To student athletes reading this thread: Take pride knowing that we spend so much time and money following you and your team.  Be appreciative that this does give us the right (and inclination) to ride too hot when you win and too cold when you lose.  These drastic mood swings are an indication of our overall lack of knowledge of your sport (“those that can’t play, preach”).  In fact, be aware that NO ONE commenting on this thread plays Division 1 basketball (or football for that matter).  While some/many present themselves as having great knowledge or insight, we are only fans.  While we have great passion and interest in your sport and take great pride in pontificating (here and elsewhere), we are in NO WAY experts.  We are no better than the “old timers” at your high school who used to try to give pointers on how they did it in the ‘90’s.  So go easy on us.  Our passion often gets in the way of our heart and heads.

 

 

I'll admit that I haven't closely read every thread this last week while travelling, but who exactly is it that is ripping on individual players on a game by game basis?  I agree that individual college student-athletes shouldn't be lambasted (although we might disagree on what consistutes "ripping" a player versus analyzing his performance), but I haven't seen that anywhere.  Overall, this board is remarkably good-natured, especially compared to those for bigger programs. 

The two controversial threads appear to be Love's thread after the Kansas debacle and Dragon's following the Valpo game.  Love's post only named one individual player, Rico Johnson, and that was for what was by all accounts a fairly cheap foul (I haven't had a chance to see it yet myself).  Meanwhile, while Dragon's thread did name a few guys individually, it wasn't anything close to what I'd consider "ripping" them.

Rather than attacking individual players, both threads were in my view primarily questioning the job that Coach Groce has done with this team.  And while some bristle any time that a negative word is said about JG, the criticisms are fair.  Aside from a one-week run last March, JG has underachieved in his 2+ years to date.  Admittedly, that one week should buy him a fair amount of leeway, but that doesn't change the fact that both his first two teams should have been much better than 7-9 MAC squads, based on their talent.  Meanwhile, although expectations for this year's team were generally unreasonably high given the talent we lost, and the season has played out so far as I expected on a W-L basis, the underlying performances have been pretty uninspiring.  We should never be worked like we were on our home court by Oakland, while the margin of defeat to Kansas was completely unacceptable, even if an L was expected.  While the Santa Clara win was a nice one, the other wins weren't particularly impressive, as the Valpo game really shouldn't have been anywhere near as close as it was, and Delaware and Texas A&M CC were about what was expected. 

So, in short, there is a lot to question about this program right now.  Yes we are young, but by year three much of the responsibility for that falls on Coach Groce.  I am confident that this team will get better as the season progresses, but ultimately college basketball is about more than getting hot for a week in March (despite the legion of fans here who think that all that matters is what happens in Cleveland, regular season be damned).  Unfortunately, Coach Groce has underperformed in that respect so far.  But that doesn't mean that criticizing the coaching staff for its production should be equated to taking potshots at the players.  One can question the overall success and direction of the program, while still supporting the athletes.

Good grief.  This program advanced in the NCAA tournament 8 months ago.  And, then landed a darn good recruiting class.  And, now there's "a lot to question"?  What the....? 

Maybe I'm just burned out on the overanalytical nature of message boards.  Carry on folks.  Don't mind me.....

Welp.  I said my piece.  Keep on evaluatin' and a-scrutinatin' folks. 



 

OHIO fans in general are always going to be tougher on the basketball program, it is the one program that has had consistent success and brought great joys and talents.  I mean you have to figure that of the alumni that follow OHIO sports at least 66% probably consider OHIO Basketball their number 1 sport (give or take with improved success from Football and dominance of the last decade by Volleyball).  Thus the eye on the program will always be intense for the ups and downs.

The problem we have right now is we have a great up and coming coach, but we all have to remember that this is his first D-1 head coaching job, there are gonna be a lot of mistakes and tweaks going on for quite some time.  Luckily for us he did some of his best work at the end of last year, but to expect that level to be steady, especially with the attrition we have in this program is unreasonable.  The reasonable expectation is that we will be better than last year and that we will start our run earlier than last year.  In a few years hopefully that will mean that we will be a highly competitive team for an entire season, but that time is not now.  It is really tough to think that reasonably after an horrific or disappointing loss, but as long as you can see that later thats what matters.

Oh by the way it is getting really old to question other people's fandom on this board.  Every person here is different in their own way (good or bad), what matters is if they are paying attention to the athletic programs, they are giving money to the athletic programs, and they are evangelizing the Bobcats to those around them. You can criticize someone's opinion but if they are still consistently giving their money to the program then you just have to let them voice their opinions.

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but we have an important non-conference game against Marshall coming up on Saturday, and no one has really talked about it.  Why is it important?  Because we have to defend the Convo against a regional rival.  And, every game is important, especially for us.  

http://www.bobcatattack.com/messageboard/topic.asp?FromPa...

This thread needs to have more attention, me thinks.  

Just my opinion to get us back on track here...

giacomo - well said.

Bobcat Love - please stop already and get a hobby.....maybe 3Ball = Bobcat Love?

Wow, who pee'd in everybody's kool-aid?

First - It scares me how this many people on a sports board have no idea what a 'fair-weather fan' is.  A fair weather fan is somebody who only shows up and cheers for a team when it's winning, you know...fair weather...and dissapears or becomes dissintrested when the same team isn't.  If anything, BLove, Dragon, and many of the more 'controversial' posters are the polar opposite of 'fair weather fans,' and are more like 'borderline obsessive.'

Second - To any bobcat athlete past or present reading this board;  I mean this in the nicest way possible, but, grow some thicker skin.  Wear the uniform with pride, and this board will follow your career long after you've forgotten this URL. 

BUT

If you like the 2000 facebook friends and twitter followers your student athlete status brings you, realize that you're also going to get some of the bad that comes with that, which may include people ripping on your game.  We all have your back (don't believe me? wait till MH55 posts something on this board in a couple weeks), but this isn't youth-boosters anymore.

Think this site/fan base is tough?  Try dropping a tuchdown pass against Texas in the Horseshoe.

Third - Ripping an individual poster for supposed ripping of individual players.  Irony at it's finest.
 
Last - How cliche has athletes calling out the 'haters' on twitter become?  I blame LeBron for this.

I agree with giacomo.

People can type until their fingers fall off about how the student athletes should not read these boards but fact of the matter is, they do read it, and they've been reading it ever since 3 Ball was lambasting Dustin Ford's point guard abilities. OUr athletes put in an awful lot of time, energy and heart into something that mainly serves as entertainment for the rest of us. Give them the respect they deserve -- that doesn't mean everything has to be sunshine and rainbows, but if you are genuinely trying to offer constructive criticism, do it in a constructive way, not in a mean-spirited way.