I was going to post this under basketball, but it is probably more appropriate here.
Anyone who thinks Hornby, Yackley, or any of the other redshirts are going to be our saviors next year needs a reality check. Especially if you are making those assumptions based on pre-game warm-ups.
I would say confidence is a problem for this team. From what I’ve seen and heard, when Coach Morgenthaler (sp?) was here, he was the ying to Coach Nagy’s yang. Coach Nagy would break players down, Coach Morgenthaler would build them up. Who is doing the building now? Coach Wilbur and Coach Cunningham are nice guys with a good relationship with many of the players, but as assistants, they may not carry much clout. Our players have looked like abused 5 year olds, walking into the huddle with their heads down, making no eye contact with their coaches or each other—even when we are playing well. The only player in the last 5 years who held his own with Coach Nagy was Moeller, and he left the team to join up with Mogenthaler in MN. Our outside shooting stinks, and about 80% of shooting is confidence. We are even struggling to make easy shots. Even our beloved Austin Hansen packed up and left to do his grad work with Morgenthaler. Does that say anything to you?
To say recruiting Kleinjan was a mistake is simply ignorant. He was the best player in SD his last year of high school (ask our buddy Chris at the Argus), and we were still DII at the time. Stringing him along the last 4 years could be considered a mistake, but not recruiting him. Why not be straight with him and say "you are not good enough to play at this level, you should consider transferring." If you think Kleinjan can’t play at this level, find some former Jacks who played with him and ask them. See what they say. IMO, his playing ability has actually seemed to go backwards under Coach Nagy.
Of course, many fans see only the box score and do not fully appreciate defense and ball control. IMO, this team could use a little more defense and ball control. I don’t care if you have 4 guys scoring 20+, when you turn the ball over and don’t play defense, you are going to get beat. If you want entertaining, high scoring basketball without defense, I think the Globe Trotters come to SF about once every year. They may even play in Swiftel once in awhile, and you're pretty much guaranteed a win.
Not long ago, everyone here was singing Heien’s praises. How quickly that tide has turned. Someday everything which has happened with Kleinjan, Moeller, Green, Beran, Heien, Casey, and Jones might come to the light of day. I think it would leave a lot of people shaking their heads.
I believe Casey just doesn’t know his role on this team. Can anyone shed some light on why he plays 15+ minutes one game and then doesn’t see the floor the next? That would be a hard way to perform, not knowing until you get called to the scorer’s table whether or not you are going to play that night. If he is truly so bad, why play him at all?
As for players leaving the team, I think it is more probable that some of our young standouts or redshirts will leave before any of the seasoned vets do. Just my opinion, not starting any rumors.
Whew!! I feel much better now.
Anyone who thinks Hornby, Yackley, or any of the other redshirts are going to be our saviors next year needs a reality check. Especially if you are making those assumptions based on pre-game warm-ups.
I would say confidence is a problem for this team. From what I’ve seen and heard, when Coach Morgenthaler (sp?) was here, he was the ying to Coach Nagy’s yang. Coach Nagy would break players down, Coach Morgenthaler would build them up. Who is doing the building now? Coach Wilbur and Coach Cunningham are nice guys with a good relationship with many of the players, but as assistants, they may not carry much clout. Our players have looked like abused 5 year olds, walking into the huddle with their heads down, making no eye contact with their coaches or each other—even when we are playing well. The only player in the last 5 years who held his own with Coach Nagy was Moeller, and he left the team to join up with Mogenthaler in MN. Our outside shooting stinks, and about 80% of shooting is confidence. We are even struggling to make easy shots. Even our beloved Austin Hansen packed up and left to do his grad work with Morgenthaler. Does that say anything to you?
To say recruiting Kleinjan was a mistake is simply ignorant. He was the best player in SD his last year of high school (ask our buddy Chris at the Argus), and we were still DII at the time. Stringing him along the last 4 years could be considered a mistake, but not recruiting him. Why not be straight with him and say "you are not good enough to play at this level, you should consider transferring." If you think Kleinjan can’t play at this level, find some former Jacks who played with him and ask them. See what they say. IMO, his playing ability has actually seemed to go backwards under Coach Nagy.
Of course, many fans see only the box score and do not fully appreciate defense and ball control. IMO, this team could use a little more defense and ball control. I don’t care if you have 4 guys scoring 20+, when you turn the ball over and don’t play defense, you are going to get beat. If you want entertaining, high scoring basketball without defense, I think the Globe Trotters come to SF about once every year. They may even play in Swiftel once in awhile, and you're pretty much guaranteed a win.
Not long ago, everyone here was singing Heien’s praises. How quickly that tide has turned. Someday everything which has happened with Kleinjan, Moeller, Green, Beran, Heien, Casey, and Jones might come to the light of day. I think it would leave a lot of people shaking their heads.
I believe Casey just doesn’t know his role on this team. Can anyone shed some light on why he plays 15+ minutes one game and then doesn’t see the floor the next? That would be a hard way to perform, not knowing until you get called to the scorer’s table whether or not you are going to play that night. If he is truly so bad, why play him at all?
As for players leaving the team, I think it is more probable that some of our young standouts or redshirts will leave before any of the seasoned vets do. Just my opinion, not starting any rumors.
Whew!! I feel much better now.
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