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Post by cardfan on Apr 5, 2024 12:00:31 GMT -6
Well, UMASS will drive the rest of the MAC to recruit better (and hopefully invest better) if we want to keep up. Or, UMASS will just dominate for 3 years and move on to yet another conference... There's a long way to go with the portal. The amount of players entering each day is ridiculous, and we haven't even had the Final Four and National Championship yet. Even those teams are going to lose/add some via the portal. The problem is, do you play the long game and wait for the right kids, or strike as early as you can and hope for the best? BG has already snagged a PG from Arizona. Buffalo got a kid from Maryland. Don't know if the other MAC schools have scored anyone yet. (besides us getting Sparks back) Akron convinced 6'5" VonCameron Smith to return to to Akron. They also have picked up: - 6'8" Anthony Morales (Boston University) - 6'5" Morgan Safford (Miami, OH) Pretty much makes them favored again. Is Groce just content to stay there now? (and to think that years back, Groce was at one time mentioned as a candidate at BSU. Obviously our AD/search committee did a helluva good job not hiring him.) Of course, some of us remember when Clemson's current coach (Brownell) was going to take our job. There was an insider on this board telling us it was a done deal and the announcement was forthcoming. Until Gora totally botched it, didn't offer him an appropriate dollar amount or guarantee support and let him leave Muncie without a contract. A few days later he's Wright State's coach and goes on to earn himself the Clemson job. Who did we have fall into our lap just beautifully that year after failing with Brownell? He Who Shall Not Be Named. Well played BSU, well played. |
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Post by 00hmh on Apr 5, 2024 14:16:30 GMT -6
Akron convinced 6'5" VonCameron Smith to return to to Akron. They also have picked up: - 6'8" Anthony Morales (Boston University) - 6'5" Morgan Safford (Miami, OH) Of course, some of us remember when Clemson's current coach (Brownell) was going to take our job. There was an insider on this board telling us it was a done deal and the announcement was forthcoming. Until Gora totally botched it, didn't offer him an appropriate dollar amount or guarantee support and let him leave Muncie without a contract. That really hurt...in other searches including the one for Buckner and Whitford, budgeted salary for HC and assistants cost us good candidates. We have quite a history with HC compensation.
We paid a fair price for Majerus and Hunsaker benefited from that amount which was budgeted based on keeping Rick a little longer. With Ray we took on an assistant on the cheap and got away with it. Set a bad precedent , but in the end Ray was not happy.
For Billy, we were luck to find a Black coach willing to take the job, and because it was a real death trap we paid him his asking price which was cheap.
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Post by coastalcard on Nov 13, 2024 20:25:16 GMT -6
Sparks should be very much improved. The guy practiced against one of the best big guys in the country. I cannot imagine Sparks would come back if Jihad was leaving. This has the making of an outstanding front court. Need to fill the gap at guard. If Watts can play and is healthy, you have to find a back up point guard, another shooter and a good back up big who could start in 2 years. It is amazing how one transfer can change your mood. You are way more of a talent expert than me, so I'm sure I'll be happily proven wrong, but count me in the extreme minority that is skeptical that he'll have the kind of impact you all think he will. He's an extremely poor FT shooter. I could see MAC coaches implementing hack a Shaq by putting their crappy players in to foul him early and often. He was a pretty poor defender while here. He has slow feet and seems too bulky now. He's quite foul prone. He's not super skilled offensively. He is a banger and fighter, so I'll take that. Who's to say IU didn't tell him there was no roster spot for him next year? Perhaps it's just my pride talking, but I'm surprised Lewis would want him back. Supposedly their family openly bitched about Lewis' language and treatment of players. And what does it say that Lewis' biggest recruit so far was taking a Big Ten bench dweller back? 👆Pretty accurate Swami Summary👆 of what I’m seeing so far and what I expected to see. Some how he is making a few FTs |
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Post by CallingBS on Nov 13, 2024 20:36:24 GMT -6
You are way more of a talent expert than me, so I'm sure I'll be happily proven wrong, but count me in the extreme minority that is skeptical that he'll have the kind of impact you all think he will. He's an extremely poor FT shooter. I could see MAC coaches implementing hack a Shaq by putting their crappy players in to foul him early and often. He was a pretty poor defender while here. He has slow feet and seems too bulky now. He's quite foul prone. He's not super skilled offensively. He is a banger and fighter, so I'll take that. Who's to say IU didn't tell him there was no roster spot for him next year? Perhaps it's just my pride talking, but I'm surprised Lewis would want him back. Supposedly their family openly bitched about Lewis' language and treatment of players. And what does it say that Lewis' biggest recruit so far was taking a Big Ten bench dweller back? 👆Pretty accurate Swami Summary👆 of what I’m seeing so far and what I expected to see. Some how he is making a few FTs I hate to be right on this one, though. He just can't move and he's flat-footed. |
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Post by reevo on Nov 13, 2024 20:49:34 GMT -6
👆Pretty accurate Swami Summary👆 of what I’m seeing so far and what I expected to see. Some how he is making a few FTs I hate to be right on this one, though. He just can't move and he's flat-footed. This has nothing to do with lack of ability! He is absolutely out of shape and overweight. What we don’t know is if this is injury related or he just got freaking lazy and did absolutely nothing this summer. The guy we saw two years ago left this guys body. I want to know why. If he is not injured or has a health condition, Lewis needs his ass kicked. You don’t spend the amount of money that has been reported for a lazy out of shape 5th year player. Again, I want to know why he is in horrible shape! |
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Post by coastalcard on Nov 13, 2024 20:52:05 GMT -6
His lack of ability is why he didn’t play at IU
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Post by reevo on Nov 13, 2024 21:01:18 GMT -6
His lack of ability is why he didn’t play at IU Lack of ability as a sophomore is why he did this: averaged 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds (4th in the MAC), and 1.9 assists per game… shot 58.8% (147-of-250, 3rd in the MAC) from the floor. He should be a 16 pt 10 rebounds a game performer in the MAC. His lack of performance has everything to do with his lack of conditioning, not ability. |
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Post by cardfan on Nov 14, 2024 5:14:07 GMT -6
Just hard to believe he is so glaringly out of basketball condition. As a soph he was leaner and more explosive than he is now and had more agility. He doesn’t appear to be anything like that currently. Doesn’t suit the style of play we want this year. Maybe by MAC season he’ll be back to what he was. Those games tend to grind more and be half court so he should fit that better.
