Wichita State Game Thread

[Oak775]

I was looking at the conference standings...dear God this conference is terrible right now

Literally, “who’s the tallest midget in the contest”?

 

[Oak775]

Without Konkol being able to recruit a bona fide ready to play actual center, our team will rely on having to shoot 50% from 3s to be competitive. I saw the box score from yesterday and we shot an obscenely high % from 3 and the field in general, didn't have crap ton of turnovers, didn't get outrebounded by a stupid margin...leads to winning games. Defense wasn't great as it looked like WSU had a decent shooting night.

We don't have the shooters that can do that every night. We get games like this a couple times a season but our team is more like the one that lost to ECU earlier in the week. Meh shooting, meh defense, meh everything else. We're a pretty avg. to poor team 90% of the time. Yesterday was one of the 10% games. I don't make these comments to be overly negative but I've accepted the reality of what this team is and is capable of.

And we haven't had a true center under Konkol so I'm starting to think he misses out on them because he doesn't have a true plan for their development and usage in place. And the guys he gets are usually the ones at the bottom of the barrel. Don't get me wrong I like Garcia but he's at best a 4 but he plays more like a 3 on offense. Smikle is a true 4 but not a center and doesn't have the C body type we're needing to be effective defensively. The game has changed so the guy doesn't even need to be a big time shot blocker, just alter the occasional shot when someone comes into the paint and rebound like a freaking beast.

Frank Haith flat out couldn’t recruit a true center either.

It’s all about the Benjamins. Money. Lot’s of it.

We don’t have the Benjamins.

 

[drboobay]

Frank Haith flat out couldn’t recruit a true center either.

It’s all about the Benjamins. Money. Lot’s of it.

We don’t have the Benjamins.

The only true, complete center we have had in my Fandom period was Brandon Kurtz. Oops, add Jerome Jordan though that didn't guarantee anything.

So not ultra worried. Wichita had a 6 11 dude for all the good it did them.

 

[TU65alum]

So not ultra worried. Wichita had a 6 11 dude for all the good it did them.

He had several putbacks.

 

[drboobay]

He had several putbacks.

Yep but they lost.

 

[I.I.]

I was looking at the conference standings...dear God this conference is terrible right now

One of the ESPN announcers said during one of our games that the American was the # 1 conference in the USA in getting their players poached last spring. Unfortunately our own Memphis poached two or three of their AAC opponents best players too.

 

[I.I.]

The only true, complete center we have had in my Fandom period was Brandon Kurtz. Oops, add Jerome Jordan though that didn't guarantee anything.

So not ultra worried. Wichita had a 6 11 dude for all the good it did them.

Jerome Jordan, Michael Ruffin, Kevin Johnson. Brandon Kurtz.......That's all of them though Martins Igbanu was a shorter version.

 

[dlsnid]

I really liked Kevin Johnson the best they said he was only 6’5” or6’6” but he was so quick to get up and get his shot off never was blocked and made most of his shot like 60 percent shooting a great player fun to watch

 

[t-townpod]

Smikle seems like a true center to me. Agree Garcia is a 4

 

[TU65alum]

Smikle seems like a true center to me. Agree Garcia is a 4

We need to hold on to Smikle, he could be the glue for this team in the future.

 

[astonmartin708]

Jerome Jordan, Michael Ruffin, Kevin Johnson. Brandon Kurtz.......That's all of them though Martins Igbanu was a shorter version.

Dandre Wright, Steven Idlet as well. Both had above average season at the 5.

 

[drboobay]

NET 284 now.

Still feeling underachieving for the talent level.

 

[dougheffking]

NET 284 now.

Still feeling underachieving for the talent level.

Net 284 is absolutely pathetic.

I can't tell if your comment is being facetious, but we absolutely stink.

 

[drboobay]

Net 284 is absolutely pathetic.

I can't tell if your comment is being facetious, but we absolutely stink.

My comment is my comment.

I see players that should be producing a NET 200 or better. Which would be far from adequate if achieved. So I think we are lacking in coaching and talent.

We might also rise quite a bit by year's end. But doubtful to a respectable level.

 

[TU_BLA]

My comment is my comment.

