Thanks for sharing that article. Very interesting. Several tidbits that I would like to know more about. Seemed like the article just stopped without really being completed. Maybe there is more to come.
Maggie transfer portal
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Thanks for sharing that article. Very interesting. Several tidbits that I would like to know more about. Seemed like the article just stopped without really being completed. Maybe there is more to come.
I actually liked the article learned quite a bit about her I didn't know. I wish her the best out in Montana.
A very long but very interesting article. On the basketball end, my takeaways are that they rushed her back before she was ready her sophomore year, and that attempts to consider your own mental and physical health and well-being may be looked at as weakness by a certain head coach. It may explain the mass departures, as that's just not the way sports work anymore. Players have the power now, and they are increasingly aware of the importance of their own mental and physical health.
I wonder how many athletes in a year have that type of injury. A real challenge up and down the line. Also makes me wonder how much of Lexi’s transfer was connected to this story. Probably in combination, I still think her eye is on a good long pro career, time to learn new lessons from new teachers.
Excellent read - long but worthwhile - many thanks to SPB for locating and sharing! The article clearly addresses many MEM-related issues debated on the board last season, such as:
"When she returned prior to her senior season, she was fully healthy, from head to fibula. Personnel-wise, the Cyclones had moved on but welcomed back a senior who could fill a reserve role."
I was a big fan of the young lady beginning the day she committed to ISU and I'm a bigger fan after reading this article. I hope Maggie can again find joy in playing hoops and leads Montana to a successful season!
Man that almost hurts your brain trying to read the way it was written. If you played a drinking game where you had to take a shot every time "There she is" or There is Maggie" you'd be hammered halfway through it felt like.
@Clonefan32 "attempts to consider your own mental and physical health and well-being may be looked at as weakness by a certain head coach" I'm sure that is part of it but don't tell me that coaches like Mulkey, Staley, and Gino probably are somewhat in the same mold too and they win championships and you don't hear much of their players not liking how they are coached. The mental health stuff these days is a fine line because what some kids think is a coach being mean or a bully is not seen the same by those that see it as a coach trying to motivate and trying to get them to realize their potential. Not everyone is built the same but its definitely becoming a generational thing lately it feels as we're in an era with NIL and kids that are constantly told how great they are during recruiting then once you get them in the program they aren't the big fish in a small pond anymore. This is a complex topic where everyone has their own opinions and I can get consumed in trying to disect it from different angles too.
I guess being in my mid 40's now I remember how tough some of my junior high and high school coaches were on us where these days some of those tactics probably would not fly with kids and parents anymore. Already seen one of the coaches at my HS (not one I played for, he coached a girls sport) got pushed out a few years ago that the word on the street was it was a complaint from a parent of a kid who didn't play much that led to his coaching contract not renewed because they thought he was being too hard on their kid. He had coached multiple decades and gone to the state tournaments and won multiple conference title. I think he's probably has the most wins of any coach in that sport in school history and many former players spoke out in displeasure and in his defense when news broke that his contract was not renewed. He was a few years away from retiring from teaching so he was probably going to retire from coaching around the same time too but shows how doesn't matter what kind of results you get or how well you have been liked by players and parents over the years that there can always be someone out there that will not like how you do things. Kind of like when Bill had to deal with the Nikki Moody allegations and at the time some people were quick to either rush to his defense or take the side that Bill had gone too far and needed to go.
@Clonefan32 "attempts to consider your own mental and physical health and well-being may be looked at as weakness by a certain head coach" I'm sure that is part of it but don't tell me that coaches like Mulkey, Staley, and Gino probably are somewhat in the same mold too and they win championships and you don't hear much of their players not liking how they are coached. The mental health stuff these days is a fine line because what some kids think is a coach being mean or a bully is not seen the same by those that see it as a coach trying to motivate and trying to get them to realize their potential. Not everyone is built the same but its definitely becoming a generational thing lately it feels as we're in an era with NIL and kids that are constantly told how great they are during recruiting then once you get them in the program they aren't the big fish in a small pond anymore. This is a complex topic where everyone has their own opinions and I can get consumed in trying to disect it from different angles too.
