Hope

[Aquinas]

Sipping Blue Kool Aid on a beach in Florida.
Background: I started following Billiken Basketball when Grower became head coach. I joined the board way back when, with the original handle of Floridafan. I loved Bonner and Gray and bought a car from Monroe after he graduated. Spoonball was a blast with crazy large crowds and Coach Majerus just didn’t live long enough. Sadly we had a lot of low years in between and some of them the result of the administration not being fully committed to a top division 1 program.

Why I like Ford: The top reason is not his multiple trips to the NCAA tournament or his recruiting prowess, both of which I am impressed with. The number one reason I like him is that it shows the administration is willing to spend real dollars for a proven coach. They could have paid less for a less experience coach or assistant and tried to catch lightning in a bottle. Instead this move is consistent with the money they invested in the Chaifetz Arena. It shows a commitment to winning that goes beyond any one coach.

Worse than all of the games we lost last year, the biggest thing we lost was hope.

The knock on Coach Ford is that he didn’t have a winning record in conference play and won only one game in the NCAA tournament. Now take a little sip of Blue Kool Aid. First, if he repeats his record here we are going to dance a lot. That is the refreshing taste of hope. But will we grow to be disappointed with NCAA losses. Take another sip of Kool Aid – I think probability statistics don’t get enough credit or blame for the outcome of close games. A guy puts up a 3 with less than minute to play. He has a 35% chance of it going in and Bang, you are up 3, the same player puts up another long 3 because he is feeling it and Bang you are up 6. If h misses the shots you go home. Often in close games the game teeters in the closing minutes. Some of the things that happen are not in the coaches control.

Another sip if Kool Aid. I prefer to think that coach Ford has had some statistical bad luck. One thing that a coach has a lot of control over is the quality of the players that he has on the floor. Ford excels at this. While he lost a lot of conference games in a very tough conference, he also won a lot of tough games. You have to beat good teams to get invited to the dance all of those years. The dance one and done format is a very unforgiving environment, with the exception of a few elite coaches who in most cases are playing with a stable of elite players. It is extremely difficult to win consistently. It isn’t like these coaches are playing with the same quality players when they enter the tournament. Usually the highest talented teams win and the Cinderella teams are typically winning extremely close games.

One thing is certain. In order to make a run in the tournament, you have to get to the tournament. Ford is going to get us back to the tournament. His recruiting process is proven and very professional. He will put his team and players in a position to win big games.

Take another sip of Kool Aid: I love the signing of DJ Foreman. At 6’8” 240 he is a legit power forward. Some have said that he is similar to Agbeko. I beg to differ. Agbeko is listed as 6’7”, but he has always seemed to me to play smaller. He does not seem to be able to take many defenders one on one. Agbeko averaged less than 4 points and 4 rebounds a game as a junior. Foreman averaged 8 points and 8 rebounds while playing in the Big 10. He also had nice improvement from his first to his second year. He starts with more than twice the inside productivity than Agbeko. His inside game is going to make our outside shooters much better. A strong power forward makes everybody better. He will also make it tougher for other teams to go inside.

I like the players he is bringing in. We all know that we have a difficult year in front of us. But year 2 is shaping up to be a much better year. Best of all, even though our expectations for this year are modest, the best thing about it is that we now have HOPE!..... I want to raise a toast to the administration who has stepped up to put their money on the line and bring in a proven coach. Take another sip of blue Kool Aid, there is nothing better in an off season.

[Soderball]

Sipping Blue Kool Aid on a beach in Florida.

Background: I started following Billiken Basketball when Grower became head coach. I joined the board way back when, with the original handle of Floridafan. I loved Bonner and Gray and bought a car from Monroe after he graduated. Spoonball was a blast with crazy large crowds and Coach Majerus just didnt live long enough. Sadly we had a lot of low years in between and some of them the result of the administration not being fully committed to a top division 1 program.

Why I like Ford: The top reason is not his multiple trips to the NCAA tournament or his recruiting prowess, both of which I am impressed with. The number one reason I like him is that it shows the administration is willing to spend real dollars for a proven coach. They could have paid less for a less experience coach or assistant and tried to catch lightning in a bottle. Instead this move is consistent with the money they invested in the Chaifetz Arena. It shows a commitment to winning that goes beyond any one coach.

Worse than all of the games we lost last year, the biggest thing we lost was hope.

The knock on Coach Ford is that he didnt have a winning record in conference play and won only one game in the NCAA tournament. Now take a little sip of Blue Kool Aid. First, if he repeats his record here we are going to dance a lot. That is the refreshing taste of hope. But will we grow to be disappointed with NCAA losses. Take another sip of Kool Aid I think probability statistics dont get enough credit or blame for the outcome of close games. A guy puts up a 3 with less than minute to play. He has a 35% chance of it going in and Bang, you are up 3, the same player puts up another long 3 because he is feeling it and Bang you are up 6. If h misses the shots you go home. Often in close games the game teeters in the closing minutes. Some of the things that happen are not in the coaches control.

