That is the word we need to be able to say about one of our post men this year. On defense, on the boards, going to the basket. Doesn't matter. Just someone who dominates in some sense inside. Someone who makes opposing post players say, "Oh no, not him again!"

I don't see a beast on the roster. But there is one on the bench. Anybody remember the Kleine-Olajuwon matchups in the SWC. Classic. I attended one at Barnhill and nobody sat down. My ears were still ringing the next day.
One of these days we will have games like that at UALR. But we seem to be stuck in the Cubs syndrome: there's always next year.

(08-21-2010 11:23 AM)ez272 Wrote:  I don't see a beast on the roster. But there is one on the bench. Anybody remember the Kleine-Olajuwon matchups in the SWC. Classic. I attended one at Barnhill and nobody sat down. My ears were still ringing the next day.
One of these days we will have games like that at UALR. But we seem to be stuck in the Cubs syndrome: there's always next year.

That won't happen until some changes are made at UALR. We have to have an administration that is committed and wants to be first class, and win in athletics. Then we have to hire a coach who is young and charismatic, who can recruit and can get some people excited in central Arkansas. Then we have to change the attitude of the fans, and get them wanting to be better than mediocre.

I believe Cub fans have come to think mediocre is what they're supposed to be. Looks like Trojan fans have adopted that attitude too. Maybe when mediocre is all you can remember, you don't know what it's like to have winning and exciting basketball. There's not too many of us Trojan fans left who have seen our team win league championships, conference tournaments, and go to post season. The newer fans here don't know how that feels. This stuff we've seen for the past few years isn't going to get it done.

"Shields Ball" doesn't excite anyone. Well, maybe two or three on this board are excited about it. To play "Shields Ball", you've got to have, as PAPPY says, a "Beast" inside who can score, and some good shooters on the perimeter. When is the last time we had a "Beast who could score"? When is the last time we've had a "Beast"? Most years maybe we've had one good perimeter shooter. We're not going to attract many good sharpshooters here, knowing that they won't get to shoot much.

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(08-21-2010 11:23 AM)ez272 Wrote:  I don't see a beast on the roster. But there is one on the bench. Anybody remember the Kleine-Olajuwon matchups in the SWC. Classic. I attended one at Barnhill and nobody sat down. My ears were still ringing the next day.
One of these days we will have games like that at UALR. But we seem to be stuck in the Cubs syndrome: there's always next year.

T


I remember the Klein-Olajuwon matchups well. Those were two beasts. I was a pig fan back when Eddie(tastes better-less filling)Sutton was the coach.

(08-21-2010 12:57 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  To play "Shields Ball", you've got to have, as PAPPY says, a "Beast" inside who can score, and some good shooters on the perimeter. When is the last time we had a "Beast who could score"? When is the last time we've had a "Beast"?

I think this team could be pretty good with a Beast who is not a huge scoring threat, if he can just demand attention somehow. Shove people around. Dominate the boards. Shed blood on defense. Something!

We haven't had a dominant inside scorer since Stan Blackmon, really. He might not have been big enough to be really termed a Beast, but he was a load down low because he was so active.

We might have one on the roster, but it will take some good attitude and really hard work for it to come to pass. Joe K. scored a lot of points in his career, and he was not particularly noted for his mobility. He had a beautiful touch, though, and he worked hard at it.

We just need some warriors.

There is absolutely no reason why we cannot have a top 20 program in Little Rock. We just need a little luck. Sutton took over a horrible program and with a little luck .....
The rest is history. UA basketball, both men and women, is not good. Foley is taking advantage of it. We need the men to take advantage. Neighbor = luck.

(08-21-2010 07:53 PM)ez272 Wrote:  There is absolutely no reason why we cannot have a top 20 program in Little Rock. We just need a little luck. Sutton took over a horrible program and with a little luck .....
The rest is history. UA basketball, both men and women, is not good. Foley is taking advantage of it. We need the men to take advantage. Neighbor = luck.

You're right. This is the situation Mike Newell was in, with the Hogs being down. But so far, we haven't been able to take advantage of it.
And luck does play a part. One great player, combined with some other decent role players, can turn a basketball program around. Maybe Neighbour is that player. We won't know until he's hopefully in a Trojan
uniform, and it's unfair to place that type of burden on any one player.
But he might be the final piece of the puzzle. Stay tuned for November signing date.

(08-21-2010 11:08 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  That is the word we need to be able to say about one of our post men this year. On defense, on the boards, going to the basket. Doesn't matter. Just someone who dominates in some sense inside. Someone who makes opposing post players say, "Oh no, not him again!"

Louzeiro might just be that guy. Or even Montrelle. They're both physical players. I don't know if Bails has the mentality to be that beast underneath. He has a lot of talent, but he seems to be more of a finese player than a banger. But at least we have three possibilities there, so let's just see how it works out. I would include Gus Leeper, but he'll probably need at least another year in the weight room to be able to fill that bill. But who knows. Desire has a lot to do with it, and if one or more of them have developed that mental toughness than watch out. We could be fairly salty this year.

(08-22-2010 03:49 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  Louzeiro might just be that guy. Or even Montrelle. They're both physical players.

Here is hoping. We need an enforcer underneath.

(08-26-2010 11:32 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  

(08-22-2010 03:49 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  Louzeiro might just be that guy. Or even Montrelle. They're both physical players.

Here is hoping. We need an enforcer underneath.

I think Marlo has more of the enforcer attitude, but Derrick has the size and strength if he has the attitude. I remember that Too Tall didn't really develop until his Senior season, so maybe Derrick will put it all together this year.