I think that going into this season we all were wondering how the team would handle the seniors that left the program before the season started.
IMO, those departures has ended up being a blessing for this team. It allows Nagy to have an offense that speeds the game up. I think that even with AC, that this team wouldn't be able to match-up with the opponents big man. Well, now the Jacks can just put 3 guards and a couple forwards out there and look what they can do.
Frost is going to be hopping once again. Just imagine with the women's team looking good and now the men seeming to have a new attidute. It could be the good old Frost Arena again!
I think that going into this season we all were wondering how the team would handle the seniors that left the program before the season started.
IMO, those departures has ended up being a blessing for this team...
Frost is going to be hopping once again. Just imagine with the women's team looking good and now the men seeming to have a new attidute. It could be the good old Frost Arena again!
I think the loss of the seniors was a blessing in another way, attitude. Those guys got beat up in the transition and it seemed like the team would collapse when the pressure increased. They didn't seem to know how to win, not smack; that group of seniors took it on the chin for many years and in the end is showed.
Nagy has brought in some talented young players who know how to win. Losing becomes a habit, so does winning. In the first two games this team seems to have a different attitude. I'm pretty sure this group is going to surprise some folks this year.
Read all about it on the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier: LINK
One comment from the story: "Marble missed a layup off a behind-the-back pass from Cully Payne that would have tied the game at 64, and Dale Moss' dunk off a textbook backdoor cut gave South Dakota State a 69-65 lead with 4:09 left...."
There was some real textbook stuff in that game. My wife and I listened to the game on WNAX driving back from Fargo and arrived at our driveway with about a minute to go...fun trip! Of course we've now watched the game after recording on the DVR from the Big Ten Channel.
Scotty Kwas did the play-by-play for WNAX in place of Steve Imming who had covered Saturday's football game. Scotty does a nice job but I warned my wife that he doesn't give frequent game scores so we were keeping track during the play-by-play. For most of the game, the Jacks led but never by much more than two or three fingers.
Frost Arena should really rock for this team (just like it should for the women's squad)!! Go Jacks!!
I have to say that Iowa is a really really bad team. I would bet that most of the top teams in the Summit would beat them this year. They didn't get any freshman in for their recruiting class and lost people to transfers and I'm sure a couple to graduation. They are...literally...a terrible team.
That said it was a good win for the SDSU men. They went in and took care of business. I watched about half the game as I was watching the Vikings and forgot to switch to the game until halftime. They looked really good and there was definitely something there that I haven't seen in awhile. It's something called PASSION. I saw guys getting after each other a little bit and getting mad. There were lapses on defense but that's going to happen. I also remember seeing Heemstra get taken out and he hammered the bench because he was mad for making the foul. You can definitely see a change in attitude and I think that good things are going to come. I'm not saying SDSU is going to win the Summit this year by any means but I think they are going to take a big step in the right direction.
Go Jacks!
Disclaimer: This post may contain assumptions and/or opinions related to Jackrabbit Athletics.
I'm not saying SDSU is going to win the Summit this year by any means but I think they are going to take a big step in the right direction.
Going 2-0 on this road trip is more than a big step, it's a BIG step. I too am not going to say we are a conference championship team yet, but it's going to be a helluva lot of fun watching this team play. I absolutely love the passion shown on the floor. Frost should be almost full for most men's and women's games this year. Atmosphere should be awesome.
How freakin' awesome was Clint's back-door dunk (pass from Dykstra)! I spilled soda all over after that throw down! It's still very early, but this isn't anywhere close to the same Jackrabbit team from years past. This team has an entirely different attitude and effort about it. GBGBGJ
"Tell the truth and pay your bills and you don't have to back down from anyone"--My Dad
Nice win over a team that many felt SDSU could handle. Wolters had a solid game and if he continues to play this well it will give SDSU something they desperately have been lacking since moving to DI and that is solid PG play. Good news is the team is young....the seniors are providing great leadership but the core of the team is Sophs and Freshmen.....good solid recruiting but would be nice to have a true 5 in the middle to solidify the lineup. Going to have issues with any team that has a solid post presence in the middle as far as defensive matchups. I'm sure Clint wanted to play well and did some outstanding things today as did the two freshmen Iowans on the roster. Will be nice to see Frost filling up again with continued success. Give credit to good recruiting the past few years and a team that believes they can win. Love the road uniforms.....pretty cool. Looks like another long season for Iowa.
