That huge thud that you heard about 9:25 EST on Thursday, January 18, 2001, was not the sound of a 747 crashing to earth. It wasn’t even the sound of two semi-tractor trailers colliding head-on. No, it was my somewhat overweight butt falling off the Flyer bandwagon. This is not a desertion by a “let the good times roll” Flyer fan. I was one of the Bozos that showed up for every game during the sad, sad seasons of the early 90’s. This is the same fan that has braved virtually every snowstorm that has come upon us during the last 15 years. Yes, I am the crazy one that makes the drive from Columbus no matter what the record and no matter what the weather.I have been jilted just one too many times. If you recall, I was the one that stuck his neck out and predicted that we would be 14-4 at this point and on our way to a 22-7 regular season record and an eventual Elite Eight birth. Yes, in retrospect, I was stupid. I actually believed that everybody would improve and play like they should. I also believed that certain new people would step up and make a difference. Some of them have and some of them haven’t. I also believed that the coaching staff would be free of errors in their decision-making, and that doesn’t seem to be true either.If you go up and down the team, there is only one player that can hold his head high and be proud of the way that he has played and that is the former walk-on Keith Waleskowski. Here is a kid that many thought was a huge mistake. He is our leading rebounder, free throw shooter, and skinned-knee patient. He is not afraid of anybody and refuses to act like a freshman. Who knows where we would be without him.

David Morris has turned his season around. The young man who seemed to be missing in action early on has become a superb assist man and miserly with his turnovers. The only thing that he has to cure is his inability to score. He is not Pepe Sanchez. He should be scoring close to 10 points every game. When he doesn’t, he allows the other team to sag off of him and create double-teams elsewhere.Tony Stanley leads us in scoring and pretty moves to the hoop. Yet, he has come up MIA too many times this season. Where was he in the loss to UMass? Yes, he carried us through a couple of stretches in the game, but where was he in the last two minutes? This is where he has to take over. He has to demand the ball and find a way to score. He should have won that game on his own during those fatal last minutes.

Yuanta Holland is an enigma. You know the talent is there, but you have to wonder about the desire. You see brilliant plays and you see no plays. Which one will show up in the next game? Only The Amazing Kreskin knows for sure, but Holland did make a turn for the better against LaSalle. Followed closely behind is Nate Green. The one thing that you do not have to question about Nate is his desire. He comes to play, game in and game out. He comes in a close second on the skinned-knee list behind KW. Yet, you never know if he will have the turnover tantrums or find himself on the bench two minutes in the game with his second foul.

I could write volumes about Brooks Hall. This young man has more talent than just about anybody that has ever put on a UD uniform. The problem is that he is afraid to let it escape to the surface. He is afraid to be the man. He has started to make moves to the basket but he rarely finishes. Taking two steps toward the paint is not the same as going to the hole. He has less confidence than the two walk-ons. When he starts to believe in himself, he will become the player that will be talked about for decades.

I have been a fan of Oliver Purnell ever since he stepped foot on campus. He has brought us back to the point that we can honestly expect to win against good teams. He has gotten us to the point where we cannot only hope that we will go to the NCAA tournament, but actually expect it. Despite all of this, I have begun to question some of his decisions. Now don’t get me wrong, I am no basketball genius and I could never do the job that he does, but that doesn’t exclude me from wondering about why he does some things. Against UMass we are getting killed inside time after time. Last year he would have not been afraid to use Cooper, but he will not take the opportunity to utilize Finn. I know he has looked weak at times and we do not get to see what he does in practice, but one minute of action against UMass? Did he really have an opportunity to show what he could do in 60 seconds against the Minutemen? I would also question why we did not fall into a zone and stay there. Certainly, there was nothing to lose. Substitutions, substitutions, substitutions. Against La Salle, we actually had more substitutions in the first half than we had points. Green or Holland gets yanked 150 seconds into the affair with zero fouls. Why does he start if he is going to get jerked because of one fumble? Waleskowski has been our best and most consistent player. Why must he start the game on the bench?Do I sound like a jilted lover? Maybe. Would I forgive the love of my life if they decided to act like they should and treat me with respect? Probably. I will not let this last little attempt to get me hooked again and make me falter. Yes, they played 40 minutes of defense and 20 minutes of superb offense against LaSalle, but I will not be fooled again. I have fallen for this trap before and I will not let my heart be broken by a faint-hearted effort. They will have to prove to me that they really do care. Only a 9-2 finish will make me let them back into my heart.