Another sip if Kool Aid. I prefer to think that coach Ford has had some statistical bad luck. One thing that a coach has a lot of control over is the quality of the players that he has on the floor. Ford excels at this. While he lost a lot of conference games in a very tough conference, he also won a lot of tough games. You have to beat good teams to get invited to the dance all of those years. The dance one and done format is a very unforgiving environment, with the exception of a few elite coaches who in most cases are playing with a stable of elite players. It is extremely difficult to win consistently. It isnt like these coaches are playing with the same quality players when they enter the tournament. Usually the highest talented teams win and the Cinderella teams are typically winning extremely close games.

One thing is certain. In order to make a run in the tournament, you have to get to the tournament. Ford is going to get us back to the tournament. His recruiting process is proven and very professional. He will put his team and players in a position to win big games.

Take another sip of Kool Aid: I love the signing of DJ Foreman. At 68 240 he is a legit power forward. Some have said that he is similar to Agbeko. I beg to differ. Agbeko is listed as 67, but he has always seemed to me to play smaller. He does not seem to be able to take many defenders one on one. Agbeko averaged less than 4 points and 4 rebounds a game as a junior. Foreman averaged 8 points and 8 rebounds while playing in the Big 10. He also had nice improvement from his first to his second year. He starts with more than twice the inside productivity than Agbeko. His inside game is going to make our outside shooters much better. A strong power forward makes everybody better. He will also make it tougher for other teams to go inside.

I like the players he is bringing in. We all know that we have a difficult year in front of us. But year 2 is shaping up to be a much better year. Best of all, even though our expectations for this year are modest, the best thing about it is that we now have HOPE!..... I want to raise a toast to the administration who has stepped up to put their money on the line and bring in a proven coach. Take another sip of blue Kool Aid, there is nothing better in an off season.

This coming year will be better than the two we just went through. I cant watch more of that crap we had to endure.

[majerus mojo]

+1 the night is always darkest before the dawn amiright. I was skeptical, but Coach Ford has been pounding pavement from day 1

[bonwich]

the night is always darkest before the dawn amiright.

This is dedicated to the Bills we love. (Including, of course, Obi, who did the best Mama Cass imitation in Billiken history.)

[Box and Won]

This is dedicated to the Bills we love. (Including, of course, Obi, who did the best Mama Cass imitation in Billiken history.)

It's just a matter of time before he chokes on a sandwich.

[JMM28]

I thought this would be a Friday thread about Hope Solo and her...damaged door frame.

[Box and Won]

I thought this would be a Friday thread about Hope Solo and her...damaged door frame.

Her downstairs region looks like the sarlacc pit from Return of the Jedi.

[Taj79]

I don't expect the coming year to be much more than the last two. A weak talent base got weaker. But the future does look bright so knowing that and replacing that for the same ol', same ol' from CrewSplatt is worth the extra shot of Blue Dew.

[bauman]

I don't expect the coming year to be much more than the last two. A weak talent base got weaker. But the future does look bright so knowing that and replacing that for the same ol', same ol' from CrewSplatt is worth the extra shot of Blue Dew.

I think we can expect to be better this year than last. Reasons:

Better coaching;

Normal year to year progression of the returning players;

EW, JJ and Moore will contribute more than MR, turnover machine MY and BJ;

Use of JB all year instead of just the last 1/2 of the season;

Improved team morale due to Crews' departure.

[Scoop]

I think we can expect to be better this year than last. Reasons:

Better coaching;

Normal year to year progression of the returning players;

EW, JJ and Moore will contribute more than MR, turnover machine MY and BJ;

Use of JB all year instead of just the last 1/2 of the season;

Improved team morale due to Crews' departure.

+1

[bonwich]

It's just a matter of time before he chokes on a sandwich.

Like Willie's participation in The Situation, this didn't actually happen. (But at least she got an avenue named after her just north of your place. )

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/mamacass.asp

[cheeseman]

I think we can expect to be better this year than last. Reasons:

Better coaching;

Normal year to year progression of the returning players;

EW, JJ and Moore will contribute more than MR, turnover machine MY and BJ;

Use of JB all year instead of just the last 1/2 of the season;

Improved team morale due to Crews' departure.

So, Jolly is transferring for certain?

[hsmith19]

Take another sip of Kool Aid: I love the signing of DJ Foreman. At 6’8” 240 he is a legit power forward. Some have said that he is similar to Agbeko. I beg to differ. Agbeko is listed as 6’7”, but he has always seemed to me to play smaller. He does not seem to be able to take many defenders one on one. Agbeko averaged less than 4 points and 4 rebounds a game as a junior. Foreman averaged 8 points and 8 rebounds while playing in the Big 10. He also had nice improvement from his first to his second year. He starts with more than twice the inside productivity than Agbeko. His inside game is going to make our outside shooters much better. A strong power forward makes everybody better. He will also make it tougher for other teams to go inside.

Small quibble--Agbeko actually averaged 6 and 6 as a junior. Sadly that seemed like a lot on last year's team, but it still shouldn't be hard for Foreman to do better in 2017.

[jimbofive]

Her downstairs region looks like the sarlacc pit from Return of the Jedi.

Shut up with that kind of noise, I'm on whisper quiet public transit.