Looking Forward - Lady Shockers BB

[SubGod22]

I'm still very disappointed. Next year is going to be even worse than this year considering how little returns. Marissa is alright and Haliegh shows potential. I'm not sure I can force myself to suffer through that

[flyingMoose]

... I view the matter as a coach, who is cleaning out the barn.

We now have a fresh page one of the new culture.

This is exactly my take on the situation - Coach Adams "uninvited" the players whose talent level was deemed to be insufficient. Well, not all the players, just the ones she did not recruit.

... [my Daddy] meant work hard to get the work done.

Again, I think it was a talent level judgment, not an "unwilling to work hard" judgment. I never thought Jacie or Val, the two "uninvited" players with significant playing time, lacked effort.

[Hovpen]

Kansas players aren't getting any respect this season. First Gatorade names some home schooled girl out of Lee Summit Missouri as Kansas player of the year, and now, all the Kansas girls are uninvited to the shocker program.

[trshock]

Well, Royal Shock, I'm just not sure what to say about your last posting re: men's vs. women's players...or for that matter, many of the posts about the departures.

However, I think I now may know why Women's Basketball is lumped in the Women's Sports category rather than having its own section!

[ShockTalk]

trshock - I'll let Royal answer for himself, but as for me, I believe those topics with their own heading are those which have generated the most interest by fans and posters.

Last time I looked, volleyball is a women's sport. I'm sure if Coach Adams turns the WBB program around as many of us would like to see, it to will have it's own heading.

:wsu_posters:

[SFL]

trshock - I'll let Royal answer for himself, but as for me, I believe those topics with their own heading are those which have generated the most interest by fans and posters.

Last time I looked, volleyball is a women's sport. I'm sure if Coach Adams turns the WBB program around as many of us would like to see, it to will have it's own heading.

:wsu_posters:

Thank the Lord Title IX doesn't apply here.

:good: :good:

[1972Shocker]

No surprise that Jadhon and Shantel moved on. They played very little this year even with a short roster. I'm sure no words were needed for them to read the writing on the wall.

Jacie and Val leaving does suprise me. Maybe Jody did decide they did not fit into her plans and pushed them out the door, but no one is saying.

If the decision to leave was made by Jacie and Val because they were unhappy in the program then that would be disconcerting in that both only have two years left to complete their 2 remaining years of eligibility (I think?) and so you would not expect that they would make take the decision to leave lightly, especially if their desire is to play D-1 basketball.

In any case, as far as I know and can tell all four of these players were fine young ladies and I wish them well.

I was thinking next year was looking pretty tough as it was with so many new faces and our two best players graduating. Losing our two most experienced returning players on top of that doesn't bode well for next year. Maybe it will payoff down the line. Time will tell.

[1972Shocker]

I have no harmful or derogatory rumors to post, but I view the matter as a coach, who is cleaning out the barn.

We now have a fresh page one of the new culture.

As my Daddy used to say, "If you can't get it, you can't stay." And he meant it.

By "get it", he meant work hard to get the work done.

Maybe Jody was just cleaning out the barn, I really don't know one way or the other.

However, I certainly didn't see anything during the games that would indicate these young ladies weren't working hard. Jacie and Val in particular always seemed to give it everything they had. So I don't believe in this case that effort or hard work was an issue in any way, shape or form.

[RoyalShock]

trshock,

Volleyball has its own forum due to its success and popularity.

Women's bball did have its own, once upon a time. Should the success and interest level reach close to that of VB, it may once again.

I'm not sure if this is where you were going, but I have nothing against female sports. I simply have observations of the two genders and how they handle themselves in certain situations and was applying those observations to the issue at hand. Take 'em or leave 'em.

I drive in to Wichita from out of town a couple of times a year to watch Shocker VB games. On TV I prefer watching women's VB to men's VB. When I watch a sporting event with teams/players I don't have an emotional interest in I want to see the game played at a high, competitive level in relation to the elements of the sport. Hence, I enjoy women's VB and tennis mostly. IMO, men's VB and the NBA are played "too high" in that some elements of the game suffer because other elements are over-emphasized.

I don't care too much for women's basketball due to the degree of athleticism and jumping ability that makes basketball interesting. I'm also not impressed with how it seems to be officiated, especially at the high school level where everytime someone jumps within a foot of the person with the ball it's an automatic foul. I have never gotten into softball, other than playing it.

[dregn]

I agree with much of Royals post. Darrell Smith recruited girls who wanted to win no matter what it took and who they were on the court with. Unfortunatly they didn't always have the talent. Jane recruited talented people who didn't neccesarily have the drive to win. I think Adams wants more of the first type of players with more talents.

Watching my older sister grow up and have a fairly succesfull team in high school I got to see a lot of the inside workings in womens sports. She was always more of the Smith/Adams type of player. She actually got offered the womens UV head coaching position and varsity assistant coaching position, with the understanding she'd take the varsity team over after a couple years, at my high school after she graduated college. She turned it down with the only reason being she did not want to deal with the drama she felt came along being a womens head coach.

[SubGod22]

I'm almost positive that work ethic wasn't Vals problem. It never has been in the past.

[trshock]

Thanks, Royal Shock, but my tongue-in-cheek comment was directed at your gendertyping, not the gender you like to watch play what type of sport.

I guess that was just me and my inability to put my emotions aside in the face of your rationale observations...LOL

[Ricardo del Rio]

... I view the matter as a coach, who is cleaning out the barn.

We now have a fresh page one of the new culture.

This is exactly my take on the situation - Coach Adams "uninvited" the players whose talent level was deemed to be insufficient. Well, not all the players, just the ones she did not recruit.

... [my Daddy] meant work hard to get the work done.

Again, I think it was a talent level judgment, not an "unwilling to work hard" judgment. I never thought Jacie or Val, the two "uninvited" players with significant playing time, lacked effort.

Yes, rephrasing my Dad's quote, "If you can't play, you can't stay."

[The Mad Hatter]

I'm almost positive that work ethic wasn't Vals problem. It never has been in the past.

Two things about Val from the knowledge that I have:

1. Val wasn't enjoying college basketball. She left Tulsa because she wasn't enjoying the environment there and came to play under a players coach in Jane, but Jody is not a players coach. I don't think Val disliked Jody as far as I know, but she was not going to be happy under Jody due to the type of coach she is. Work ethic is not just about whether you put in the work, but whether you enjoy being a college basketball player enough to make putting in the work worthwhile. Val has been at two programs under 3 coaches and from what I understand has come to the conclusion that it isn't worth it for her (and I can't blame anyone, it is a taxing thing).

2. Val refused to shoot if she wasn't open for most of the season. As a big guard and our best shooter, the coaching staff wanted her taking those shots whether there was someone on her or not (and sure enough when she did take the guarded shots she made quite a few and we got offensive rebounds off the misses since the defense was stretched trying to guard her). I never once saw the coaching staff get made at her for taking any shot, but they were constantly telling her to shoot more, but she had numerous game where she attempted less than 5 shots. As good a shooter as she is, she doesn't help you if she won't pull the trigger.

[molly jabali]

the very best news about all of this is that the MVC is currently a pretty dreadful womens' league and no matter how hard next year might be, the road to the top ain't all that long! :posterwsu: