Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Lack of info dampens expectations, increases hope

When a team has several recruits, especially if any of them need to fill important roles, it is always a little difficult for fans to get too confident simply because we do not really know anything about them. Oh, we have stats at a lower level, and we have the gushy optimism of coachspeak, but we are not sure how good they will be. So we temper our optimism with mental asterisks: "IF he is as good as we think he might be." Lack of information dampens expectations.

On the other hand, ignorance is bliss. "He may be a bust, but WHAT IF he turns out to be something special. What if he plays over his head and is one of those kids who significantly over-achieve?" That does not happen very often, but it does happen. A Jones-Jennings leads the nation in rebounding. A Matt Mouzy turns walking on into a solid career. A lightly-recruited Derek Fisher becomes an all-time great. I does happen. It has happened. Sometimes the surprise player has little to go with him, as was the sad case with JJ, but every once in a while he is that final piece to an exceptional team. Who could have predicted that the 1986 Trojans would vault from a 4-9 start to their classic victory over Notre Dame at least partially because a guard named Paul Springer was inserted into the starting line-up? It does happen. We not know for sure how good the recruits are, but that lack if info allows us to hope.

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