Post shooting

One encouraging stat is that Wayne Burton and Courtney Jackson both shot .500 in their first year at the D-1 level. Good news, because your post men have to be able to make shots to make Grinder Ball work.

Savannah State

Savannah, if you recall, about three years ago go the nation's attention in the wrong way by having zero wins for a season. They have turned things around big-time since then, going 15-14 this season. Not bad for an independent school that does not even have any realistic opportunity to go to post-season play.

Varying expectations

As is always the case, when you have a high turnover of players and a talented class coming in, expectations can range greatly. If, IF, everything pans out, this might be a very good squad. If they don’t, it could be mediocre. Dare we hope? I’m going to. Why not?

Boring NCAA

Always is when all the favorites win.

Regular season vs. tournaments

For me there is a lot more satisfaction in doing well in the regular season vs. tournaments. It is steak vs. sizzle, substance vs. showtime.

The 4 spot

Bails, Smith, Burton, and two new 6-9, 240# guys. I cannot believe that all of these are going to be candidates at the 5 and none of them at the 4. I know that Shields said that Courtney Jackson has the 4 spot for next year. He is not a true 3, but he is really too small for a 4. It just does not make sense to have 5 beefy guys competing at the 5, and none of them at the 4. I have to believe some of them will be in the mix there.

Statistical curiosity

I wonder how many teams this season had their point guard lead the team in blocked shots. Brandon Freeman had that distinction for Little Rock. Of course, he is 6-6, and not many point guards are.

Northwestern in the NIT

The Wildcats went to their first post-season since the mid-90's. They still have never been to the NCAA, but they have only one senior on the squad this season, so they expect big things next year.

It's all over

Well, it is all over. The long season finally came to an end. I really did not expect to get a bid to the NIT, but I figured we would go to one of the other tournaments. Evidently it was an administrative decision not to go, since a lot of teams with far less impressive resumes did get invited.

Wait until next year, I guess

Gladiator mentality

One thing I find particularly repugnant is the "gladiator" mentality, that is, that the only person who counts is the one who came out on the top end of the score, and that "valiant striving" is worthy of no mention or regard. This is just the opposite of the old adage, "It isn't whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."

Where is Stan?

One thing this team has sorely lacked over the last few years is a really mobile, active post player. Someone like Stan Blackmon. When he got the ball on the block, you had to pay attention to him because he was going to get loose, some way or other, to get a shot, or get fouled. He was SO mobile in the block. We haven't had that sort of player much in the Shields era. Maybe Courtney will turn out that way.

When the team goes south

It is an interesting phenomenon that an entire team's shooting occasionally goes bad at the same time. Hard to figure, but it happens. You would think one person at least would be hot.

They just don't know the feeling

If basketball were really important, I would be really depressed; but it isn’t, so I’m not. I can understand how the team and staff might be, though. It is discouraging. This was probably our best chance of postseason in a long, long time, and we just absolutely went dead in the water. It happens sometimes.

Fans of big time programs like Fayetteville do not know how that feels. They will be in post season most years. They cannot imagine the discouragement that pervades an entire program when you blow your only shot at the gold ring, probably for years.

Fear Denver

Denver should be very good next season. They return their entire roster, and with the precision needed for the Princeton offense, having the whole team back is a huge plus. I am looking forward to seeing how they put it together.

Lafayette

ULL is a puzzling team. They will have fully eight players returning next season in the 6-6 to 6-8 range. This year they didn't shoot, didn't play defense and didn't take care of the ball, but they blocked shots all over the place, so I am guessing they are athletic as all get-out. Why don't they play better?

Stevie Moore

I’ll give my two cents worth on the Stevie Moore episode. We will never know all the facts, of course, so this is only upon the basis of what we can see. Stevie was already on probation, so to speak, because of his suspension in the first two games of the year, so he had to know he had no room for error in that regard. Maybe Shields was out of line in the severity of his public chewing out, but no more than what many coaches do. It is not like Stevie is the first player ever to get a bad dressing down on the sideline. So, when he walked, he had to know that he was in effect resigning. I hate to lose his talent. The problem now is the effect his leaving will have on team morale. It seems they played well against North Texas. Hopefully it will be a positive, but time will tell.

New territory for me

Every win from here on out this season is virgin territory for me as a UALR basketball fan. The 20 wins last season was the most I have seen the team get. So, I am going to really enjoy the rest of the season. These are the good old days.

WKU

I am just sick, sick, sick. What more can you say? The crowd showed up, and was vocal and into the game. We just didn't get it done.

making others better

It is a truism, but being surrounded by other good players makes good players look a lot better. If JJ had been on a good team and could have played the 4 spot, his true position, and concentrate exclusively on rebounding, there is no telling what sort of numbers he would have had. Point guards look better if shooters get open. Shooters look better if point guards get them the ball. Etc, etc.

Just a little big torqued

Fayetteville, which is going no where and is in a significant tailspin, notwithstanding gets two front page sports section articles. UALR, who clinched a tie for the division title and moved into overall possession of first place and have a game coming up with Western Kentucky, get stuck on Page Nine of the Arkansas Democrat. Tell me again that the powers that be in the state don't deliberately try to make sure no one but Fayetteville gets any significant support. Tell me, but I won't believe it.