The basketball season was a long, painful experience. As an eternal optimist I did find some positives to appreciate.
Number one was our coach. I have the greatest respect for him as a man, and I hope he will be able to continue for many years. Off the top of my head I can think of 3 instances that showed the measure of the man.
I will remember his reaction after the Wisconsin game, how he experessed his love for his alma mater. More than that, he showed that it was not all about him.
I also remember his remarks late in the season when he mentioned that he wished he had been able to do more to make the games of his seniors better. Self-centered egotists read it as a confession of his failures as a coach, but any normal person who has mentored young people realized it as the signature of a coach whose first concern was the welfare of his players,not himself. He wanted his players to get the absolute best out of their experience here, and he realized that often a mentor is not able to find all the right answers.
Finally I remember him saying he was trying to make his practices fun for his players this year. Realizing the humiliation they were being subjected to on the court, he wanted to do everything possible to improve their experience - again thinking of his players first.
As for the players, I was proud of the effort the seniors put in. Mack fought hard against long odds, Jack was in the gym late at night practicing, and Kone gave an obvious effort on defense.
I see hope for the future with the younger players.
Lewis showed some signs of developing an offensive game. More than that he has a great attitude. He is humble and works hard. Hopefully he does not run out of time before he develops a solid offensive game..Daniels has great quickness to the basket. Unfortunately he makes too many bad decisions, and he doesn't have much of an outside shot, both of which are among the hardest issues for a player to correct.
Etou is a very strong rebounder and can play excellent defense. He seems to disappear at times,probably due to developing late.
I really like Foreman. He seems to have a special first step and great quickness. He finished horribly early in the year, seeming to panic every time he got close to the basket. He seemed to be coming out of it late in the year. I think he has the most potential of any of our players. Doorman is a big body who seems to be a step slow right now. Big men develop slowly, so I think he has a chance to be a solid contributor before he finishes. Williams seems like a hard worker who finally began to show the shooting touch he was expected to have late in the season.
I seem to remember BK saying we have a great group of guys out there, but I could be wrong. It is very tough to play through a season like this one and stay together as a team. IMO losing can build far more character than winning can, if the coach approaches it right.
I don't really have any expectations for next year. I am just hoping to see lots of growth and development from the new team.
Number one was our coach. I have the greatest respect for him as a man, and I hope he will be able to continue for many years. Off the top of my head I can think of 3 instances that showed the measure of the man.
I will remember his reaction after the Wisconsin game, how he experessed his love for his alma mater. More than that, he showed that it was not all about him.
I also remember his remarks late in the season when he mentioned that he wished he had been able to do more to make the games of his seniors better. Self-centered egotists read it as a confession of his failures as a coach, but any normal person who has mentored young people realized it as the signature of a coach whose first concern was the welfare of his players,not himself. He wanted his players to get the absolute best out of their experience here, and he realized that often a mentor is not able to find all the right answers.
Finally I remember him saying he was trying to make his practices fun for his players this year. Realizing the humiliation they were being subjected to on the court, he wanted to do everything possible to improve their experience - again thinking of his players first.
As for the players, I was proud of the effort the seniors put in. Mack fought hard against long odds, Jack was in the gym late at night practicing, and Kone gave an obvious effort on defense.
I see hope for the future with the younger players.
Lewis showed some signs of developing an offensive game. More than that he has a great attitude. He is humble and works hard. Hopefully he does not run out of time before he develops a solid offensive game..Daniels has great quickness to the basket. Unfortunately he makes too many bad decisions, and he doesn't have much of an outside shot, both of which are among the hardest issues for a player to correct.
Etou is a very strong rebounder and can play excellent defense. He seems to disappear at times,probably due to developing late.
I really like Foreman. He seems to have a special first step and great quickness. He finished horribly early in the year, seeming to panic every time he got close to the basket. He seemed to be coming out of it late in the year. I think he has the most potential of any of our players. Doorman is a big body who seems to be a step slow right now. Big men develop slowly, so I think he has a chance to be a solid contributor before he finishes. Williams seems like a hard worker who finally began to show the shooting touch he was expected to have late in the season.
I seem to remember BK saying we have a great group of guys out there, but I could be wrong. It is very tough to play through a season like this one and stay together as a team. IMO losing can build far more character than winning can, if the coach approaches it right.
I don't really have any expectations for next year. I am just hoping to see lots of growth and development from the new team.
