I know it's spilled milk, water under the bridge, whatever you want to call it.

But I just checked where James Kinney landed, and man, we really could have benefited from him staying.

Starting at San Jose State, averaging 16.3 ppg, shooting 46-111 from 3-pt. land (41%).

RIght

Always hate these threads because it never takes into account ....at what price? Really. These threads drive me right up a wall. I admire him for getting it together and choose not to go into what else surrounded the young man at the time but really...at what price would you keep a kid and hope Athens does not bring him down.

When parents ask me....I tell them ....if your kids  have a problem with alcohol, pot, party or pussy it is probably not a great place to be...if they want to come to  program on the rise, put in the work to be part of something special and have a great college experience then the place is heaven. Caveat Emptor.

I'm reminded of the axiom about one bad apple spoiling the barrel. Guys like James Kinney, Steve Coleman, and Armon Basset were very good players who partook in some... less than productive off-court behavior. I'd love to have as many good players as possible on this team, but  there's something to be said for having a group of guys who aren't interested in the knucklehead stuff.

I guess this goes here. Steven Coleman getting it done for Mercyhurst:
http://www.goerie.com/article/20120115/BASKETBALL03/301149898/Mercyhurst-holds-off-Slippery-Rock-in-men's-basketball

Oh my.

Really? I think you over estimate the experience of kids who have coaches through grade school, middle and high school and then summer ball  who just roll out the balls and rely on athletes to make plays and then have to learn the game once they get to college. Many HS superstars have got through with sheer athleticism and then have to actually come together to learn a system. Many of the athletes in our IN top HS's are immediate players in college because the HS coaches run their programs and systems the same way a college would. Great athletes like Dominic James, Oden, Conley, Zach Novak, etc start immediately because they are used to seeing scouting reports, running sytems of defense and offense in the same way a college tam operates. If you went back to the HS's of each athlete on our team you would find they are a product of their background.

Floating to the open spot and seeing the angles is NOT innate or instinctive. YOu have to look and read. You have to study your team mates and know the flow of the offense and what the defense is going to give you both philosophically and in real time reaction. If you stay in the open lanes and see the floor in 3d...you may be successful....

The concept is simple, it's the nuance, understanding, reaction  and execution that make it beautiful and impressive.

Pearson is having a very good senior season at Georgetown College.  The missing link to our rebounding problem..We could definitely use him in the mix down low. http://www.georgetowncollegeathletics.com/stats/2011-12/MBB/MBBseasonstats.htm  

No doubt many players are top athletes and, so, get by on merely that skill in high school.  And find that doesn't work in college.

And, I guess that we'd agree that a lot of people don't think.

But, c'mon, the concepts of are so simple:  get to an open spot, use the players on the floor to get yourself open and to get your teammates open, know the angle a missed shot is likely to come off at, work with your teammates on offense and defense, be totally solid on the fundamentals, shoot when in balance and consider score/position of teammates/etc before shooting, etc.  This should be mastered in 2 on 2 or 3 on 3 by jr. year of high school.

I understand there were big issues with Coleman, Kinney, and Pearson.

But, I think we could all agree that the current team could use all three of them IF they had the right attitude.

WOw. THat is a well turned phrase that deserves a place in the understatement hall of fame