I see players that should be producing a NET 200 or better. Which would be far from adequate if achieved. So I think we are lacking in coaching and talent.

We might also rise quite a bit by year's end. But doubtful to a respectable level.

I'm not seeing it. I doubt our ability to play like we did on Sunday consistently. Our shooters are good enough to get hot occasionally like Sunday, but 3 years worth of watching Konkol's teams and I don't think we have anyone who can produce like that 75% of the games. I don't expect every game to be great but we can't have guys hitting 6 3s one game and going 1-12 the next 4. And we don't have guys who shoot their way out of slumps quickly. Scottie Haralson used to have some clankers, but you could reasonably expect him to shoot his way out of a slump pretty quickly.

 

[chito_and_leon]

I'm not seeing it. I doubt our ability to play like we did on Sunday consistently. Our shooters are good enough to get hot occasionally like Sunday, but 3 years worth of watching Konkol's teams and I don't think we have anyone who can produce like that 75% of the games. I don't expect every game to be great but we can't have guys hitting 6 3s one game and going 1-12 the next 4. And we don't have guys who shoot their way out of slumps quickly. Scottie Haralson used to have some clankers, but you could reasonably expect him to shoot his way out of a slump pretty quickly.

I think that can all be true and drboobay's point can be true, too. Here's the neighborhood he's talking about. These are legitimately bad teams. Just not as bad as where we are now.

195	194	Columbia	Ivy League	9-6	3-4	0-0	136	1-0	0-2	0-2	8-2
196	193	Massachusetts	Atlantic 10	8-11	2-3	0-4	234	0-2	1-3	2-2	5-4
197	205	Southern Ill.	MVC	8-12	4-5	0-3	250	0-1	1-5	3-4	4-2
198	195	Seton Hall	Big East	6-15	0-6	2-2	263	1-6	0-3	2-4	3-2
199	197	Sam Houston	CUSA	5-13	2-9	1-1	258	0-3	0-3	1-7	4-0
200	201	Nicholls	Southland	9-9	6-6	0-0	171	0-4	0-0	2-3	7-2
201	199	Robert Morris	Horizon	14-7	5-5	0-0	153	0-1	2-1	2-2	10-3
202	200	Idaho St.	Big Sky	5-10	2-8	0-0	227	0-3	0-0	1-3	4-4
203	202	Omaha	Summit League	11-9	6-6	1-1	186	0-1	1-4	2-0	8-4
204	203	Marist	MAAC	15-3	7-2	0-0	86	0-0	0-0	0-0	15-3
205	204	Northeastern	CAA	11-10	4-6	2-1	236	0-1	0-2	2-3	9-4

 

[drboobay]

I think that can all be true and drboobay's point can be true, too. Here's the neighborhood he's talking about. These are legitimately bad teams. Just not as bad as where we are now.

195	194	Columbia	Ivy League	9-6	3-4	0-0	136	1-0	0-2	0-2	8-2
196	193	Massachusetts	Atlantic 10	8-11	2-3	0-4	234	0-2	1-3	2-2	5-4
197	205	Southern Ill.	MVC	8-12	4-5	0-3	250	0-1	1-5	3-4	4-2
198	195	Seton Hall	Big East	6-15	0-6	2-2	263	1-6	0-3	2-4	3-2
199	197	Sam Houston	CUSA	5-13	2-9	1-1	258	0-3	0-3	1-7	4-0
200	201	Nicholls	Southland	9-9	6-6	0-0	171	0-4	0-0	2-3	7-2
201	199	Robert Morris	Horizon	14-7	5-5	0-0	153	0-1	2-1	2-2	10-3
202	200	Idaho St.	Big Sky	5-10	2-8	0-0	227	0-3	0-0	1-3	4-4
203	202	Omaha	Summit League	11-9	6-6	1-1	186	0-1	1-4	2-0	8-4
204	203	Marist	MAAC	15-3	7-2	0-0	86	0-0	0-0	0-0	15-3
205	204	Northeastern	CAA	11-10	4-6	2-1	236	0-1	0-2	2-3	9-4

Yes. That's it. 200 is nothing to brag about.