I guess being in my mid 40's now I remember how tough some of my junior high and high school coaches were on us where these days some of those tactics probably would not fly with kids and parents anymore. Already seen one of the coaches at my HS (not one I played for, he coached a girls sport) got pushed out a few years ago that the word on the street was it was a complaint from a parent of a kid who didn't play much that led to his coaching contract not renewed because they thought he was being too hard on their kid. He had coached multiple decades and gone to the state tournaments and won multiple conference title. I think he's probably has the most wins of any coach in that sport in school history and many former players spoke out in displeasure and in his defense when news broke that his contract was not renewed. He was a few years away from retiring from teaching so he was probably going to retire from coaching around the same time too but shows how doesn't matter what kind of results you get or how well you have been liked by players and parents over the years that there can always be someone out there that will not like how you do things. Kind of like when Bill had to deal with the Nikki Moody allegations and at the time some people were quick to either rush to his defense or take the side that Bill had gone too far and needed to go.
Friend of mine took a 2-9 HS football team to a championship in two years and the same happened. Too hard on the ones that would not put the work in to earn playing time. Good move for him in the end. Tough but fair, parents didn't see it like that.
That type of injury (BILATERAL stress fractures of the legs) is very uncommon even among female distance runners. Single leg stress fracture is fairly common.
Nutrition kept being brought up in the article. There is a direct correlation between under-fueling (likely unintentional in her case) and stress fracture and recurrence of stress fractures.
Beyond that, reading the other things going on, there is a possibility she was suffering from RED-S which includes more complexities such as hormone imbalance, frequent illness, depression, and amenorrhea. The path to return to full health often requires working with a sports nutritionist and psychologist and taking full-time away from sport. I am not saying she has a RED-S diagnosis, but there are a lot of parallels.
I have a relative that coached HS girl's basketball who would tell parents that complained to him about yelling too much or being too tough on their daughter "you should be more worried if I am not yelling or being tough with your kid because that means I've given up on them." His players liked to play for him and never led to a situation where his job was in jeopardy. One game I watched him chew out one of his best players during a timeout asking what the front of her jersey says because the selfish way she was playing wasn't reflecting playing for name on the front of the jersey and more for herself. She teared up a bit when he said that but she went back out and played better the rest of the game so while it may have been a harsh moment of coaching it was effective. Some kids have the toughness to not take that personally and some will sulk and play the victim instead.
Our sister floor one year at ISU was the same floor most of the freshman and sophomore women's basketball team lived on and got to know some of the players that year. Never heard a bad thing about coach Fennelly, they all talked well and seemed happy playing for him and sounded like he had the team over to his house pretty regularly for dinner too.
I like many hope Maggie is now fully healthy and has a great year. I remember her first year and was looking forward to many more great scoring years. This last year was disappointing in that she never got her shooting touch back. I am old and remember the Bob Knight years at Indiana and how it was said he was too tough of a coach. As someone who has coached young people you want what is best for the player and you want the best from them. There are a few on here who every time there is an issue are quick to blame the coach. I have heard Bill say a couple times when asked who will start and play he has said it is up to the players and how hard they want to work in practice. I believe that some players who want more playing time will try to practice when they should be resting an injury but will say they are ready. This puts pressure on the coaching staff because if they hold the player out the the player sometimes make it seem that they are not being allowed to play by the coaches for no good reason.
Did they remove that about the "certain Head Coach"? I read through a couple times and all I see is where it said it was and "unpopular decision" But nothing about a certain head coach.
If they did makes you think someone didnt like it, or maybe I just missed that part. It was not the easiest article to follow.
