Nice to see the improvement.
Definitely on the right track.

Turns out Texas is good for Toledo

As with many come back stories there's always that defining period that you just know things were "different" after that point. I think in the not to distant future... we'll look back at this stretch (Beating OU, Ball State and Sam Houston) as pivotal in the renaissance of men's Rocket Basketball. You knew we were close... playing so many tight games, losing leads and falling short time and again.

(02-19-2012 06:28 PM)San Giuseppe Jato Rocket Wrote:  As with many come back stories there's always that defining period that you just know things were "different" after that point. I think in the not to distant future... we'll look back at this stretch (Beating OU, Ball State and Sam Houston) as pivotal in the renaissance of men's Rocket Basketball. You knew we were close... playing so many tight games, losing leads and falling short time and again.

"pivotal" I can see but not "defining," at least not for me. This latest stretch could very well be a turning point. I'm not sure whether it will be a tight corner or an on-ramp but hopefully not a chicane.

Several of these players came as upper classmen either as recruits or contacts at the coach's old school. For them, coming here avoided new coaches and renewed recruiting.

Defining (for me) cannot happen without a freshmen recruiting class. It's those that choose to come here against other programs that are where we can expect to be that will define for me whether the program is where it should be.

(02-19-2012 06:40 PM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(02-19-2012 06:28 PM)San Giuseppe Jato Rocket Wrote:  As with many come back stories there's always that defining period that you just know things were "different" after that point. I think in the not to distant future... we'll look back at this stretch (Beating OU, Ball State and Sam Houston) as pivotal in the renaissance of men's Rocket Basketball. You knew we were close... playing so many tight games, losing leads and falling short time and again.

"pivotal" I can see but not "defining," at least not for me. This latest stretch could very well be a turning point. I'm not sure whether it will be a tight corner or an on-ramp but hopefully not a chicane.

Several of these players came as upper classmen either as recruits or contacts at the coach's old school. For them, coming here avoided new coaches and renewed recruiting.

Defining (for me) cannot happen without a freshmen recruiting class. It's those that choose to come here against other programs that are where we can expect to be that will define for me whether the program is where it should be.

good points there

don't care how they (the players) get here....

JUST WIN, BABY!!!!!, JUST WIN!!!!

Improvement is a sign of a well-coached team and this team has definitely improved. Good point above though about frosh recruiting. This year's class has one very good player, one who quit, one who nobody else recruited because of health issues and one who probably isn't good enough. If TK convinced Pearson to go to UWGB, he should be able to get one like him to come to UT. if he does, we'll keep moving up. If not, well we're out of the basement, but... I think the glass is half full.

By the way, I had to google chicane. Well played.

(02-20-2012 05:03 PM)rkt Wrote:  Improvement is a sign of a well-coached team and this team has definitely improved. Good point above though about frosh recruiting. This year's class has one very good player, one who quit, one who nobody else recruited because of health issues and one who probably isn't good enough. If TK convinced Pearson to go to UWGB, he should be able to get one like him to come to UT. if he does, we'll keep moving up. If not, well we're out of the basement, but... I think the glass is half full.

No one knew of the Health problems until he arrived on campus, and the Doctors at our superior Hospital on campus found it. His family doctor hadn't detected it growing up. He was the top big man in Michigan last year and heavily recruited. So you can't count that a recruiting failure, but as another recent unlucky moment in Toledo Men's Basketball.

And MAthews is becoming a favorite of mine, not because of his skills but because he definitely lives within his limitations. Gives a few minutes of rest to Juice or Buck and plays hard defense, moves the ball well and has kept his turnovers down. Hoping he will find some offense one day but he is working on staying within the system and not trying to make a name for himself.

(02-21-2012 03:43 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  And MAthews is becoming a favorite of mine, not because of his skills but because he definitely lives within his limitations. Gives a few minutes of rest to Juice or Buck and plays hard defense, moves the ball well and has kept his turnovers down. Hoping he will find some offense one day but he is working on staying within the system and not trying to make a name for himself.

I agree with you. I'm not deterred by his progress at all. He was never a big shooter/scorer in high school, but he was a high character leader and better yet, a winner.