I admit to being kind of apathetic this year compared to most years, but my apathy is not my ruling emotion. I did pay $8.95 yesterday to watch the freezes and buffering of the feed from WMU. I did see enough, though, to see that this team does not have a leader on the floor and plays at times with more emotion than brains. Some of the miscues look very much like the kind of thing you'd see in a bad pickup game, and trust me, I've participated in a lot of bad pickup games -- usually I'm the king of bad passes and stupid moves and the worst guy on the court. So, I know firsthand what bad basketball looks like, and at a much higher level and with much more athleticism this is bad basketball. One thing I've noticed from my checkered pickup career is that if you got on a team with one or two really good players no one will notice how bad you are and your team is likely to win because of the skill and the leadership of those good players. And here, by "good player" I'm talking not only about athletic skill but basketball IQ. These guys even make the scrubs like me look good by getting a pass to you when you are wide open. OHIO has no one like this. No player who shows leadership and makes the whole team play above their individual talent levels. You may see it occasionally, but not on any consistent basis. It seems like five guys who are pretty much looking to pad individual stats, and if that leads to a win, OK, but if it doesn't, well so what. I realize that this is an overstatement and that at times we really try, but day in and day out this team totally lacks leadership and any kind of vision. OK, I've spouted off enough. If I'm this frustrated I can't be completely apathetic.

Yep, Larry Hunter was a real enforcer in the paint :-)

+++++

Couldn't you say when Mo put up 31 and 6 against Buffalo he "dominated". I agree with you that on a week in week out basis all we have seen from Mo is potential. But against Buffalo this year and a few games last year I saw Greatness

Just for reference:

As a freshman, Gary Trent averaged 19 pts and 9 rebounds shot 65%
Sophomore, 25 pts and 11, 57%
Junior 23 and 13, 52%

His entire 3 year college career he was a man among boys. At 6'8" 250 he had a 42+ inch vertical jump. He benched 400 pounds. He was POY all 3 years.

This is greatness. This is domination.

To go into this season thinking Mo might be in the conversation with Trent is just the kool-aid talking.

Mo averaged 13.8 last year with 7 boards. This year he is only averaging a point and a rebound better. With the potential I saw last year I hoped for a bigger improvement than 1 point and 1 board.

1.40 STaylor (59/42)
1.20 Willis (73/61)
1.00 RTaylor (32/32)
1.00 Harley (14/14)
0.62 Setty (19/31)
0.60 NDour (40/67)
0.50 Campbell (14/28)
0.42 Laster (10/24)
0.38 Mompremier (3/8)

An NBA scout coming to see you play is not that big a deal; they'll check out anyone with even a shred of talent.

The tenor has been, "Maurice is disappointing because he hasn't dominated," which is harsh and completely unfair. Potential? Yes. But he's also inexperienced, the kind of player who needs a lot of development and the right environment to flourish. I don't think he really get either one of those. I mean, without him, how much worse would we be? Would we have even half the wins we do now?

Something I don't think I have seen mentioned here, and I'm not sure if there's any validity in it, but it's a thought: did Mo playing in the World Cup and not being with the team for the preseason trips and practices have a bad impact on this team?

Let me ask you this. How many times a game does Mo receive a pass near the basket? And don't try to tell me it's because he spends most of his time out on the perimeter because that's crap. He and Tony work their butts off down low on most possessions but the ball never comes until our guard has dribbled left, then right and determined he doesn't have a shot and kicks a pass to either wing. Tony and Mo shoot a lot of perimeter shots because for the most part it's the only place they touch the ball. Ryan Taylor did a good job earlier in the year looking to pass down low but even he's been looking down their less often. Treg is the only player who consistently looks to fire it down low when he gets the ball. It's maddening, yes, but to blame Mo for not taking more shots nearer the basket is misplaced. To get a shot near the basket he's got to take there himself and unfortunately that leads to a lot of turnovers.

Fearless prediction: Kaminski will dominate next year; and Simmons will be one of the best PGs in the MAC.