A little perspective

I went and looked at some threads that opened up around this time last year. Overall, the 6-0 start last year had many, many posters optimistic. Some where even talking NCAA tournament.

Point being: Don't get ahead of yourselves. Much work needs to be done if this team is going to compete with the big boys. Some of you are setting yourself up for a meltdown........again.


We pounded a couple of teams early on last year. People got their hopes up and elevated the team to some pedestal that didn't exist. So keep this in mind when this team struggles against some of the monsters.


I have no doubt that Fred is going to make this all right again. I see a future where I'm traveling to NCAA tournament games again. I'm having fun instead of worrying about what kind of creative way ISU will lose. I'm glad McDermott isn't here anymore. I wish the students would go to some games. I still hate KU. Dinosaurs rock.

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Originally Posted by CycloneYoda

Point being: Don't get ahead of yourselves. Much work needs to be done if this team is going to compete with the big boys. .

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At half-time of our game, they cut away to show highlights of the Ohio State- Florida game............man, we looked like a mid-Valley team compared to those guys.

We wont win a lot of Big 12 games but we won't have nailbiters against these non-con teams like I feared.

last year ISU had McD leading the team. That is the difference between last year and this. Look at the difference in DG, his jump shot actually looks like a jump shot instead of a giant wind up.

Although I think ISU is a year away from making a splash......this team is a lot more fun than watching everything go to Craig Brackins and watch him brick another 20 footer. Not to put down CB.....it is more of McD not being a good coach and telling him to get his *** in the lane and scoring points inside.

Also look how much Vanderbeken opens things up for the offense, i thought his injury last year was huge because it opened up the lane for CB and that was big reason for ISU's struggles last year.

Expectations are zero, but I am having fun watching this team.

.500 and fun. That's what I'm shooting for.

Well, OK, a couple over .500, but not exactly 25 wins. 18 would make me giddy.

Stuff that makes this year fun to me:
1) Hoiberg
2) Style
3) Chemistry
4) So many Big 12 teams that I think are down:
a) Nebraska
b) Oklahoma
c) Texas Tech
d) Colorado (until they actually prove it wrong, they're always down)

We're not winning the conference, but we're going to make it a fun ride, and let's face it, say we finish 8th. That's an immediate improvement over expectations and our last few years.

I contend that last year we were a pretty good team until people got sick and people left the team and/or town.

Last year we were expected to go to the NCAA. This year 15 wins would be something really, really great.

It's a matter of perspective and I would hope that we are all mature enough to enjoy the hell out of last night without deciding that we are an NCAA team. I see no predictions of that from anyone, so I'm not sure why I am weeding through all of these warning posts today.

Bottom line, last night was fun, fun, fun to watch. It gave me hope that we might be watching fun basketball in the future. It gave me hope that the non-conference schedule might go better than I thought.

And it made me really happy for the holdovers because they are having a **** ton of fun out there, which they deserve after a disappointing few years.

Cripes how can you not get excited when we blow out the first 3 teams we only have 2 or 3 guys left from last years team?

Yeah we have some painful losses in front of us and probably won't make the dance, but we aren't supposed to win any games this year according to the "experts".

I'm going to hearken this team back to some of Johnny's early squads. The similarities are amazing--especially if you remember skinny 6'4" Ron Virgil playing the "4" spot for Johnny!

Johnny's early teams were simply guard heavy. He didn't have a lot of luck with quality big guys inside those first few years--John Culbertson and Brad Dudek just didn't pan out. Sam Hill and David Moss, much as I loved 'em, simply were not front line Big 12 players.

And that's where the similarities come in. Switch Ejim for Virgil, Moss or Hill for Fred's collection of big men, and Barry Stevens played by a cast of several, and you have a group that isn't necessarily terribly good, let alone great--but they will light up Hilton.

And that, my dear fellow Fanatics, is where Hilton Magic was born. Not in the winning--but in the sheer fun!

People have been saying it different ways, but to me it looks like we have a team on the court that enjoys playing for ISU and their teammates, and wants to prove something. .

While who knows how it will end up (or of they are better or not than everyone thought).

However, I do think it will make any 4-5 point losses feel a littel better because of the hustle and teamwork, as opposed last year, where after a few games we really only had some very talented individuals playing ball together, not a team. In losing it will be a case of not quite making it, vs letting it slip away (just my personal opinion).

I remember several posts in December/early Jan, from several posters feeling something was not quite there with that team, but not able to put identify it. Of course we then saw as the season unfolded and the wheels came off the bus, that the lug nuts were already loose back in Nov/Dec. IMHO talent won those early games last year, not team.

I have no expectations except I think they will play each game to try to win.

Looking at the schedule this team dosent leave the state till dec. 30 when it takes on Virgina... Then only has one game away from home till Jan. 19th.. And that is a road game in lincoln, were if things are going well for ISU by then there is no reason we couldnt back the BDC in Lincoln.... Bottom Line is it is easy to get behind this team with the way they play.. But they COULD finish with the same or worse record then last year. BUT I highly doubt that...

On another note could you Imagine watching this team running McDermotts O.. What a waste.. and i think last years team was more athletic then this years.. Imagine how much fun that team could have been running Freddys O...

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Originally Posted by cyhawkdmb

Looking at the schedule this team dosent leave the state till dec. 30 when it takes on Virgina... Then only has one game away from home till Jan. 19th.. And that is a road game in lincoln, were if things are going well for ISU by then there is no reason we couldnt back the BDC in Lincoln.... Bottom Line is it is easy to get behind this team with the way they play.. But they COULD finish with the same or worse record then last year. BUT I highly doubt that...

On another note could you Imagine watching this team running McDermotts O.. What a waste.. and i think last years team was more athletic then this years.. Imagine how much fun that team could have been running Freddys O...

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Early last year, that crummy O put up 91 on MSV and followed with 80+ their next game. Might have something to do with the opponents as well. I could be wrong, but I'm not.

What you have is a team taking on the demeanor of their coach....very professional. As for perspective......their is only one thing that has carried over from the last regime. And that is the name on the front of the jersey. Just because last year tanked means absolutely nothing this year.

I dont need to overthink and overanalyze it, this win was fun and I am expecting more down the line.

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Originally Posted by bos

I dont need to overthink and overanalyze it, this win was fun and I am expecting more down the line.

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You are a member of CF. If you don't overthink and overanalyze, then you bring nothing to the table. :jimlad:

Here's the big difference between this season and last, last year was McDermott's big shot at finally doing something. He had been there three years with minimal improvement, we knew Brackins wasn't coming back again, Gilstrap was also a senior, it was now or never.

With Hoiberg, this season is basically a free pass for him. The fans have low expectations, they realize he didn't have much to work with when he got here. If the team overachieves, great, if not oh well. Next year, he will have much higher expectations, but right now fans have to be excited from what they've seen of his team so far.