I don't understand why everyone is so surprised?

[CyCloned]

I see a lot of guys ripping on ISU player for doing this, or not doing that. Have you looked at the other Big 12 guys out there playing? Big 12 Basketball is very physical, and the ISU guys are not. Remember last year when Curtis would muscle his way into the lane and somehow get a shot off? Well, he was a Big12 player and none of the current guards, or anyone else on the team has the physical strength to play in this league. You can see how all the push, shoving, grabbing, ect has changed the way the ISU players are playing. There is no great answer. The team needs to get a lot stronger, and that isn't going to happen during the season. It is painful to watch, but these guys are out there doing all they can for you team. There is no reason to rip on them.

 

[ISUAlum2002]

You're right, we don't have the physical stature to get into the lane consistently. But really, don't you think our PG should be able to hit some shots occasionally? To at least force defenses to respect the outside shot instead of sagging in on an overworked Jiri?

 

[mwitt]

Unless you honestly think that some of our guys are not trying, then there is no reason to rip them.

 

[joepublic]

No this isn't going to be fixed in the season. But it's not going to happen this offseason either. They'll work at it, but it's going to take a few years to get players in with Big 12 body types.

 

[larry]

Unless you honestly think that some of our guys are not trying, then there is no reason to rip them.

ditto this

 

[psycln11]

sagging in on an overworked Jiri?

Did anyone think we'd be saying that this year?? :rofl8yi:

 

[cmoore_23]

i also thinks its stupid to be mad at the guys, you knwo they are trying, and its not like they want to lose, every1 needs to give it time, we all knew it was going to be a long season, live with it, or dont watch

 

[jahfg]

I think the 2-0 start with the OT game against KU got our hopes up. We probably should have known better, myself included.

 

[Knownothing]

You have to look at teams like Louisville to understand where we are. Louisville is not very good and they have one of the best coaches ever on there sidelines. We have one new coach and a bunch of new players. It will take a few years. Don't get overly excited about next year either. It takes time people.

 

[BenEClone]

In keeping with the original topic, but, adding a related topic, who is responsible for strength and conditioning of basketball players. Sheppard and Becton are devoted exclusively to football. Assuming he has the same job he had at Texas, Sheppard is responsible for "daily strength facility activities and implement[ing] training programs for individual student-athletes." Moser and Hammerly are listed as "olympic sports". Do these two guys have the same responsibilities for all the other athletes? My ultimate point is, who works with Jiri or Mike or Lindsey for their daily workouts, year around, to assure they are as big and strong as they can be?

 

[cycloneworld]

Unless you honestly think that some of our guys are not trying, then there is no reason to rip them.

I don't think people are ripping them for not trying...people are just realizing that a couple players may not have the talent to play in the Big 12.

 

[mwitt]

I don't think people are ripping them for not trying...people are just realizing that a couple players may not have the talent to play in the Big 12.

I never said anyone was ripping them for not trying. I said unless you believe they aren't trying, then we shouldn't be ripping them.

I have a lot of respect for guys who give it their all for us and our proud to be Cyclones. I've seen nothing from this group to make me think that they don't fit the criteria.

Would anyone like to disagree with that?

 

[Wesley]

Did anyone think we'd be saying that this year?? :rofl8yi:

Ditto This. Mike and Jiri try very hard. Some players do not even break into a sweat. Hmmmm.

 

[jay moe]

I, for one, am not surprised by how the season is going. This is a makeshift team put together at the last possible second. There was a reason why some of the guys we got were unrecruited late last year, and now it is starting to show. We need to stick behind them, show them our support, and enjoy watching their effort. Jiri has come a long ways this year, Wesley is a freshmen All-American. I still enjoy watching this team far more than I ever did last year's. Let's hope they have a good finish to the season.

 

[Drive4cy]

I don't think it's so much surprised more than disappointment. To think about it, its not really disappointment either. Losing is tough whether there's a good reason for it (which we have) or not. Losing 5 in a row has a lot to do with it as well. Just need to get that winning feeling back and people will get off the ledge. Many of us predicted 4-6 conference wins before the Big 12 season and I believe that will be the final result. I'm not sure we can win another game with our PG play being this poor though IMO. Like someone else said, if theye continue to play hard its tough to get real upset. Last night was no shock at all to me. We got 2 home games against similar competition, let's win'em.

 

[jay moe]

I agree, I think the next two home games could do a lot of healing, if we play like we are capable. Guard play is key, no matter what level of basketball is being played, our guys need to tighten up and make better decisions and be tougher. That being said, we must remember this is the first year any of our guards have played major college basketball, they are learning on the fly, which is very difficult.

 

[Cyclonepride]

I don't think people are ripping them for not trying...people are just realizing that a couple players may not have the talent to play in the Big 12.

I would amend that to say that at this point in their careers, they may not have the talent to play the number of minutes they are getting in the Big 12. Typically,some of these guys would be mixed in with several players who have been through the wars, and might be subbed in for a few minutes at a time.

 

[Johnny8]

I think you hit the nail right on the head Cyclonepride. Some players on our team just aren't ready to be the stars of a Big XII team, but are in a position where they are being forced into it too early. Last year, Clark looked like a real good offensive threat, and he was. But the fact is, last year everyone we played knew that if you can't stop Stinson and Blalock, you can't win against us, which freed up these guys. As of now, we don't have an experienced dynamite scorer except for Jiri, and you have to get him the ball somehow. I think the future is looking really bright for us.

 

[Cy-banger]

No this isn't going to be fixed in the season. But it's not going to happen this offseason either. They'll work at it, but it's going to take a few years to get players in with Big 12 body types.

Definitely agree that it won't be fixed this season. And while I won't even attempt to predict how much they will improve before next season, great strides can be made in just one offseason. From a physical standpoint, Eustachy's first team and this year's are remarkably similar. Larry's primary point of emphasis between years one and two was strength training, and the team went from being the softest in the conference to the most physical. I'm not anticipating that type of turnaround, but with the proper focus and dedication, tremendous gain can be made.