Donkey

Just stream from your iPad to your TV through the AppleTV box. At least ESPN3 is broadcast in HD unlike the BTN.com stream. The games look great on my 50" Plasma!!!

Miles did say he wanted shooters on the team. As long as Fuller and Hawkins can play defense, I am good with that plan. If Webster is as good as speculated, 2013-14 and 2014-15 could be some big years for Nebraska's growth. Having 2-3 guys who can shoot from the parimeter with a legitimate big man in the post and good ball distributor at point keeps opposing teams' defenses honest.

Have Cabelas make his jersey. I generally wear a large but the Cabelas mediums are almost too big for me!

When Diaz was finally eligible, we sat him for the rest of the reason because (1) he was not ready to play big minutes and (2) we had enough players to run a four guard lineup. It sounds like Vucetic is not ready for big minutes, but it is also not clear whether we have enough depth to run a four guard lineup with Ubel, Andre, and Kyle rotating in at the post. Picture something like what Drake ran back in 2009 (mind you once Keno Davis took this offense to the Big East it failed). We put Benny, Ray, Rivers, and Talley out there with the above three mentioned playing the post. Let Jordan Tyrance back up Talley as a quasi-4. Bring in that JUCO walkon to shoot from beyond three. If the point guard can penetrate and kick out to shooters on the perimeter with a post guy to rebound, It may work (but probably not). Keno Davis took an unknown squad with a losing tradition and made them a NCAA 5 seed which barely lost in the first round to a very talented Western Kentucky team (two NBA players on that squad). If we can make something like that work, sure red-shirt Vucetic. It would probably do him a lot of good. Otherwise, we almost have to play him.

I read that Andre hurt his ankle and will be back this week, and Shields' bursa sac burst and became infected. Not bad medical issues. These things heal.

I am thinking about going to the Penn State game on January 19 and wanted to know if anyone wants to come along.

Interesting comparison to Bill Snyder. Kansas State was simply atrocious when Snyder took over. I am not sure we were ever that bad. I think a better comparison would be Texas Tech when Mike Leach became head coach. Tech had some good years before Leach and maybe won a signature game every few years but was not a national power until Leach installed his system. Doc and Barry beat one or two good teams a year and advanced to the NIT a few times. Danny Nee had us in the tournament on a semi-regular basis and even won a conference tournament title. Not great but not like Kansas State before Snyder.

Good point. Have you seen Gallegos assert himself in the past?

I have been a big proponent of Biggs playing now. Talley, Almeda, and Ubel graduate in the spring. That is a huge loss leadership wise. If Biggs redshirts, there will be a leadership void amongst the upperclassmen leaving only Gallegos and Rivers neither of whom seem to be floor leaders (please correct me if I am wrong). While we do have talented transfers eligible next season, we still need experienced floor leaders. It does seem Biggs has some leadership skills. A year of court time now gives us a floor general next season. Moving on, that lineup does look bad when you consider that Almeda is coming off a knee injury which may limit his minutes. Vucetic has been described as needing additional strength and conditioning meaning he has limited minutes as well. That leaves Ubel largely playing out of position. Also, remember that Parker and Shields are freshmen. It is my understanding that freshman guards, especially point guards, tend to wear down quickly due to playing without a full year of conditioning. If Parker and Shields are limited minutes wise, our bench suddenly becomes very shallow.

A "starting from scratch" mode is not easy. I have noticed in both sports and in business when one hits the reset button to implement a new system, the motivation is usually to get away from the bad habits that were previously developed and not always to replace the system itself. When the systems are similar, the people tend to take the same shortcuts and repeat the same mistakes. Getting people into the mindset of learning something new is key in a leadership change. It is good to see the team is in a learning mode. The fact that they are seeing their own progress is good too. If they don't see their own growth, they may get frustrated and not buy in.

Offensively, do you think its more of a comfort issue (e.g. players not used to having a degree of discretion) or just simply learning a new system? Do you see much of a difference defensively?

I asked Eichorst in what ways he can help Miles boost the men’s basketball program. His response? By staying out of the way. “That’s my approach,” Eichorst said. “I try to give people the resources and the guidance they need and get out of the way and let them do their thing. Everybody does things differently and everybody has a special way about doing things. I love these types of leaders. Hire the best candidate; give them assistance; and let them work their mojo. If it does not work out, admit your mistake and move on.