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I was at the Omaha lunch with Coach Miles...He expanded on the much reported meeting where Smith got up to talk. While he mentioned no players by name (it will be easy to figure out) he discussed other players sharing their thoughts. At the meeting another player got up and admitted he had not yet bought into the system, as he was used to starting and he was still dealing with the switch so he had not fully bought in. Another player stood up and stated he was aware he was shooting way to much and he needed to work more within the system. He was surprised (eyes opened) when he reviewed the stats sheet. So, it was not so much one player calling others out as it was a group "therapy session" that ended on a very positive note. Smith may have started the boulder down the hill...but others kept it rolling. Miles had intended to read them the riot act of what they needed to know and the players proceeded to stand up and tell him they already knew. Acknowledging out-loud helped them on Sunday to act on their beliefs. The problems worked themselves out. We will see if it is a lesson learned and retained or if some continued reminders need to be given. On a separate subject, I asked Coach Miles about using zone. He stated they did not want to show it before Charleston but they had worked on it quite a bit. It is obvious he is a man defense proponent but he recognizes the need for zone given our lack of big depth and the new rules re:block/charge (which he deplores). He characterizes his zone as a 2-2-1, as he does not want the guards to have to be moving as much as a 2-3 requires, so the forwards come up to assist on the wings. I would characterize it as he accepts it as a necessary evil to be used when necessary, yet avoided as much as possible. (So much for us being the Syracuse of the Plains!) I say, if you learn and remember this much as a team by participating in one tournament it has been a huge success!

Faulkner, on the other hand, would have seen the prose of Icedragon and rent his clothes at the thought of so many words wasted through want of use, as though they might atrophy while waiting in the dictionary of the mind, waiting unsummoned, in a purgatory of endless verbiage, forgotten and neglected while brevity doffs his victor's cap and scans the field of battle for the scattered remnants of verbosity, which have taken their leave to nurse their wounds and live to fight another day. Like Faulkner, Kerouac would have read the prose and, while being appreciative of contemplation involved, he would have felt some of the details, the sights and sounds and emotions that go along with the Charleston Classic to be lacking and Charleston is just a single stop on this crazy road we call life, we're always on the road to the next place. Maybe Chicago, maybe Minneapolis, Bloomington or Vegas or Maui or even Cancun. Cancun, with it's sand as white as the snows over Berthoud Pass in January and skies that are so clear and blue you feel you can see into the universe of the soul of God himself. Cancun is the kind of place where a person can enter the realm of that state of the Mind that hovers between what is real, what is alive, what is a dream, and what is really the truth in Cancun anyway? Mañana, baby, it's always mañana.

Baseball had a top of the line recruiting class this year, bobcat. Smile

Faulkner, on the other hand, would have seen the prose of Icedragon and rent his clothes at the thought of so many words wasted through want of use, as though they might atrophy while waiting in the dictionary of the mind, waiting unsummoned, in a purgatory of endless verbiage, forgotten and neglected while brevity doffs his victor's cap and scans the field of battle for the scattered remnants of verbosity, which have taken their leave to nurse their wounds and live to fight another day. My mother is a fish.

In the world of college basketball where the tournaments at the year are what matters - it's better to get beat up early learn some early lessons, than late. The scheduling was spot on. That's something Doc's old teams lacked - a good tough non-con tournament (with consecutive days of basketball) where the team has to rely on each other and not just show up at home and beat a cream puff team. I don't think we saw much improvement from UMASS to UAB because they just had to come back the day. Now give them a day to decompress - and they came back with a well fought victory two days later doing it right. Hopefully this sinks in - that play selfishly and out of system and lose. Play within the system, let the game come to you and have a chance to win. And that much needed confidence that what we do can work, and we can beat BCS level teams with this concept. 1. Was the Charleston Classic a success or failure? success in long term goals, failure in short term 2. Was it to much too soon or just what NU needed? just right... just when we got our hopes up - our dreams were crushed, and for good reason - the selfish basketball will not win you games against good teams 3. Is Miles making good decisions with scheduling or is he pushing to quickly? Very good decisions. You'll find out in our SOS and RPI at end of year when we're a bubble NIT team or looking for the Dance

Faulkner, on the other hand, would have seen the prose of Icedragon and rent his clothes at the thought of so many words wasted through want of use, as though they might atrophy while waiting in the dictionary of the mind, waiting unsummoned, in a purgatory of endless verbiage, forgotten and neglected while brevity doffs his victor's cap and scans the field of battle for the scattered remnants of verbosity, which have taken their leave to nurse their wounds and live to fight another day.

cwg, you're spot on. We have so much to be thankful for. Even the interviewing process for prospective employees went smoothly. Everyone who applied was beyond reproach. The only one we felt uncomfortable about was a guy who applied to be head cook. He put on his resume he was an accomplished 6th grade girls basketball coach. We told him the job was for head cook, not head coach...

What if the guy with the tuba suddenly runs on the court and sticks the tuba over the shoots head, arms and upper body? uhhmmm...uhhmmmm?

Nice. Thanks for that link. (shoulda been put in the "Official Media Thread" though)