Double Standards

Note to 99% of all college fans:

– You are not allowed to be unhappy with where your team finishes if they had a winning season.
– You are expected to support college athletics because your money helps support alot of scholarships; not because you expect excellence in the premiere sports.
– You need to accept your assigned place in the athletic world.
– Winning is not everything…after all, it’s just college sports.

Signed
Mass Media Morons

Kentucky’s 88-76 loss to Kansas looks a lot better on paper than it did during the game – the Jayhawks were in firm control throughout. So the question remains whether Tubby Smith will return (or will even want to) for an 11th season in Lexington. I wrote this last week, but to lay down blanket criticism of Kentucky fans for growing restless is disingenuous.

They give more financially and emotionally than any other fan base in the country – Kentucky’s success is based solely on its fan commitment, not on proximity to talent or major media markets. It is quite reasonable for them to expect a return on that investment. And Smith hasn’t provided it with 25 losses in the last two years, few good recruits and nearly 20 transfers under his watch.

The program isn’t what it should be. Smith is a tremendous game coach and defensive strategist but sometimes that isn’t enough. It’s doubtful UK fires him, but he may walk. And if not, he better find some recruits.


Dan Wetzel

About VaWolf82

Engineer living in Central Va. and senior curmudgeon amongst SFN authors One wife, two kids, one dog, four vehicles on insurance, and four phones on cell plan...looking forward to empty nest status. Graduated 1982

06-07 Basketball General NCS Basketball

140 Responses to Double Standards

  1. MrPlywood 03/19/2007 at 6:21 PM #

    Cryler Handsborough reminds me of Adam Morrison. The “bull in a china shop” routine with refs turning a blind eye to the contact under the guise of “letting them play”, the constant reference to his “will” and “putting his team on his back” yada yada yada.

    Morrison has found the NBA sledding tough, and the big league has exposed his weaknesses – as in lack of rebounding, assists and playing defense. I see similar troubles in Cryler’s NBA future. We got a preview when Costner ripped the ball away from Cryler in the first Pack/UNX game, and in frustration the baby took a swipe at Brandon. He’s going to see a lot more of that in the pros.

  2. chris92heel 03/19/2007 at 6:44 PM #

    Cryler is about the dumbest nickname in the long history of nicknames.

  3. redfred2 03/19/2007 at 6:44 PM #

    Another Jordan, I don’t kow about that, but I agree that Fells has athleticism. He seems to want play a finesse game all centered around his jump shot. If he would attack the basket like Gavin we could really have some defenders, and coaches, scratching their heads. Not to mention creating more fouls on the interior and putting even more pressure the other team’s bigs for Costner and McCauley.

    Speaking of those two, tell me if I’m wrong but it seems to me that Costner and McCauley both need to develop a head fake and be patient enough to wait for the defender to go for it. Both of those guys have great interior moves, but they are dependant strictly on their pivot motion, and upon gaining an advantage after they start their motion. If they could head fake better and get the advantage earlier in their motions, they could look to pass back out if the shot wasn’t there, or they could possibly draw more fouls under the basket.

    Not complaining at all, just my observations.

  4. chris92heel 03/19/2007 at 6:48 PM #

    Question – who is playing PG for y’all next year. Seems the only thing standing between you and a potential top 25 team. But thats a big ‘only’. Is that transfer (UT?) the leading candidate?

  5. redfred2 03/19/2007 at 6:48 PM #

    92

    I like Cryler, what’s wrong with it?

  6. redfred2 03/19/2007 at 6:52 PM #

    Don’t really know about the PG spot yet. There are three potentials in the running but only early practice sessions will tell.

  7. Gene 03/19/2007 at 7:10 PM #

    I thought Farnold Degand, transfer from Iowa State, would be our likely starter going into the year, at PG. Maybe Javi Gonzalez would beat him out to be the starter, I don’t know. Marques Johnson, the transfer from Tennessee, won’t be eligible till the end of the first semester.

    On a side note, I swear I did not see Bartosz with the team, when they played against Drexel. Is there more to this than the big guy was rehabbing his knee or should I just lay-off conspiracy theories about his departure from the team, for the moment?

  8. Rochester 03/19/2007 at 7:24 PM #

    Cryler works for me. Descriptive. Really gets to the heart of his will to cry during a game.

  9. GoldenChain 03/19/2007 at 7:53 PM #

    I personally want to thank the Wildcat lunatic fringe for drawing some fire away from the Wolfpack Nation!lol

  10. redfred2 03/19/2007 at 8:12 PM #

    It’s settled then, Cryler it is.

