Main | Falcon Hockey 2004-2005 » serial flip album 3.1
August 17, 2004
A fresh hoops outlook
With all the negativity that has swirled around our program in the off-season months, it is easy to point fingers and predict the 2004-2005 Falcons to be comparable to the Chippewas of last season or the Buffalo Bulls of two seasons past. However, before you do, let me run past you a couple thoughts, ideas and a few numbers.serial flip album 3.1
Getting right to the heart of it, here is a list of the players that have left the program in the last two seasons with a brief analysis of each. Read them and ask yourself, have we lost that much talent, or just a large number?serial flip album 3.1
Reggie Harwell: If you can't go to class and earn credits than you can't stay at Bowling Green. You can't even stay at Toledo if you choose not to attend class.serial flip album 3.1
Kris Wilson: First of all, I don't even think you can include him fairly. Much know the tragedy that he had to deal with concerning his father. Also, he was under six feet tall, just like our new signee that several have found fault with for being only 5'9".serial flip album 3.1
Jabari Mattox: A ball-handler that couldn't score, that could no longer run, and could no longer defense against other point guards due to a bum knee.serial flip album 3.1
Chris Hobson: Some fans thought Chris was a promising young player, even though his shot needed a lot of work. He didn't get much time for whatever reason. He may eventually be a good one that will come back to hurt us but only time will tell.serial flip album 3.1
Isaac Rosefelt: Come on! He was soft, showed little heart, and was another Kevin Netter in terms of size and weight.serial flip album 3.1
Erik Crawford: Got to experience the dance with Northern Iowa this past season and started at Bowling Green in 2002 alongside seniors, 'Cowboy', Pardon, McLeod and Lenny. Wasn't that well perceived while he was a Falcon and was considered good mainly on the defensive end.serial flip album 3.1
Raheem Moss: Played one season here before transferring to a Cleveland State program that went something like 4-24 last season. Not much of a contributor as a freshman and looked a step slow on a team that went 13-16.serial flip album 3.1
Ron Lewis: Say what you want about number 12, he was/is a great scorer and was our best player and so on. If he is against playing team ball and is in favor of looking out for himself, he needs to be where he is and that is not in Bowling Green.serial flip album 3.1
As of now, we have twelve players; three of which are seniors, two of them fifth year (Reimold transferred and Almanson received a medical hardship from the NCAA). When you think of players from Bowling Green, or the Mid-American Conference for that matter, you think of the absolute best players getting a shot in the National Basketball Association. Keith McLeod was the MAC Player of the Year in 2002 averaging 22.9 points per game, seventh in the nation. Things may change in the near future, yet as of now, Keith has played in 26 NBA contests. He's also played in Italy, Greece and with the Gary Steelheads of the Continental Basketball Association. Anthony Stacey, our all-time leading scorer with 1,938 points, who was the MAC Player of the Year in 2000, has played a whopping zero games in the NBA. Finally, I come to Antonio Daniels. A fan-favorite, an All-American, and a fourth overall selection by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1997 draft. Oh sure, A.D. has a ring from his time in San Antonio, of which he had little to do with, and finally had a good season this year with the Seattle Supersonics. Yet even still, has he lived up fourth overall pick status? Egh? These are three of our best players ever! Nate Thurmond is an NBA hall of famer but besides him, Keith, Anthony and Antonio are the best we have had to offer. So, with the level and caliber of hoops we play at Bowling Green, what are players looking to get out of their time at BGSU when they sign on the dotted line? Does Cory Eyink sign a letter of intent from Maria Stein expecting to get drafted? I don't think so. Now maybe there were some specifics with Cory, I don't know. However, generally speaking, players come to Bowling Green to earn a free education, play Division I basketball, win a conference championship and hopefully have one shining moment in the big dance in March. We talk about Coach Dakich possibly being the root of the problem. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Consider the following and maybe you'll remember exactly what our program has been granted.serial flip album 3.1
Anderson Arena: We love the 44 year old building for its charm and hostility towards visiting opponents, but the place is an absolute dive. It has one bathroom, broken down wooden chairs, terrible parking, it makes us schedule teams like Urbana and it isn't air-conditioned. I'm sure it is fun practicing in the summer time for three or four hours. And I bet the coaching staff is really grateful to have it as a recruiting tool when they're at a kid's house and he wants to know about our home arena.serial flip album 3.1
Locker room: Many schools have a player lounge or a facility for their hoops team to hang out, have a quiet place to get some work done or even catch an occasional nap. We have the 'Falcon Lab' that is available to ALL athletes and it has about eight computers in it and our actual locker room is about the size of the key.serial flip album 3.1
Coaching Offices: Coach Dakich, Artie Pepelea and Andy Markowski have so-so offices at best, but Coach Shaun Vandiver isn't even on the same floor and the two administrative assistants, Marty Richter and Kyle Rase, don't have but one desk between the two of them in our 'lobby' area. We do have a secretary! Unfortunately she is also on a different floor and is also responsible for women's basketball and volleyball. serial flip album 3.1
Alright, now I've stated some of the issues that can't be helped whether Dan Dakich is our coach or Roy Williams. Back to the players for a moment and I'll wrap this puppy up. Of the dozen players on our current roster do you think any of them will ever be paid to play, legally? Maybe one. So what are these guys playing for? THE LOVE OF BASKETBALL! Because if they didn't love it, they wouldn't be there. I've witnessed many practice sessions, heard them from afar, caught a glimpse of the conditioning regiment our players go through in the off-season, IT IS BRUTAL! I've seen the bus roll into town at four in the morning after a long drive home from DeKalb, Illinois.
You may be asking what is the point to the rambling. You give a lot of reasons, is there a rhyme? Your damn right there is and it applies to not just Bowling Green basketball, but life as well. I love this website, but we do a lot of complaining and I sometimes believe we lose track of what really should be important. For example, if you're a parent, and your child is struggling, you try to be there to support them through thick and thin. Well, right now we have twelve individuals that sacrifice a lot to be the best basketball players they can be. It isn't there fault Lewis, Hobson and Rosefelt have left since the end of last season. They deserve our respect and for us to be there in their time of struggle, just as they provide us with highs and time that takes us away from the problems and concerns in our own lives. To a lot of people, the bottom line is winning, partly because it is an easy factor to judge by. But there is so much more than winning. Former BGSU President Olscamp has a saying etched in the new union stone that goes something like, "Wherever you go, whatever you do, you will always be welcome when you're ready to come home." We talk about being good, true fans. We will see in November just how many we really have. I hope to see you there. Best of luck to you: John, Perrick, Steve, Mawel, Austin, Pat, John, Josh, Germain, Cory, Matt and Scott.serial flip album 3.1
Posted by Ziggyzoomba at August 17, 2004 12:58 PMserial flip album 3.1