(01-12-2017 10:36 AM)OLNWFLSH Wrote: (01-12-2017 09:37 AM)delflash Wrote: I believe KSU basketball has been hurt by the extensive roster turnover from year to year. It's difficult to develop cohesion when your players continually change. Of course, KSU is not alone in seeing players come and go at the drop of a hat. It's the new trend. But it just seems our turnover has been exceptionally high. This does not facilitate fan interest either.
I agree - I really think this team would/could be more consistent if we still had a guard like Kellon Thomas - that impacted us much more than I would have suspected. But then I always fall into those preseason traps about the level of talent that guys like Deberry will bring. I liked reading David Carducci posts - but he had a tendency to overestimate/exaggerate incoming talent. I see Hustle belt still has us ranked 4th in the MAC- I feel that's too high as road wins will be tough to come by. Let hope they start at WMU. The good thing about this venting thread is that it shows there are still some passionate fans out there!
Thanks OLNWFLSH, I'm glad you liked my work. And I agree with you, I missed quite a bit in my evaluation of new talent.
I can think of so many players over the years who looked great in workouts and in the lead-up to the season. Just last year, I was convinced Marvin Jones would be a major impact player. He was athletic, had excellent range on his jumper. He dominated in some practices. For whatever reason, it didn't work out.
Maybe the most physically gifted player I've seen at KSU was Rashad Woods. Again, he didn't quite fit. I'm still convinced Tyree Evans could have been special here, but that injured finger really impacted his game, his ability to score and create his own shot.
Sometimes I was right, and maybe even had an impact in how some young players ended up being used and ultimately getting an early chance to develop. A late night up talking with Jim Christian and his staff ended with the decision to put freshman Chris Singletary and Rod Sherman into the starting lineup. By no means am I saying I convinced them to do that. But I was a big proponent of that decision. I've always liked it when high-ceiling freshman get a chance to start early in their careers, make some mistakes and grow along with veterans. I loved that potential with Pippen and Peterson at the start of the year and hope to see their opportunities continue to grow as the season goes on. I believe they could be special players.
But I agree with you. My intention wasn't to exaggerate, but I definitely overestimated. I tend be an optimist and that may have been a negative in my career as a reporter. It may have also been a negative for some players and coaches in that it led to fan expectations being higher than they should have been. Fortunately for all of you, I'm not a coach and I don't recruit! I can only hurt the program by creating a few dumb graphics, tweets, and radio commentary!
I have to say, I agree quite a bit with Danny. I hope none of you take this as an insult, but those of us who work so closely with these student-athletes and coaches do get a bit oversensitive about criticism of them. We see the hard work behind the scenes and we know and care about them as people. So, when several fans were heckling our own players during and after the game on Tuesday, I was really upset. I know one player in particular who was extremely hurt a week earlier by some really rude and obnoxious things that were shouted at him. We have a good fan base at Kent State and this kind of behavior is not the norm. Having spent a great deal of time in Europe, there's part of me that loves the way fans are there. Actually, they call themselves supporters rather than fans. They have a different relationship with their teams. They may get frustrated, but they are constantly supportive and do what they can to help the team and create a home-field/court advantage during a season, even in a down year. They get excited for gameday and the chance to cheer their team no matter what, through thick and thin.
There are some really good young men on this men's basketball team who could benefit from that kind of relationship with the fan base. I enjoy being around these players. Support from fans can help them get through a slump or a stretch when they are struggling with confidence. That positive gameday environment also helps in recruiting. Kids want to play at a place where fans are into the game – even an ugly game – and do what they can to pull the team out of a bad stretch.
Anyway, sorry about getting up on the soapbox. I'm a Kent State employee, but I've spent my entire life here, going to games with my father starting at around age 3. I care about the men's basketball program, but I also care about the people who make up the program, and I'd love to see the fans to have more of a symbiotic relationship with an understanding that they really can make a difference in a very positive way.