  11. skywalkerdt 03/19/2007 at 8:15 PM #

    Degand will likely be the starter to begin the year. If for no other reason than he has had a year to familiarize himself with the offense and his teammates and to learn from Engin, Sidney, Monte, and Quentin. That said I think the big question is which of the 3 is starting this time next year.

    Watching mostly this same group next year with backups should be exciting!!!

    Courtney’s biggest issue has got to be confidence. I remember reading comments of the coaches asking Fells every day in practice to not be afraid to be the best player on the court.

  12. noah 03/19/2007 at 8:38 PM #

    Marques Johnson won’t be playing point next year unless about four other guys get hurt. It’s Degand’s job to lose, I would bet.

    That said…we looked okay with Fells handling the point late in the year with Atsur on the bench.

    Lewandowski and Ferguson transferring would be a “best for all parties” scenario. I doubt Ferguson leaves though…

  13. highstick 03/19/2007 at 9:01 PM #

    I know this is totally “off topic”, but can we lobby to have Sidney participate in next years version of “Dancing with the Stars”? Just saw Clyde “the Glide” Drexel dance and certainly Sidney “in his red outfit” could do better!

  14. Astral Rain 03/19/2007 at 9:14 PM #

    Ferguson did ok in the ACCT. I can see him having some value next year.

    SFN: I respectfully disagree. We lose Atsur but gain Degand, Johnson and Gonzalez in the backcourt. That is a net o +2 bodies next year…and Ferguson didn’t get any time this year.

  15. packpigskinfan23 03/19/2007 at 9:26 PM #

    fells could very well be the best player in the ACC next year if he built up the confidence…

    with the departure of the great guards at UVa, VaTech, and Florida St… and who knows what the Carolina team is going to look like next year, I know fells can do it.

  16. Classof04 03/19/2007 at 11:26 PM #

    All this talk about Hansbrough makes me wanna see his nose collapse again.

    Never gets old…

  17. Classof04 03/19/2007 at 11:32 PM #

    And speaking of which, it’s certainly unfortunate that Izzo didn’t use that last timeout the other night to call code red like K did. We were all sitting at the bar, setting ourselves up for the letdown on that one…

    Then again, Roy did take Hansbrough out on that timeout. Maybe he was preventing it. Ha.

  18. redfred2 03/20/2007 at 6:37 AM #

    Classof04

    Remember…it’s CRYLER

  19. JimValvano 03/20/2007 at 7:44 AM #

    Ferguson is staying. I was at the ACC tournament and talked to him and his sister and they both insisted he LOVED being at NC State and LOVED playing for Coach Lowe. They were being sincere. The Big Lew on the other hand was never even seen in the lobby of the Hyatt. They must have had a secret entrance for him.

  20. RedTerror29 03/20/2007 at 7:56 AM #

    I thought Ferguson must have done something to get in Lowe’s doghouse. He played well early on in the ACCT but hasn’t sniffed the court since.

  21. TNCSU 03/20/2007 at 8:05 AM #

    Big Lew didn’t even make the trip to Tampa…not exactly sure what that means, but maybe after the torn ACL, he will decide in order to play, he’ll have to transfer. I’m sure he’s a nice kid, but I doubt he’ll find much playing time here.

  22. TNCSU 03/20/2007 at 8:16 AM #

    My bet next year is on Javi to start — just a gut instinct, but that’s who I’ll bet on. What does everyone think about tonight’s matchup? I think it’s payback time!

  23. Gene 03/20/2007 at 8:30 AM #

    Ferguson is staying. I was at the ACC tournament and talked to him and his sister and they both insisted he LOVED being at NC State and LOVED playing for Coach Lowe. They were being sincere.

    I briefly spoke with Trevor before the Drexel game and he said the same thing, with a lot of sincerety.

    I think we will have to adjust to the fact not ever scholarship player will be a contributor for us. I know we’ve gotten used to walk-ons filling out that space on the bench, but other schools do have scholarship players who do not see any playing time at all.

  24. chris92heel 03/20/2007 at 9:16 AM #

    Problem with ‘cryler’ you knotheads is that he didn’t cry. The eyes tend to water when one gets hit in the nose.

    Your haterade fuels Everybody’s All-American.

  25. thebigwood 03/20/2007 at 9:45 AM #

    Maybe Ferg didnt play because Neiman was playing so well (or better than normal)…we only seem to need two bench players to come out and perform to keep this team rolling

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