Some real talent on the yard tonight

[NOTaDIME]

We have some weak, weak fans here. Seriously. Didn't we win a national championship last year? Didn't we lose our HoF coach for half the season, and during a stretch where the team usually learns and gels and, for a lack of better terms, 'gets it?' Not to discredit George Blaney, but he is NOT suited to spend more than a game or two coaching a high-major team. If he took over just about any team in the top 25 for a majority of the conference season, you can be damn sure they would struggle like this.

But, it's just easier to say they have no heart. Makes what they did last season even more incredible, considering our teams was 90% listless zombies who cared only about their NBA stock, or which girl they were going to bang back on campus. I don't like to say stuff like this, but get your heads out of your asses. Or, at the very least, don't come to Gampel this Saturday.

So because we won it all last year we should be okay with a team that is loaded with talent and underachieved throughout most of this season? I'm sick of hearing people say "well we won it last year." That gives us a free pass to underachieve this year I guess.

 

[SkyWalker2011]

So... on the one hand the education has nothing to do with why they are here, but on the other hand they are getting "paid" by getting a free education? Look, either they are here for an education, which has value, or they don't care about the education and it has no value. You can't have it both ways!

Regardless of whatever the education means to them, they are receiving something worth over $20,000 that they would otherwise have to pay for. I'm sure there are a lot of underprivileged people salivating at the thought of getting a free education. It's like getting a company car when you don't need it because you take the train to work. You have the car for the rest of your life, but you don't have to use it and take advantage of it if you don't want to.

 

[tzznandrew]

Regardless of whatever the education means to them, they are receiving something worth over $20,000 that they would otherwise have to pay for. I'm sure there are a lot of underprivileged people salivating at the thought of getting a free education. It's like getting a company car when you don't need it because you take the train to work. You have the car for the rest of your life, but you don't have to use it and take advantage of it if you don't want to.

Eh. They are privileged in that they are getting a free education--but it's not just basketball that gets kids in. All sorts of things, from sports like Squash to non-athletic things like legacies give kids a heads up. It's impossible to know what these kids would have done without basketball--they may have focused on academics and got here for that. We certainly shouldn't assume otherwise.

And it's not as if the school hasn't benefited greatly from them. It's no surprise that UConn's ascendancy from good regional college to top public university corresponded with the success of their basketball teams.

In fact, for someone like Drummond, they may only be in college because they dont' feel comfortable in Europe. There's not really a need. Education and Athletics (at the DI level) have been decoupled for a while. Very few of them--Okafor for instance--get a degree that will allow them to do useful things aside from basketball or communications in the sports world.

 

[businesslawyer]

I find myself on the fence in regards to this post. While I don't believe in attacking players (nevermind college kids), I'm pretty f'in mad at the way this season has gone, and I'm not in the mood for one of those "Shut up fat ass, you're a bad fan" pep talks that certain members of this board have been known to dish out (unless it was the makersmuppet of course).

For starters, I'll always love these kids, even if they do nothing for the rest of their careers. That one season was probably the most magical I've ever experienced as a sports fan, and I'm sure we'll all talk about it for years to come. Besides, we have it pretty f'in good as UConn fans. Three titles in the past 13 years, two final fours in the last three, and one of the best coaches of all-time.

But as much as I relish the past, I've been incredibly disappointed with this team this season, because all you want as a fan for your team to play up to its potential, or at least most of it. At this time, I was hoping they would be a lot further along in their development, especially considering the experience they received last year, even if they were only along for the ride most of the time. Again, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a top five team on paper. Individually, these are all very good players. Shabazz, Lamb, Oriakhi, Boatright, Drummond, Roscoe Smith...even Daniels, Giffey, and Olander at times, are all players opposing coaches would love to have on their team.

