UDPride Discussion Forums    
     

Go Back   UDPride Discussion Forums > LATEST ARTICLES > UDPride Articles

UDPride Articles Published content from your UDPride staff

» Log in
User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
» Advertisement
Comment
 
Article Tools Display Modes
Too Boring or Too Good?
Too Boring or Too Good?
Published by John C.
10-23-2009
Too Boring or Too Good?

CHANDLER (AZ) -- Having been a fan of UD basketball for nearly 50 years, I have had my ups and downs. More often than not, I have been disappointed. Part of that is the job of being a fan. I live and die with how the team does and I tend to believe better is on the horizon, no matter how good or bad they were the year before.

Armed with that knowledge, I have been very careful not to fall in love with this year’s team. Having been to the precipice, a loss in the national championship game, all the way to the abyss of a three win season, I have always watched with glasses having just a little red and blue tint.

With that in mind, I did everything to convince myself that I was going to be disappointed again this year. In fact, I was going to make my preseason introductory article one that would rain on the typical Flyer fan’s parade. It was my belief that last year was lucky. Certainly there was a level of skill, but this was a team that likely was one loss away from the NIT and not the NCAA. This was a team that was 11-1 in games decided by five points or less. That was never going to happen again, certainly not two years in a row.

Then I made the mistake of actually looking at what happened last year and who was returning. That is when I started to fall in love with this team. Don’t take me wrong, this is a team that could self destruct with just one or two injuries. I just don’t think it will happen.

On the surface, this is not a team that a non-fan is going to like to watch. Yes, they have the ability to slam dunk in the blink of an eye, but that isn’t going to make them any less boring. This is a team that will put opposing fans to sleep, yet at the same time cause nightmares for the opposing team. This is a team that probably won’t be able to shoot its way out of a paper bag but find itself in the top 25 all year long.

The reason that I have done an about face is not because of Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson or London Warren. It is because of Chris Johnson, Paul Williams, Josh Benson and Matt Kavanaugh. This is a team that will be so deep that good players will be getting five minutes per game. All of a sudden, I feel like I am rooting for Duke or North Carolina. McDonalds All-Americans may not be on the bench, but certainly players that would be starting for the majority of teams in the A-10.

I try to talk to Gary McCans before every season to get a good idea of what to expect. Gary is not a coach, has never been a coach and will never be a coach. However, he has watch enough basketball over the last 30+ years to be able to write a book. As Premium Seating Director, Gary gets to have a birds eye view of practices when he is not dealing with the over 200,000 paid customers that put their fannies in seats at the Arena every year.

Each year, he gives me insights that I find invaluable. Last year, he filled me in on Chris Johnson way before most people barely knew that he was on the roster. Gary felt that he was the one guy to really watch last year. Now one year later, Johnson is one of the projected starters. This year, that real difference maker is Josh Benson in Gary’s eyes. With his past history, I’m taking it to the bank.

Now healthy, Benson is going to give the Flyers something they have been sorely missing. Benson is a big guy that can move out to 15 feet and be dangerous. With the inside toughness that Kavanaugh will bring, the Flyer opponents will have an interesting dilemma on how to defend. With both of them in the line-up with Wright, match-ups will be difficult.

The Paul Williams that we saw last year was but a shell of what he is capable of. Injured to start the pre-season practices, he never caught up. It wasn’t until the end of the season that we started to get a glimpse of what he might be able to do. One game it would be offense and the next defense and the next rebounding. This year we are likely to see them all together. When Marcus Johnson comes out of the game, there will be little or no drop off. I suspect that Williams will give Johnson everything he can handle in practice.

If there is one position that will bring some concerns it will be that of point guard. With Rob Lowery at less than 100% until nearly halfway through the season, an injury to London Warren could spell disaster. However, Warren has shown himself to be an extremely tough competitor, one that would take a Howitzer to the chest and talk the coach into letting him back in the game. Mickey Perry showed a good deal of moxie when it counted last year, which leaves me far less concerned than I was after Lowery went down last year.

By the end of the season, this team will be firing on all cylinders even if it stumbles a bit coming out of the gate. Flyer fans everywhere will enjoy Selection Sunday worrying not about if the Flyers will be selected, but how close they will be playing to Dayton. This is a team that can make a run in the tournament and a Sweet Sixteen will not be a surprise.
Article Tools
Comment

Article Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.1

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement System V2.6 By   Branden

Article powered by GARS 2.1.8m ©2005-2006

     
 
Copyright 1996-2012 UDPride.com. All Rights Reserved.