TheTastyGreek

If you're growing your program, every class should build on the results of the previous one. 1) JJ came in and immediately took Trilli's team from 4-6 wins per year to .500 basketball, starting in year one. 2) JJ gets his recruits and gets competitive in league, finally winning a Sun Belt tournament and getting a 20 win season and an NCAA bid in year 6 with a team of all his own guys that have only played at NT in his system. 3) The class that comes in off that NCAA bid and first 20 win season keeps the streak going for 4 more years, earning another NCAA bid, and only ever loses in the SBC tournament (this year's results pending) to a team that goes on to win one or more NCAA tournament games Phase 4 is the next round of recruits. Jordan, Chris, Tony... This is the group of guys, if we're evaluating and recruiting well, who should have the talent and ability to take us up another level. Building a program isn't an overnight process. As much as I'd love to see us win a game in the NCAAs, I'd rather see us build a foundation and a reputation like WKU that makes us a perennially respected and competitive program. If I had to choose between winning a fluke game (like crappy teams can sometimes do with one superstar or a very fortunate game/draw) or slowly and methodically building this thing up the way that we seem to be doing... I'm more than satisfied with the track we're on. Cooley had a great post about it a few weeks back when we were buried in the losing streak. We're taking the entire program up in stages, in a way that is sustainable and isn't just a fluke or freakish blip. I'm very eager to see us get those postseason wins that casual fans will notice and get excited over. But I don't think a program outside the BCS leagues can consider a season to be a success or failure based on just those NCAA games, because of the nature of a tournament. But I do think the guys coming in are going to be good enough to give us the chance to see those types of wins.

Most of the other teams with longer streaks than us also had periods of success that predated their current runs. So they weren't putting a foundation in place, they were building off a platform of established success. We had a big back and forth about winning NCAA games last year, and even the Gonzagas and Butlers and Xaviers of the non-BCS world didn't jump right into winning at that level. I don't believe in judging a season's success or failure based on tournament results... But for anyone who does, a streak like this is what legitimizes a program to bring in the type of talent that makes those postseason wins happen. Hopefully, that's what the current streak has done with our incoming class.

So, are you saying you don't think we're a sure thing to win tomorrow?

Three games that should be awesome. One steaming poopheap. Could be worse... We could have gotten a Denver/MTSU rematch.

The only non-BCS schools with a longer 20 win season streak than us are Gonzaga, Memphis, Butler, Xavier, BYU, San Diego State, Nevada, Akron, and Utah State. Nevada is currently sitting on 12 wins and would have to make the Final Four to get to 20 this season. I think it's safe to assume their streak is ending. Akron has 19 and needs a win in the MAC tourney, they should be fine. Everyone else is safely up to 20. Worst case, there will be only 8 teams with streaks longer than our 5 consecutive 20 wins seasons. Best case, 7. In either event, sustained success at that plateau is critical to turning a program into a mid-major dynasty. Half a decade, we've been very good. Very few teams have been as consistently solid as us. The longer it lasts, the more it becomes our reputation and the success builds on itself.

When we stop segregating history, we have more time to bang our sexy sexy step-granddaughters. When a friend or loved one needs a pick-me-up, I recite the lyrics to Ludacris' "What's Your Fantasy" while doing my Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption impression. Always a winner.

Back as recently as the late 90's, the Thrillerdome was almost all bench seating, many obstructed view seats. And that's an ACC facility. Also, children are too fat these days. There are too many states, please eliminate 3.

Still got a lot of catching up to do... But as far as the part in bold goes, so does Texas Southern.

He did consult with JJ, so maybe your beef is with him. Also, Ben Bell was a 2 year JUCO. Vito did say it was tough to balance contributions of guys who were here for varying lengths of time.

I like the basketball pep band. I'll have to give them each an encouraging hug in Hot Springs if people don't stop saying such hurtful things.

I was just piling on to tease Flyer a little bit. Hopefully he realizes he's not going to be on the Dallas City Council. I am bringing geography flash cards to Hot Springs, though. If he really is struggling with his fundamentals, I will tutor him up so that he can dazzle the rest of the DENTON council with his geography knowledge.

This is what happens when you cut Texas public education funding.

You could probably get a lot of people (including myself) to up their donation if Josh White hammers on UNT90 for not being a pure "1" every time he touches the ball.

