article2484394.html

I look forward to seeing what Shaq will do this season. It looks like he's been putting in the time and effort. I think it's so great that former players keep coming back and encouraging the current players to carry on the legacy.

He cut almost 2 minutes off his mile run time. It's called "wantin' to."

[Bluzrover]

IMO, they'll ride his azz, either he will give 100% or he'll be gone and they'll get another. People on this board will weep, and the coaching staff will go back to work and find the next one.

I agree and I also believe it's one of the many reasons 3G stays aggressive on the recruiting trail, even when it would appear he has no scholies available. I don't think anybody on this team is comfortable with their status on the team. Most of that is self-imposed as those are the type of players we recruit, but sometimes it has to be imposed by the staff.

[WSUwatcher]

The only place Shaq is going is to the MVC All-Newcomers team. He'll have a positive impact soon, and it will grow from one season to the next.

[shockmonster]

The only place Shaq is going is to the MVC All-Newcomers team. He'll have a positive impact soon, and it will grow from one season to the next.

You may be correct but the rope will be much shorter than when JT was a Shocker. He won't get multiple chances and years to make an impact and the expectations will be higher No Senior season to average 4 rebounds. Also, if he takes defensive possessions off, he will be pulled immediately. Too many and he's history.

[Kung Wu]

He cut almost 2 minutes off his mile run time. It's called "wantin' to."

Wow, he's running a sub-seven mile. For a guy with his previous conditioning, that's a remarkable improvement. That heavy and powerful of a body going a 6:45 mile makes me very, very happy. He will be able to give us at least 15 to 20 very solid minutes. Beyond that it's hard to say.

[Shox1979]

Saw almost all of the guys at the SASO ice cream social and volleyball game but didn't see Shaq there. Was really hoping to get a glimpse of the new lighter faster Shaq.

[wufan]

We need his big body. SIU has a guy that's 6-8, 255. ISUr has two guys at 6-8 250+. There will be other teams with girth (Alabama?)

[Shock Top]

Like some people have said, Shaq could wind up as one of those "couldn't cut it @ WSU" cases. I hope, for his sake, he isn't.

WSU would be fine, finding someone else to fill his scholarship. Shaq will have to prove he wants it bad enough.

(Something tells me, the same "make or break" situation goes for Holland as well. That is a whole other discussion though.)

[shockmonster]

He cut almost 2 minutes off his mile run time. It's called "wantin' to."

If he was totally out of the woods and Gregg totally trusted him, he would have made statements of confidence regarding the improvements/changes of his ways. Instead, he made statements such as "this is an important year for him". On the other hand, if Gregg hadn't seen any improvement, he would have already made a change. I have a feeling that this is truly an important year for him to prove himself, and Marshall will give him a chance.

[Bluzrover]

Saw almost all of the guys at the SASO ice cream social and volleyball game but didn't see Shaq there. Was really hoping to get a glimpse of the new lighter faster Shaq.

Methinks ice cream social, Shaq and 3G don't mix well these days so no surprise you didn't see Shaq!

[Aargh]

This is the importnt year for Shaq. He's used a year as a red shirt. If he's going to make a change, he could go JuCo for a year, and then back into D1. If Shaq would want or need to make a change, he almost has to do it after this year.