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Should Jacks be optimistic?
Nagy 'pleased' with 5-16 campaign
By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
Published: February 1, 2007
In the two seasons prior to this one, the South Dakota State men's basketball team lost twice as many games as it won. That's part of the reason why it's been so tough to retain players, said Jackrabbits coach Scott Nagy.
The current club needs to win five of its last nine games to avoid losing more and winning less than it did last season - the program's worst in 20 years. And yet Nagy appears pleased, saying that the Jacks (5-16) have "overachieved."
Why is it that three years into the school's NCAA Division I transition, losing is viewed as somehow more productive?
"Some people say it can hurt your confidence if you can't win close games," Nagy said. "But if you look at the teams we're playing and the talent level they have - I'm talking size and athletic ability - the fact that we're competing in these games, I'm super-pleased with our kids. If you put it on paper, there are a lot of games we shouldn't even be in."
SDSU is thin (11 players), short (one taller than 6-foot-6), inexperienced (five freshmen) and, as Nagy said, competitive within its schedule. That schedule is ranked 251st most difficult out of 336 but devoid of any of the four non-Division I games permitted by the NCAA.
In 10 of their 16 losses, the Jacks were within one basket in the second half. They were within a bucket in the final two minutes, 30 seconds in half of those games, most recently missing two close-range shots in the final seconds of a 57-56 home loss to Middle Tennessee State. . . . (read more)
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...36/1002/SPORTS
Nagy 'pleased' with 5-16 campaign
By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
Published: February 1, 2007
In the two seasons prior to this one, the South Dakota State men's basketball team lost twice as many games as it won. That's part of the reason why it's been so tough to retain players, said Jackrabbits coach Scott Nagy.
The current club needs to win five of its last nine games to avoid losing more and winning less than it did last season - the program's worst in 20 years. And yet Nagy appears pleased, saying that the Jacks (5-16) have "overachieved."
Why is it that three years into the school's NCAA Division I transition, losing is viewed as somehow more productive?
"Some people say it can hurt your confidence if you can't win close games," Nagy said. "But if you look at the teams we're playing and the talent level they have - I'm talking size and athletic ability - the fact that we're competing in these games, I'm super-pleased with our kids. If you put it on paper, there are a lot of games we shouldn't even be in."
SDSU is thin (11 players), short (one taller than 6-foot-6), inexperienced (five freshmen) and, as Nagy said, competitive within its schedule. That schedule is ranked 251st most difficult out of 336 but devoid of any of the four non-Division I games permitted by the NCAA.
In 10 of their 16 losses, the Jacks were within one basket in the second half. They were within a bucket in the final two minutes, 30 seconds in half of those games, most recently missing two close-range shots in the final seconds of a 57-56 home loss to Middle Tennessee State. . . . (read more)
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...36/1002/SPORTS
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