My only real expectation for next year is to develop chemistry. My two hopes, both of which I'll admit are important to me beyond what a "hope" should be, are to see Tony Mitchell get eligible and for the program to (hopefully) continue a 20 game winning streak. I hope everyone takes the long view and appreciates that a team loaded with freshmen will have a learning curve, no matter how talented they are. For the most part, it seems like everyone that's a regular on the basketball forum is of that mindset.

We started the school year with 12 guys on scholarship: Josh White Tristan Thompson Dominique Johnson Shannon Shorter Alzee Williams R.J. McGhee George Odufuwa Kedrick Hogans Alonzo Edwards Ben Knox Jacob Holmen Cameron Spencer In the first week of school, the coaches determined that R.J. McGhee was not an academic fit at North Texas, and he was placed at a JUCO. Before the first real game of the year, both Alzee Williams and Cameron Spencer suffered knee injuries, both of which needed surgery (if I remember right about Cam). That put us down to 9 scholarship athletes, before the season even began. Alonzo Edwards started the year with a knee injury that he has been able to play through, though his mobility and speed are limited and his overall effectiveness is less than what we had hoped. Many people speculate that he'll need surgery to get it fixed once the season ends, but I don't think anything official has been said about that. Kedrick Hogans suffered a series of injuries, starting in the first 10 games. He was fouled hard and suffered a leg injury at a home game, and his reckless physical style has added injury upon injury. None of them keep him out of games, but he frequently aggravates things on the floor (ankle, elbow, knee) during games. He's played quite well, but he hasn't been anywhere near 100% since late November/early December. Josh White suffered a foot injury that limits him or prevents him entirely from participating in practice. According to Vito, he spends a lot of time in an immobilizing boot. Josh was held out of the UALR game because of this injury. Dominique Johnson has some sort of tendon injury on the middle or index finger of his left hand. I believe it's his middle finger. Basically, his use of the hand is limited (similar to what Josh played through when he had a fracture in a previous season) and he isn't as effective in dribbling or passing with his left hand. Walk-on turned occasional rotation player Tyler Hall also suffered a season ending broken leg and hasn't been available since New Year's Day. Jacob Holmen broke his hand in a game about 2 weeks ago. So our roster of available players at the moment is: Josh White Tristan Thompson Dominique Johnson Shannon Shorter George Odufuwa Kedrick Hogans Alonzo Edwards Ben Knox Again- White, Johnson, Hogans, and Edwards are all playing through significant injuries. Tristan is also a little banged up, similar to Hogans, because of his offensive approach... But he doesn't have a specific major problem like White and Johnson. That should be the body count and the rough timeline. If I missed anything, please correct me.

I've already got the money set aside for Hot Springs. I can spend it on going to watch NT basketball, or I can donate it to the Larry Craig presidential campaign. Which is money better spent? Any suggestions?

Last year, we played a 6 man lineup through the 3 games. Nobody else logged anything resembling significant minutes outside of those 6. Last year: Post: Tramiel, Odufuwa Wing: Josh, Tristan, Shannon, Mangrum This year: Post: Odufuwa, Hogans Wing: Josh, Dom, Tristan, Shannon The 4th game would be a slog for a limited lineup... But in a weird way, the injuries (other than the lingering issues with Josh's foot, Dom's tendon, and Kedrick's entire shattered body) are less of a factor than they were through the regular season grind. My expectations are very limited. But for the eternal optimist... It's not like we haven't gone out and won this tournament with a 6 man rotation before. It just happened last year. And last year, we didn't use strategic rest timeouts the way JJ did against UALR. My expectation is a first round win. My hope is for a strong finish and basketball after the weekend ends. Anyone who wants to dream bigger, it's not out of the question.

Since your Alamo work got deleted, I think we can say that he'Speerless when it comes to historically significant fun.

This one, you're doing wrong. You've got the other very successful and superstitiously powerful bit going that I don't want to mess with... But the "firing JJ" bit is very specific. If JJ doesn't beat Troy by at least 15 points, then he ought to jump off the Hot Springs observation tower into a boiling spring. With cement blocks tied around his feet.

Does Lake Ouachita count as international waters?

This is why it sucks to suck, sir. Which you do. Suck, that is. There's always next year. Houseboat, maybe?

No dice. Better seed is the home team. We'll be wearing white, unless they change the way they've done it each of the past 4 (at least) tournaments.