Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

kdub well said should be in the MI. Rebounding is knowledge and want and yes jumping at times. I worry most about guarding a 6"9" and we will face several.

If we can run and get threes before the defense gets set will make games interesting. We also have the bench that should make the last ten minutes ours.

[WKYDave]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I don't share your opinion of up coming season being interesting. They will not have the talent level needed to compete or be competitive. I hope they can manage to find 10 wins. I fear the Sportscenter will be close to empty come March. All the giveaways and halftime entertainment won't help when you have a 5 game losing streak. Unless they do like the Thoroughbreds and have dance team perform at half every game and discount tickets so family will watch them perform and then leave. I wish Coach all luck in the world but can't say I am excited about next year and I don't know how the program pulls out of the tailspin that started last year. You have to have talent to win...desire to play is fine but everyone wants to play. Salem's team wants to play and so does Oakland City's team but they don't have talent to compete. I will be truly surprised if we make the NCAA tourny in the next 5 years. I hope I am wrong and the Coach can recruit talent that can compete with the Findlay's and BU's in the future but back to back ?to back? losing seasons rarely can attract talent that is needed to change direction. I said from the start I think the boy's team will become a mirror image of the girl's team. Quality people, quality students, 17-10 records, NCAAs every 5 years if they can catch some breaks. It's not bad, could be worse, but you don't get excited about that record and it doesn't put fans in seats and donors to support "extras" in the program. FYI KWC boy's basketball team appeared in the National Championship game every decade from the 50s to 2000s...I am sure the streak ends this decade. With the success Lee had with McFarland/Young, etc I thought the streak would continue but things change. In fact we are in our longest NCAA championship drought.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I too fear the WBB pattern. Several big differences WBB have for years been one player away from a really good team. We just will not recruit good players over 6 ft. I have no idea why but with one of two girls with size and we would have gone NCAA several more times. I think cooper will do what is necessary to compete.

OVU and the like have has several good players but never 9/10 solid players. We are young but we have 9/10 players that can shot and are very coachable. I will gladly settle for a winning season and watch other teams lose seniors as we bring everybody back. D2 is not nearly as strong as it was and good well coached players can make it interesting. I believe.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Last season we had more pure talent than most of the teams we played. Didn't get us very far. Coaching, team chemistry, and the right culture will have the ship righted soon.

[Looking For 9]

[Knightmoves]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Interesting coversation. I hear both sides of the argument. I do expect that KWC fans are going to need to be a little patient, but on the other hand, you can't just write off the next two seasons as "building" because it takes some success to build. Recruiting in D2 is an art form that takes an eye for talent and a knowledge of what the coach wants to be as a team. Sure you have to have guys who buy into the program, but there still has to be some high level talent. BU has a reputation for getting smart guys who buy into the style of play and coaching. That is true, but there are 15 guys (with an occasional hold out, i.e. Josh Derksen) on the team who do that, but there are 6 or 7 of them who buy in and are very physically talented. See Eberhard and Cook on this years team as examples.

I think Davenport has gotten to a level where some of the kind of players he wants and needs are selecting Bellarmine as much as he is recruiting them. My question about Cooper and KWC is whether the school will be sufficiently attractive to draw enough of the kind of players he needs. These kind of players are really student athletes and are concerned about more than basketball. It gets to be a numbers game in recruiting. It's a little like hitting in baseball, you are going to strike out a fair number of times with players you bring in, but you need to have enough hits to win and the occasional homerun is essential.

I've said this before, but the competition between KWC and Bellarmine is going to be in recruiting more than on the basketball court.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Agreed, and I hope Coop is prepared to win some/lose some of those battles, and to range outside of the state and region for players due to that fact.

And look, I don't know what kind of record we'll have this season, the main thing that makes me really optimistic is that I would much rather go 13-17 with players that work hard and play smart than go 13-17 with high level talent that can't win because they can't play together and are uncoachable. The first scenario gives you something to build on. The second scenario just gives you a pile of crap!

Of course the ultimate goal is to go 30-0 but you can't go from where we ended last season to #1 in the country overnight. It just doesn't work that way. And as for being like the women's team, nobody at KWC is saying "we want to be pretty decent" at MBB. They're saying they want to be back on top where we belong. Their words, not mine. So they recognize that being a good team isn't enough at KWC, and they are setting their goals accordingly.

[LeoTheLion]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

What are your guys thoughts on Evan Milligan? Rumor has it he will be on the team at Lindenwood this upcoming season.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

What are your guys thoughts on Evan Milligan? Rumor has it he will be on the team at Lindenwood this upcoming season.

Evan is a very talented player. Great shooter, and very athletic. He took over some games for us last year. His mouth gets him into trouble. Our interim coach couldn't keep him under control at all. But, he really couldn't keep ANY of them under control, so your coach might do fine with him. He's definitely got the talent level to be very successful in D2, just needs to keep his head right.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

100% correct about Milligan. He will be better without Bell. I believe he is better than Hanson. He can do more things that will help you win games.

[pantherfan]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Do we still not have any updates on those "possible" returning players? Hoping that if we have 1-2 coming back that they fill out the roster. The KWC Friday After 5 Event is this weekend (and classes start next week)...presumably the team will be in attendance. Maybe we'll have answers then.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Do we still not have any updates on those "possible" returning players? Hoping that if we have 1-2 coming back that they fill out the roster. The KWC Friday After 5 Event is this weekend (and classes start next week)...presumably the team will be in attendance. Maybe we'll have answers then.

Welcome to the board! Haven't heard anything new on the recruiting/roster front. I kind of got the impression at the potluck that the returning players possibility was not going to work out, but that there was a possibility of adding 1-2 additional late signees. With classes right around the corner you'd have to think if that does happen we should hear something within the next couple of weeks.

[pantherfan]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Welcome to the board! Haven't heard anything new on the recruiting/roster front. I kind of got the impression at the potluck that the returning players possibility was not going to work out, but that there was a possibility of adding 1-2 additional late signees. With classes right around the corner you'd have to think if that does happen we should hear something within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks! Since moving back to Owensboro a few years ago, I've become quite a fan of the basketball program and recently became a season ticket holder. I've kept up with this thread for awhile, and finally decided to join and throw my thoughts around with some fellow fans.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Welcome we enjoy input. I do not like coach or player bashing.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I watched today's volleyball game. Just like WBB we are hurting for size. Watched spike after spike and all we could do is try to dig them out. Mostly we had to dink and return easy set ups due to lack of size. One or two +6ft would make all the difference. I will not be traveling to see them.