Hilton Magic

bferin · 02-01-2007, 08:10 AM

5 losses in a row....it sucks......shooting 30% from the field.....also sucks.....6-0 start, now 11-10.....2-0 to 2-5.......again, not fun.....

But look at this positively.......

We played Kansas when they were #6, and almost/should have won. Hilton was explosive. We played Nebraska, Hilton was eccsatic. Even at the Kansas St game, Hilton was lively. Every non-conference game in the early goings, Hilton was jumping.

I know that's only reminents of previous Hilton Magic, but could you have expected more? I'm giving all the credit to McD and his squad. People can say all they want about our players and even coaches (I don't know too many people that are bashing our coaching), but think about it logically. Even last year with Blalock and Stinson, Hilton Magic wasn't there like it used to be. McD came into a difficult situation: coaching a team without a "defined" leader. We only have four scholarship players from last year. Only 2 of our starters played last year. But McD has brought it together. I will admit, the last two games have been rough, but we are growing. Our coaching staff is coming together with our players. Our players are growing as a team. We are better than a 30% shooting team. We are so much better than 20+ turnovers per game. We are just a young team with a young coach developing into a great team.

I know I was rambling, but basically my point is this..... I love ISU. Whenever I walk into Hilton, I seriously get chills. We have so much to look forward to. We get to see this team for another 10 games this year, and then we get to see a pretty damn good recruiting class next year growing into McD system. I just hope that this little bump in the road doesn't cause some fans to be less supportive. We need to be behind this team and the coaches: make sure they know that even through these stretches, ISU fans are the best in the country. We have to get that Hilton Magic back. We need to know that opposing teams fear coming into Hilton because we don't lose at Hilton. I think that starts with confidence and we need to do everything we can to support this team, because it's our team......

travman23 · 02-01-2007, 08:21 AM

Our guys need our support Saturday to help get them back on track. Pack Hilton and let's hear some NOISE! This team really needs a good home crowd and a win to get a boost of confidence.

AirWalke · 02-01-2007, 08:40 AM

I'll be there for sure. We need this win against Baylor, and I'm willing to lose my voice for a day or two so that we can get that win!

EggMcClone · 02-01-2007, 09:00 AM

I'm leaving for Ames tomorrow afternoon. The only thing that sucks is I have to wait until Saturday night to get back into Hilton.

Oh, and it also sucks that the high on Saturday is going to be 1 freaking degree. It's not exactly toasty here in Kansas right now but I'm afraid I've lost my "winter edge" when it comes to Iowa.

aeroclone · 02-01-2007, 10:20 AM

I can't agree with this enough. We need Hilton rocking for this game on the same level it was for Kansas. This is a huge game for this team. We are young and inexperienced, and there is no telling how big a win would be for the confidence of this group. A loss here would be a huge blow to this season.

Cyclone fans can't take this for granted. We have all seen what the, "oh, it's only Baylor, tally up the W" attitude can get us. This team has enough challenges to overcome already, a six game losing streak and a Baylor loss doesn't need to be thrown on top of it all. Come early, be loud, bring your friends, go Cyclones!

cyfan964 · 02-01-2007, 10:26 AM

Absolutely 100% correct. McDermott has been sending out notes of thanks to the students through ISU WebMail. I sure can't remember Morgan or Eustachy ever doing anything like that. McDermott knows that we help immensely, he knows our team isn't great, but he still wants our fans to cheer for them and help them. And by God, i'll be one of those fans.

htownclone · 02-01-2007, 01:47 PM

I was at the game last night and was really not impressed by the "12th man" The stadium was VERY empty and although it was an extremely ugly game for us, the crowd really wasn't a factor. I really don't think the "12th man" has anything on Hilton Magic (yes, they consider their bball crowds the 12th man too...doesnt make much sense to me either). It wasn't at all a tough place to play. It was just that we were awful last night. I'm a die hard cyclone fan and have been since the 3rd grade, but that was embarassing getting beaten that bad last night. It was just a sad display last night...hopefully we can pull something together soon.

...I made the trip from Houston with 3 other alumni and we scanned the crowd for Clones, but to our surprise, we could see only 1 cyclone family in attendance. I know it's a heck of a long way away, but when we are at home, there is always more visiting team fans than what there were for us last night. I guess we were just surprised to not see more Cyclones fans there.

All in all, just not a great road trip and experience. Hopefully we'll pick it up soon!

Wesley · 02-01-2007, 02:08 PM

The next two games will be very important to this team. Let's support them. They obviously need more help like a dribbling person, but our new recruits do not come till next year.

cycloneworld · 02-01-2007, 02:21 PM

I'll be there cheering them on. Although that walk from the parking lot into Hilton is going to be brutal.

cstrunk · 02-01-2007, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by htownclone

I was at the game last night and was really not impressed by the "12th man" The stadium was VERY empty and although it was an extremely ugly game for us, the crowd really wasn't a factor. I really don't think the "12th man" has anything on Hilton Magic (yes, they consider their bball crowds the 12th man too...doesnt make much sense to me either). It wasn't at all a tough place to play. It was just that we were awful last night. I'm a die hard cyclone fan and have been since the 3rd grade, but that was embarassing getting beaten that bad last night. It was just a sad display last night...hopefully we can pull something together soon.

My guess is they were never loud because it was never a game. Same thing happens at home when we are up by more than 10. If we would have battled back last night then I'm sure you would have gotten a better picture of their crowd. Just my opinion.

cyclonenum1 · 02-01-2007, 03:44 PM

bferin - You've got it my man...Hilton Magic is the Cyclone fans picking up the team and motivating them to perform over and above their capabilities (not sitting around and waiting for the team to do something worthy of cheering for). I hope you are one of about 14,000 with this attitude come Saturday in Ames!

bferin · 02-01-2007, 06:17 PM

For sure! GO CLONES!!!!!!!!!

spierceisu · 02-01-2007, 07:01 PM

I was at the Kansas State game and the crowd was trying very hard to get into the game. If ISU would have made any kind of a run at all, the place would have been real loud. I just hope the horendous shooting doesn't continue. I know that we don't have a great shooting team, but no team shoots this poorly for so long. I just hope the players keep playing hard and maybe somebody can make a shot. That may be all it will take.