We know Eifert is a great guy, a hustler, knowledgeable and all that stuff. But we have 40,000 more of those on campus, and they shouldn’t start for a Big Ten basketball team, either.
Name another Big Ten team that starts a game manager. And if you still can’t see Wheeler is a bigger, faster, better athlete and shooter with infinitely more upside, you should call Boy Scouts before trying to cross the street.
And, no, it’s not nice to criticize players. But we whiners aren’t the one subjecting them to that spotlight by making out the same lame lineup card each game … and forcing backups to transfer. Like Smotherman, Ewing, Taylor … No hesitation about ripping those guys here, huh?
Their games aren’t free. They don’t play for participation ribbons. Their years of education on scholarships -- tuition, room, board, fees, books, national trips, transportation, equipment, facilities, expenses -- come out of everyone else’s pockets, from big donors to couch potatoes. Ultimately, we all pay them some big bucks to play and represent our school.
And they whine together about us fickle fans, too. We help cultivate the locker room / bunker mentality. Some even thrive on that. Never forget, though, how others their age have to face the world. Some get sent to real bunkers.
Besides, blame for this team’s spotty play and collapses is going universal.
Edwards was voted first-team preseason All-American, but his junior passing is more like wishful thinking … that his teammates should make the same cut to the ball that he would, at least in his mind. The telepathy ain’t workin’ … nor four to eight sloppy turnovers a game.
Haarms and Boudreaux shot 3-for-14 in the Big Ten opener. The five spot combined for five rebounds, one less than Edwards. Their stiff counterpart went off for 17 and 8. Yet, despite that and double-digit deficits all day, Williams wasn’t allowed to play in his home state until the last four minutes. Could he have hurt more?
Eastern is good on defense and keeps control, but he still has the ugliest free-throw in the league, and the results match. He’s hitting .333 this year on foul balls. Everyone knows it, but he penetrates so rarely that it’s rarely an issue. He needs to pose a threat at the stripe … or somewhere. Ditch that catapult release. Use the teardrop.
Cline has been long-established as a great shooter, and he’s learned to take it to the hole, too. Problem is, half the time, he has to play defense. Then the game speeds up.
Stefanovic and Hunter are quicker than their starters, but the frosh stay frozen, shooting 39 and 24 percent, respectively. That’s little relief.
Such erratic play by veterans and newer-comers alike means Painter has much more work to do, on the bench and off, because ultimately the buck stops there. Otherwise this will be a big Boiler Beer year. [Not a bad idea, anyway.]
Name another Big Ten team that starts a game manager. And if you still can’t see Wheeler is a bigger, faster, better athlete and shooter with infinitely more upside, you should call Boy Scouts before trying to cross the street.
And, no, it’s not nice to criticize players. But we whiners aren’t the one subjecting them to that spotlight by making out the same lame lineup card each game … and forcing backups to transfer. Like Smotherman, Ewing, Taylor … No hesitation about ripping those guys here, huh?
Their games aren’t free. They don’t play for participation ribbons. Their years of education on scholarships -- tuition, room, board, fees, books, national trips, transportation, equipment, facilities, expenses -- come out of everyone else’s pockets, from big donors to couch potatoes. Ultimately, we all pay them some big bucks to play and represent our school.
And they whine together about us fickle fans, too. We help cultivate the locker room / bunker mentality. Some even thrive on that. Never forget, though, how others their age have to face the world. Some get sent to real bunkers.
Besides, blame for this team’s spotty play and collapses is going universal.
Edwards was voted first-team preseason All-American, but his junior passing is more like wishful thinking … that his teammates should make the same cut to the ball that he would, at least in his mind. The telepathy ain’t workin’ … nor four to eight sloppy turnovers a game.
Haarms and Boudreaux shot 3-for-14 in the Big Ten opener. The five spot combined for five rebounds, one less than Edwards. Their stiff counterpart went off for 17 and 8. Yet, despite that and double-digit deficits all day, Williams wasn’t allowed to play in his home state until the last four minutes. Could he have hurt more?
Eastern is good on defense and keeps control, but he still has the ugliest free-throw in the league, and the results match. He’s hitting .333 this year on foul balls. Everyone knows it, but he penetrates so rarely that it’s rarely an issue. He needs to pose a threat at the stripe … or somewhere. Ditch that catapult release. Use the teardrop.
Cline has been long-established as a great shooter, and he’s learned to take it to the hole, too. Problem is, half the time, he has to play defense. Then the game speeds up.
Stefanovic and Hunter are quicker than their starters, but the frosh stay frozen, shooting 39 and 24 percent, respectively. That’s little relief.
Such erratic play by veterans and newer-comers alike means Painter has much more work to do, on the bench and off, because ultimately the buck stops there. Otherwise this will be a big Boiler Beer year. [Not a bad idea, anyway.]