Iowa is bad, I was more impressed with the win at EIU. However any time you win on the road it is impressive especially when it is at a big 10 school.
It may not seem like a huge win but in the past 4 years we've beaten UNI, ISU and now Iowa. It doesn't sound big but much of the recruiting area is Big 10 and MVC area and by beating them we make the papers, the local television and make ourselves relevant to these high school kids that are being recruited, they now know something about SDSU. Its a lot easier to sell a recruit if they know something about you then if they know nothing. (atleast in most cases)
Iowa is bad, I was more impressed with the win at EIU. However any time you win on the road it is impressive especially when it is at a big 10 school.
It may not seem like a huge win but in the past 4 years we've beaten UNI, ISU and now Iowa. It doesn't sound big but much of the recruiting area is Big 10 and MVC area and by beating them we make the papers, the local television and make ourselves relevant to these high school kids that are being recruited, they now know something about SDSU. Its a lot easier to sell a recruit if they know something about you then if they know nothing. (atleast in most cases)
Anytime our Men's team can win on the road, let alone a trip where they log a lot of miles. Besides the winning, the approach that this team has is different IMO. They seem to be very confident and know that they can play with anyone. Should be a fun year.
These victories are big for recruiting, but I also think that getting kids like the Dykstra and Heemestra lets high school kids in their area know that this is a legit team.
Des Moines Register story ( link ) reports on Clint Sargent's connection with Iowa's McCabe (both from Heelan; Sargent was a senior when McCabe was a soph; McCabe looks to Sargent as a role model). The same story ran in the Iowa City newspaper. Here's the game story from the Iowa City paper: LINK
While I tend to agree with the statements that Iowa won't be a top Big 10 team this year, its a little early to tell whether or not they are a bad basketball team. This is a good win for the program.
We have the next 7 at home, but it is by no means an easy stretch. 4 of the 7 will be tough, tough games.
We will know more about the Jackrabbits by how they weather that home stretch than by these first two games.
“I used to be with it. But then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems scary and wierd. It’ll happen to you.” — Abe Simpson
Iowa is bad, I was more impressed with the win at EIU. However any time you win on the road it is impressive especially when it is at a big 10 school.
It may not seem like a huge win but in the past 4 years we've beaten UNI, ISU and now Iowa. It doesn't sound big but much of the recruiting area is Big 10 and MVC area and by beating them we make the papers, the local television and make ourselves relevant to these high school kids that are being recruited, they now know something about SDSU. Its a lot easier to sell a recruit if they know something about you then if they know nothing. (atleast in most cases)
OK Iowa is bad, but they are still a Big 10 team and most casual fans in SD will only see that SDSU beat Iowa. Considering where this program has been in the past several years, this is a very good win and starting the year 2-0 (both road wins) is something we should be thrilled with (no matter how bad we think Iowa is). This team now gets seven games in a row at Frost. That includes games against Nevada, NDSU, EIU and UM Milwaukee. We have all been burned by our BB team the past few years. Each time we think a corner has been turned, we fell flat. This team seems different. They play with an attitude none of us have seen since moving up. If he stays healthy Wolters will go down as an SDSU great. He seems to be the floor leader we have been looking for. We have some serious young talent to go with some very athletic upperclassmen who are itching to put together a solid season. Everyone seems to want to degrade this win because Iowa is picked last in the Big 10. Well, Kansas was a terrible FB team, as was Minnesota yet there was a lot of excitement after the NDSU and USD wins. Oregon is not a good BB team this year, picked last in the PAC 10 and yet the NDSU following were thrilled to stick with the Ducks earlier this year. It is time for SDSU fans to jump on board. Watching this team is different. They hustle, play hard and they have a confidence we have not seen since the D2 days. Lets enjoy the win over a Big 10 school, get ready for a seven game home stand and enjoy a version of BB we have not seen in a long time at SDSU. December 4 can not come soon enough. I for one plan to be at Frost. That place will and should be rocking.
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