In my opinion, the writer was trying much too hard to do a really cool personal interest story. Often, when younger writers are in this situation, I've found they lose track of timing important parts of their "essay." When something is kind of, but not entirely in chronological order, it's vital to keep the topic sections separate.
I liked keeping Maggie's mom as part of nearly each section; however, the writer has to be sure to keep the desired subject AS the desired subject. If you lean too much on Mom's role, Maggie takes a back seat. If I was the editor, I'd work on this.
Overall, I learned a great deal about Maggie and definitely see her in a different light. Head coaches have several groups to keep informed, and all have different priorities based -- I think -- on financial impact and job stability. As a mom reading this I wanted to tell Maggie, do not rush this. Do not say you're good to go if you are not. As a daughter, I know I listen to some people more than others, especially those who control my immediate future.
I liked keeping Maggie's mom as part of nearly each section; however, the writer has to be sure to keep the desired subject AS the desired subject. If you lean too much on Mom's role, Maggie takes a back seat. If I was the editor, I'd work on this.
Overall, I learned a great deal about Maggie and definitely see her in a different light. Head coaches have several groups to keep informed, and all have different priorities based -- I think -- on financial impact and job stability. As a mom reading this I wanted to tell Maggie, do not rush this. Do not say you're good to go if you are not. As a daughter, I know I listen to some people more than others, especially those who control my immediate future.
Some people just have to add their own personal bias to their post. When I read that she was 100% healthy this past season, it makes me wonder why exactly her performance dropped off so drastically. It sure wasn’t because of the lack of minutes.
The young lady gave four years to ISU and was our head cheerleader this season, meeting the team with smiles and enthusiasm as they came off the court. She’s moved on and there’s really no need to question her honesty or disparage her performance.
Not to mention that she is like many of us, diehard Cyclone from birth or close to it.
Good Lord… Get a life. Where in my post did you see me questioning her honesty or disparaging her performance? Basically one of the stupidest and most ridiculous responses I’ve seen in ages. All I asked was I wondered why her performance dropped off? Is that an insult to her? Did that statement ever question her honesty about being healthy? Dumb…dumb…dumb.
I get what you’re saying. Rough numbers from memory was her best year 3pt shooting was around 46% and this past season was around 18-19%. How does that happen? Still, she was a great teammate and a serviceable backup PG when needed. Hope she has a good season at MT and remains a cyclone fan for life.
Edit:
Looked up the 3pt stats per season:
18.8%
45.9%
48.3%
36.1%
Great shooting for three years.
Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw - Montana Lady Griz Guard - ESPN
View the profile of Montana Lady Griz Guard Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.
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Absolutely a fantastic teammate and representative of ISU!I get what you’re saying. Rough numbers from memory was her best year 3pt shooting was around 46% and this past season was around 18-19%. How does that happen? Still, she was a great teammate and a serviceable backup PG when needed. Hope she has a good season at MT and remains a cyclone fan for life.
Edit:
Looked up the 3pt stats per season:
18.8%
45.9%
48.3%
36.1%
Great shooting for three years.
Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw - Montana Lady Griz Guard - ESPN
View the profile of Montana Lady Griz Guard Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.www.espn.com
Go ahead and be obtuse - your written words stand alone even without the context of multiple threads over the course of the season ("my wife could see she was injured by watching her walk"). As happens so frequently, you perceived CBF had been slighted and flew in to defend, throwing MEM undeservedly under the bus in your haste to bloviate. I'm just as eager to defend the young lady, who suffered a decline in 3 point shooting percentage which doesn't necessarily equate to "her performance dropping off dramatically." I'm out and apologize to the board - I'm old enough to know when to bite my tongue and walk away, yet I didn't do it...
My OBSERVATIONS/posts written during the season are exactly that…observations based on that point in time. Has nothing to do with the current post. And if you consider a drop of over 20 percentage points in three point shooting not to be dramatic, then you obviously need to watch more basketball.