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Post by CallingBS on Nov 14, 2024 5:41:05 GMT -6
My concern coming out of IU was that he was immobile and even more flat-footed than he was out of HS. I think getting so bulky did actually hurt his skills too.
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Post by williamtsherman on Nov 15, 2024 14:02:36 GMT -6
This is all hugely disappointing to me. I really expected Sparks to be an all-MAC level performer and team cornerstone...as he was before he left. It just did not seem possible he would get worse. The overwhelming tendency is for players to get better over their college careers, or at least stay the same. In particular, I could not credit the idea that adding muscle bulk could make him worse. I've seen so many cases of added muscle making players better in so many different sports. Even Olympic level sprinters, who must be at the absolute highest level of speed and explosiveness, usually have the physique of boxers or football players.
I have not yet seen him play this year, nor can I seem to find recent pictures. The descriptions I see here seem to indicate a lard-ass more so than a musclebound player. I don't know what to think at this point....unless maybe this is just one more kick to the nuts for BSU basketball fans to take.
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Post by rusty on Nov 15, 2024 14:14:38 GMT -6
I’ll put this way he looks like his body fat is way up!
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Post by realitycheck on Nov 15, 2024 15:44:57 GMT -6
This is all hugely disappointing to me. I really expected Sparks to be an all-MAC level performer and team cornerstone...as he was before he left. It just did not seem possible he would get worse. The overwhelming tendency is for players to get better over their college careers, or at least stay the same. In particular, I could not credit the idea that adding muscle bulk could make him worse. I've seen so many cases of added muscle making players better in so many different sports. Even Olympic level sprinters, who must be at the absolute highest level of speed and explosiveness, usually have the physique of boxers or football players. I have not yet seen him play this year, nor can I seem to find recent pictures. The descriptions I see here seem to indicate a lard-ass more so than a musclebound player. I don't know what to think at this point....unless maybe this is just one more kick to the nuts for BSU basketball fans to take. Miami of Ohio had a center last year Anderson Mirambeaux who was 6-8 and listed at 305 but he was closer to 325 from my view. He was far doughier than Sparks is now. He only played in 23 games (not sure why) but he was far more agile and better post moves at that weight than Sparks is now. Averaged about 13 a game in 21 minutes. Sparks is still pretty cut in the upper body but his belly and behind are a biscuit shy of being in a different zip code. He's gotta be pushing 300 and as noted by many, wasn't exactly twitchy or a leaper when he was a sophomore at 240. He was just strong and persistent and tenacious and had some good post moves. He used to be hungry to get better and own the paint. Now he's just hungry for some Duff's buffet. |
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Post by williamtsherman on Nov 15, 2024 15:53:45 GMT -6
Now he's just hungry for some Duff's buffet. Is that still around? I used to dream about Duff's when I was cutting weight for wrestling....specifically the strawberry shortcake at end of the buffet line. |
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Post by williamtsherman on Nov 19, 2024 7:55:28 GMT -6
Is there any source that provides the NIL resources devoted to each player? Using limited NIL resources effectively has obviously become a key factor in winning these days....maybe THE key factor.
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Post by redfeather on Nov 19, 2024 13:57:04 GMT -6
 Now he's just hungry for some Duff's buffet.   Is that still around? I used to dream about Duff's when I was cutting weight for wrestling....specifically the strawberry shortcake at end of the buffet line. I had forgotten about Duff’s! Man we would feast when we went there. Always asked my parents to take me there when they visited. I remember walking onto the BSU wrestling team my freshman year and the coaches really taking an interest in me which was very encouraging but between Duff’s and being to tired to study resulting in a poor first year showing of my grades my folks told me to hang up up wrestling shoes and get an education. That was good advice! |
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