[NU Sports] about what?

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

>I don't think this team markedly underachieved.  They have no inside
>presence and only one consistent jump shooter (VV).  Becoming a legitimate
>program does not necessarily happen overnight

I would second that - sometimes you need a step back before moving forward,
and this year with the early close defeats and barrage of injuries was
hopefully just that. We struggled to replace Jitim early and those OSU/PSU
defeats late killed us in Big Ten play. But overall, it wasn't all that
different from last year. Not a step forward, but certainly no "sky is
falling" setback.

I'm convinced Carmody is our coach to build a program around. We've never
even thought of the NCAAs before he arrived ... now I believe it's closer
to our reach than certainly any time in the last four decades.

>The Cats reached double-digit in wins for the fourth consecutive year, the
>first time they've done that since 1965/66 - 1968/69.  I say we need to

I'd also second that an overnight football success (though it's usually
fool's gold) is more common than overnight hoops success -- college
basketball didn't have the scholarship cuts (i.e. forced parity) college
football had. In addition, more high school kids are bypassing college. The
few college programs who have risen to national prominence recently from
the ranks of has-beens have been teams like Gonzaga that have managed to
keep a group together for 2-3 years and relied on senior leaders to break
through. Next year, we'll have that group of seniors who have been laying a
foundation for NU hoops in recent years (i.e. winning at home, beating NCAA
tournament teams, etc.). We're a couple games away - I think we'll win
those early contests and close league games next year with the experience.

>I am sorry to say this but this bunch of hoopsters is
>a FAILURE. No heart, no urgency, yet plenty of excuses

I strongly disagree with that -- these guys were dead tired at the end of
that MSU game and you could see that they left it all on the court before
falling to a top 12 team in a hard-fought game. The OSU/PSU games hurt, but
we had some gutsy wins this year too and I'm not sure I saw us mail a game
in. We may not have the talent, but I saw a lot of heart out there this
year.

>I can't wait for this whole bunch to use up their
>eligibility and begone. I am tired of the broken

That's too bad. I've enjoyed watching TJ and Hachad play in the backcourt.
Jenkins was a burst of energy and the underdog anyone could root for -- and
Scott has shown a lot of promise for the future. Doyle makes a lot of
hustle plays (just look at the bruises on his legs) and VV and DD have made
some great passes, backdoor cuts and fundamental plays you rarely see on
the court these days. I think they'll exit the NU program next year as one
of the more successful classes in Wildcat history and along with people
like Jitim, be the rock this program is built on in the future.

>justifications. By any standard the Big 10 (outside of
>Illinois) was WAY down this year and ONCE AGAIN we're

Down compared to usual? Yes. Down compared to last year? Nope. We still
have three strong NCAA teams in the Illini, Spartans and Badgers ... and
Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio State have drastically improved from last year
and within this season. If Iowa and Michigan (and OSU) hadn't run into
off-the-court fouls, the Big Ten could have 7 or 8 teams clamoring for an
NCAA bid this year. Only Purdue and Penn State have become noticably worse
this year.

>I'm sorry about being so negative, I really am. But I
>am sick to death of a men's basketball team that is
>one letdown after another. I could live with losing
>with heart -- as football generally did -- but
>basketball's gutlessness is a disgrace.

Well, you may not be on the purple Kool-aid anymore, but you're surely on
something.:) First off, I don't think the football team were losers either
-- they finished fourth -- but that's another conversation. I'm
disappointed by this basketball season, but certainly not devastated. I
think they have hustled and put a lot of effort on the court - the DePaul,
Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois games at home and the Minnesota road
win attest to that - and I enjoy watching this group play basketball in
Carmody's system. With everyone back next year, I expect victory and see no
reason to doubt that they will leave Welsh-Ryan as one of the most
successful NU cager classes in history.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT


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88888b  Y88 *     Stephen J. Truog     * 88888b  Y88
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