A changed man? As he recovers from injury, Napier alters leadership style

[Clockshop]

http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2012/10/03/sports/doc506c435b2e49c926042865.txt

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but here's yet another article suggesting that a Horde member has been in attendence during preseason pickup games.

I'm not saying that this was a bad article or that it that didn't need to be written. I'm simply saying that I read every single word written about the Uconn men's basketball team and if it weren't for the updated roster on the school's website, there wouldn't be any evidence that Phil Nolan is actually a member of the basketball team this year.

Here's what I've learned about the preseason workouts in the last couple of weeks: 1) Napier plays jokes on Wolf while he's shooting free throws and 2) Boatright playfully talked some trash about Jeremy Lamb to the beat writers during a pickup game. Would it kill somebody to drop a single line about something that actually transpired on the court? Give me anything. I'll settle for knowing if Wolf's free throw went in despite Napier sounding the horn.

 

[aceboon]

Yea, it seems like since there's no postseason this year writers are approaching this season like it doesn't matter. I know this team doesn't have the hype of last years but like you said it would be nice to hear how Nolan looks considering the team is going to have to rely on him as a frontcourt piece. Or how DeAndre or Niels look this year since we need production from the wing spot this year. It seemed like last year we had reports on every pickup session, now, nothing.

 

[EricLA]

I agree with Husky Bball, but it's a good article talking about how Napier felt he was with the team last year, and how his attitude has shifted this year. It's nice to hear him say he felt he was somewhat inappropriate at times last year, and it seems clear the team has great chemistry this season. I hope his injury does not hold him back...

 

[dapriest]

I know I'm beating a dead horse here,

At this point, you're pretty much fornicating with the corpse.

The thing is this - we, here at TBY.com - represent a pathologically different group of fans than the general UConn fan base. Perhaps, generously, we're 1/10 of 1% of fans.

For much of the time I watched UConn since the 80s I wouldn't know anything about who was new on the team until the first televised game.

My affiliation with the TBY, as well as the instantaneousness and ubiquity of the Internet, altered that, so that now I actually find out useful facts. Like last year when Tyler became Larry fricking Bird, Jr. over the summer. Would have never known that in past years until cupcake season was fully underway.

The long and the short of it is that articles about how Phil Nolan is doing in "practices" that aren't even formally coached practices in late September just don't pay the bills.

That's it. Not much more to say than that, other than in this world of RIGHT NOW, where determining the average diameter of a racoon's a---hole is merely a few fingerings of your iThing away, 24 hours a day, perhaps we're expecting to be catered to too much for what amounts to a . . . dare I throw it out there? . . . a tangential, bizarre fetish in a world chock full of em, many of which pay to report (and pay well, I can tell you).

Unless, of course, you think that earnestly wanting to know how a 17 year old stranger is doing at informal basketball practices well before the season starts is somehow a normal thing to want to know for a middle age man.

 

[Waquoit]

This is all well and good, but UConn guys always give great pre-season quote. We'll see what happens once the games count...and this season.

 

[aceboon]

At this point, you're pretty much fornicating with the corpse.

The thing is this - we, here at TBY.com - represent a pathologically different group of fans than the general UConn fan base. Perhaps, generously, we're 1/10 of 1% of fans.

For much of the time I watched UConn since the 80s I wouldn't know anything about who was new on the team until the first televised game.

My affiliation with the TBY, as well as the instantaneousness and ubiquity of the Internet, altered that, so that now I actually find out useful facts. Like last year when Tyler became Larry fricking Bird, Jr. over the summer. Would have never known that in past years until cupcake season was fully underway.

The long and the short of it is that articles about how Phil Nolan is doing in "practices" that aren't even formally coached practices in late September just don't pay the bills.

That's it. Not much more to say than that, other than in this world of RIGHT NOW, where determining the average diameter of a racoon's a---hole is merely a few fingerings of your iThing away, 24 hours a day, perhaps we're expecting to be catered to too much for what amounts to a . . . dare I throw it out there? . . . a tangential, bizarre fetish in a world chock full of em, many of which pay to report (and pay well, I can tell you).

Unless, of course, you think that earnestly wanting to know how a 17 year old stranger is doing at informal basketball practices well before the season starts is somehow a normal thing to want to know for a middle age man.

Preseason practices/scrimmages have been reported on in blogs in years past, from the Courant with Anthony/Amore, NHR with Borges, and the Post with Ostrutt/Duffy. I can't remember the last time we've gone this late before practice starts without really anyword from the writers. Articles on practices/scrimmages don't have to appear in the daily paper, that's what the blogs are for.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I thought that this was a good thing to hear from Bazz. Sounds like he is able to have the maturity to see the need to make some changes. JC commented once about how KEA was the perfect balance for him (or something to that effect) because he was always a very positive leader. Marcus Williams, tended to be too much like JC in being critical and too negative at times with others.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Yeah, and DogMania and Hooper Scooper and Mau and others used to get off their asses and go to practices and write about it. Well, maybe not Hooper. Where are our on campus student spies/reporters?

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Preseason practices/scrimmages have been reported on in blogs in years past, from the Courant with Anthony/Amore, NHR with Borges, and the Post with Ostrutt/Duffy. I can't remember the last time we've gone this late before practice starts without really anyword from the writers. Articles on practices/scrimmages don't have to appear in the daily paper, that's what the blogs are for.

Exactly. I'm not saying that we need full articles breaking down the play-by-play of every pickup game. But a line or two in a blog, on Twitter (every beat writer is on there) or wherever else isn't going to kill anybody. Plus, like you say, this isn't exactly a new concept.

 

[CL82]

Yeah, and DogMania and Hooper Scooper and Mau and others used to get off their asses and go to practices and write about it. Well, maybe not Hooper. Where are our on campus student spies/reporters?

I love this post. I miss those reports as well. Not enough to take a day off and actually write one up myself, but I do miss them.

I thought the article was fine. I'll take whatever I can get.

 

[HooperScooper]

Yeah, and DogMania and Hooper Scooper and Mau and others used to get off their asses and go to practices and write about it. Well, maybe not Hooper. Where are our on campus student spies/reporters?

Yeah, I did. I wrote some long ones. And DogMania then wrote longer ones! Although I don't think I've been down there for a preseason scrimmage since Nate Miles' last day with the team. DM and I were there the last time he practiced with the team before he was suspended. So it was a while ago.

 

[Chief00]

I hope this team overachieves. There is no denying they lack of talent and eye test of prior teams. But, I have been a season ticketholder for 22 years so to me that doesn't change anything. They will give me something to cheer about.