Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

[pantherfan]

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Well said.... we saw two freshman grow into college players. Two of our three point shooters had really bad nights and I think that led to turn overs.
Their history shows that they will shot better and wins will come.

I do hope fans will keep coming and help the team grow. I do wish I knew if redshirts are coming or do some players just not deserve playing time.

The only player that worries me is Dixon. He has to get out of his funk.

[Short Haircut]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

This is a rebuild job for Coach Cooper and he will do it the right way. There will be ups and many downs this year. Give him three years and he will fix the mess Happy left behind.

CTIAB

[WKYDave]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

They also don't need the pressure of fans expecting them to make the conference tournament. The team is what the team is. Only in the last month have some said this team could make the conference tourny and "who knows" what could happen then. These players are young. Godwin had a good game but who knows what the next one will be like because he is young. But I agree he could be a special player before he graduates. I still think this is a 10 win team. A good season will be 15 wins. I like that these players have no pressure. IU SE (NAIA) got beat by 18 by Georgetown. Before you jump me over my 10 win comment, after today they will have 11 home and 11 away games. How many away games do we realistically see them winning - 3 or 4? How many home games do you see them winning - 4 or 5?

This team's slack of size will continue to be a problem as will their turnovers. We are just so overmatched in the post that it's not funny. Our guys do the best they can and have been most impressed by Tyler (playing "big" and "punching above his weight"), but giving up 4-5 inches and 20 pounds at the 4 and 5 is hard to overcome over the whole game. These players are not used to this level of competition so their interior passes get stolen.

This team isn't terrible given their youth but compared to their competition we are in for a long year. Of course next year will be better and the following year should be even better.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I lost count of how many times I used the word patience talking about this team before the season. Apparently certain elements of our "fan" base feel that 3 games is long enough. These guys aren't "terrible" by any stretch. For one thing, Salem is NOT the Salem that was the laughing stock of the G-MAC with their tracksuit wearing coach that spent halftime sitting on the bench by himself. Those guys are extremely athletic and experienced. But that's all fine and good. If these guys win 10 games this season, fine. If they get hot and win 20, fine. If they win 5 games, fine. It is what it is. What I do know is that they won't quit on each other, the coaches, or the fans, unlike some fans that are already quitting on them. And I don't need any lectures about how long you've been watching KWC and how you knew this guy and how much money you've given to the program yadda yadda yadda.

[WKYDave]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

The first half was bad. The second half was good. That's an inexperienced team for you. We won't play another team with 4 athletic 6'10"+ post players this season, so there's that. I was kind of expecting it to be a bad game. Frankly, they played a little too good against Xavier, which I think ultimately hurt them mentally early on in this one.

Obviously predictions are worth no more than the virtual paper they are written on here on the message board, but if we've learned anything about this team from our two D1 exhibitions it's that they are very unlikely to finish dead last in the G-MAC like the coaches picked them to do. In fact, I'm going to go so far as to predict right now that they will be in the top 8, and make the conference tourney. Is that guaranteed? No. But I feel like it's a really good possibility. Also, of course, that's not the "ultimate" goal. KWC is about winning championships. And it's not impossible that they could win the league. But since we're a total rebuild, I think a realistic goal right now is to make the conference tourney, and see where it goes from there.

The best things about the guys Coach Coop has brought in for his inaugural roster are #1 they are all high character, #2 they are all smart basketball players (high basketball IQ), and #3 they all (I think 'all'...at the very least 'most') come from winning programs either in Juco, D3, or high school. The importance of that #3 is difficult to overstate. They know how to win. That doesn't mean they won't take their knocks as they learn the system and learn how to play together, but when it comes down to it guys who are used to winning are going to be more likely to do what it takes to get back to winning.

My final thought is just that I truly love this team. I feel like the guys are going to be really fun to watch grow, especially the freshmen. And I have yet to see or hear anything at all from or about Coach Coop that I don't like. I feel like he is just the coach we needed at this time in our program's history.

yeah "patience"

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

There's nothing impatient about what I said. Patience means not writing them off as "terrible" 3 games into the season. And frankly I wasn't talking to you but by all means if the shoe fits put it on

[pantherfan]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

They also don't need the pressure of fans expecting them to make the conference tournament. The team is what the team is. Only in the last month have some said this team could make the conference tourny and "who knows" what could happen then. These players are young. Godwin had a good game but who knows what the next one will be like because he is young. But I agree he could be a special player before he graduates. I still think this is a 10 win team. A good season will be 15 wins. I like that these players have no pressure. IU SE (NAIA) got beat by 18 by Georgetown. Before you jump me over my 10 win comment, after today they will have 11 home and 11 away games. How many away games do we realistically see them winning - 3 or 4? How many home games do you see them winning - 4 or 5?

This team's slack of size will continue to be a problem as will their turnovers. We are just so overmatched in the post that it's not funny. Our guys do the best they can and have been most impressed by Tyler (playing "big" and "punching above his weight"), but giving up 4-5 inches and 20 pounds at the 4 and 5 is hard to overcome over the whole game. These players are not used to this level of competition so their interior passes get stolen.