They are young and they don't have an upper classmen leader, but frankly, I'm tired of hearing those excuses. This group returned four starters from a national championship team. The amount of pride these guys have shown really disappoints me. That's not to say I necessarily expected them to repeat, but for a group that's been through the gauntlet, you sure expected MUCH better execution, toughness, composure, and ressiliance. I thought these guys were champions. Right now they are showing me that they simply rode the cottails of Kemba and good fortune. What's the point of winning a title if you're not going to defend it? Remember Rocky 3 when Clubber Lang came along and insulted Rocky's wife, knocked him out in their first fight, killed his trainer, and laughed at him in the media? Rocky responded the way champions did, he devoted his enitre life to training for the next fight, because he couldn't stand the thought of not being the best.

The question I'd ask this team if I ever got the chance to meet them, is "are you satisfied with having your one moment in the sun, or do you want it to mean something more"? Teams like Kentucky and Syracuse are on a collision course. Are the defending champs going to have a say before this is all set and done, or are they all going to sit back, enjoy the memories, and think about the NBA? So far their answer has disappointed me.

But see -- you set up an either or dichotomy that is just false. That was a great post, and I bet no one will criticize you for those criticisms. It is failing to recognize the difference between criticizing and trashing that causes some to say it is out of place.

 

[Dove]

In the past there have been many times the Huskies have pissed me off. Always as a team. Never has an individual player incited a satanic wrath that I wish he were neutered at center court, tho. I have punched floors. I have punched my cat a few times and even one time Jerome Dyson did something that me ALMOST smother poor little Marley to oblivion. I have almost broken a hand punching a floor. One time I threw a pillow so hard at the tv, but actually trying to miss it (my way of hitting Dom freakin' Perno), that I did hit it and threw by back out saving the Sony as it came 2" from the floor.

But last night...I felt an emotion of disgust that embarrassed me. Just the way that 14 point lead evaporated was withou a g-damned fight. A very pathetic loss that I blame Blaney for. Plain and simple.

Of course the sound bite of Jeremy Lamb after each loss saying "I dunno. I dunno. Horrible. I dunno" is becoming a nightly comedy.

We have seen yearly wtf losses. I think this is an epic wtf season.

 

[temery]

Not for nuthin', but most people who go to college get degrees that don't prepare them for squat.

Eh. They are privileged in that they are getting a free education--but it's not just basketball that gets kids in. All sorts of things, from sports like Squash to non-athletic things like legacies give kids a heads up. It's impossible to know what these kids would have done without basketball--they may have focused on academics and got here for that. We certainly shouldn't assume otherwise.

And it's not as if the school hasn't benefited greatly from them. It's no surprise that UConn's ascendancy from good regional college to top public university corresponded with the success of their basketball teams.

In fact, for someone like Drummond, they may only be in college because they dont' feel comfortable in Europe. There's not really a need. Education and Athletics (at the DI level) have been decoupled for a while. Very few of them--Okafor for instance--get a degree that will allow them to do useful things aside from basketball or communications in the sports world.

 

[The Funster]

I don't think there is a single fan that has been happy with the team this year. I've thrown up in my mouth on multiple occasions. I've wanted to get up and walk away many times. Bottom line is that the team gets punched in the mouth and they can't handle it.

What gets me is that there seems to be 10x the volume of posts when the team plays poorly than when they play well. On the other site last year when we started on that postseason roll the volume of posts went down dramatically and some one asked "How come people aren't posting that much?" and someone else answered, "We're winning".

That's it in a nutshell for me. I've been on the Yard for a long time and over the last 8-10 years it's been pretty obvious: when the hits the fan people crawl out of the woodwork to bitch and moan and then disappear when things are going well.

 

[benjordan]

This board is being destroyed by the constant bickering between the people flipping out and people yelling at them to stop.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

This board is being destroyed by the constant bickering between the people flipping out and people yelling at them to stop.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Perhaps people here are simply thirsty to witness a passionate exchange of offense and defense, and this is the best we've got in an otherwise powerless circumstance.

 

[The Funster]

If the Boneyard can survive 2004 it can survive anything, IMO.

 

[HuskyBro10]

I'm ignoring everything else said in this thread, because has anyone noticed this?

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology

You are telling me we might get to play Gonzaga and Duke in the first two rounds? Remember when we played those two teams in NCAA play last time? You guessed it, 1999. Now we just need to get moved to the West bracket.