This team isn't terrible given their youth but compared to their competition we are in for a long year. Of course next year will be better and the following year should be even better.

I can appreciate that they dont need pressure. Im looking for 15 wins. It may be a stretch, it may not. Hard to tell with so many youngins. BUT, they need support. They dont need what should be their strongest fans, alumni, giving up after 3 games. That shows me that some alumni cant appreciate good basketball. This can be a good team. Not great, but good. I just hate to see good kids who are clearly working hard have fans throw in the towel after 3 games. They need support more now than they will in the next 2-3 years when they are consistently winning.

[WKYDave]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

There's nothing impatient about what I said. Patience means not writing them off as "terrible" 3 games into the season. And frankly I wasn't talking to you but by all means if the shoe fits put it on

Right, I know you weren't talking to me because I didn't say (nor thought) that this team is terrible. But I also don't think it is fair to expect this team to finish in top 8 of conference or think it is possible for them to win the league. I also don't think it's fair for you to say you have preached patience when you have said you had those exceptions 3 weeks ago.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Right, I know you weren't talking to me because I didn't say (nor thought) that this team is terrible. But I also don't think it is fair to expect this team to finish in top 8 of conference or think it is possible for them to win the league. I also don't think it's fair for you to say you have preached patience when you have said you had those exceptions 3 weeks ago.

Great, let's set our goal at winning 5 games, then. Go Team! Yay!

[WKYDave]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Right, I know you weren't talking to me because I didn't say (nor thought) that this team is terrible. But I also don't think it is fair to expect this team to finish in top 8 of conference or think it is possible for them to win the league. I also don't think it's fair for you to say you have preached patience when you have said you had those exceptions 3 weeks ago.

If 3 months from now the GMAC Championship game is between KWC and Findlay and I get on here and say that I always said this was going to be a special team and was going to surprise people this year, I expect that someone would bring up that I thought this was a 10 win team!

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Look I get what you're saying but I think you are misinterpreting my "goal" for the team (as if MY goal means anything to begin with) as some kind of hard requirement for continued fan hood. It's not. I used the word goal but maybe I should have said hope instead. Regardless, my point is that whether they get white hot and rattle off 20 straight wins,don't win another game all season or anything in between I'm going to be in my seat supporting them. That's what I mean by patience.

[glvcpro]

[WKYDave]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Look I get what you're saying but I think you are misinterpreting my "goal" for the team (as if MY goal means anything to begin with) as some kind of hard requirement for continued fan hood. It's not. I used the word goal but maybe I should have said hope instead. Regardless, my point is that whether they get white hot and rattle off 20 straight wins,don't win another game all season or anything in between I'm going to be in my seat supporting them. That's what I mean by patience.

I'm sorry. I don't want this to end up like a page that shall remain nameless were posters attack each other or overly criticize their team. I do feel at times that KWC fans are overly optimistic about the teams (under Happy is seemed that every year someone was talking about winning the NCAA with the talent he brought in).

Today is a winnable game against a decent NAIA team. As Coach said how they perform will show a lot about their personality. If they learn from last night and limit their turnovers and get more 50/50 rebounds they should win. If they are down on themselves for losing and try to force their individuals games, it's going to be a tough game.

Each game brings something new about the potential of these players. For example, I knew Godwin was a leaper and athletic. I didn't know he had as good of a shot as he showed last night. Zach is still struggling more than I thought BUT he basically has been out of the game for a year since he only played 27 minutes last year as a walk on.

I've been impressed with our ability to get shots off considering our size. Our 3 point shooters have not had shots blocked or altered like I thought they would playing taller, more athletic guards than they saw in HS or D3.

There is a lot of upside to this team and they definitely play hard. I posed the question this spring or summer that which was better to lose by 20 when you had better talent but didn't play as a team and played lazy or lose by 20 but played hard, as a team but didn't have the talent needed. We know the answer is the latter. Because in the end their is hope for a team that plays hard, together.

[bkingbroker]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Wod to K Dub?

I'm sorry. I don't want this to end up like a page that shall remain nameless were posters attack each other or overly criticize their team. I do feel at times that KWC fans are overly optimistic about the teams (under Happy is seemed that every year someone was talking about winning the NCAA with the talent he brought in).

Today is a winnable game against a decent NAIA team. As Coach said how they perform will show a lot about their personality. If they learn from last night and limit their turnovers and get more 50/50 rebounds they should win. If they are down on themselves for losing and try to force their individuals games, it's going to be a tough game.

Each game brings something new about the potential of these players. For example, I knew Godwin was a leaper and athletic. I didn't know he had as good of a shot as he showed last night. Zach is still struggling more than I thought BUT he basically has been out of the game for a year since he only played 27 minutes last year as a walk on.

I've been impressed with our ability to get shots off considering our size. Our 3 point shooters have not had shots blocked or altered like I thought they would playing taller, more athletic guards than they saw in HS or D3.

There is a lot of upside to this team and they definitely play hard. I posed the question this spring or summer that which was better to lose by 20 when you had better talent but didn't play as a team and played lazy or lose by 20 but played hard, as a team but didn't have the talent needed. We know the answer is the latter. Because in the end their is hope for a team that plays hard, together.