McDermott named 3rd team All American by The Sporting News

[SubGod22]

Lamont Austin was considered the prize and heavily recruited by WSU as well. The theory was that Austin and Weems wanted to play together and WSU just wasn't sold on Weems.

[TNMSUFAN]

If I remember correctly, wasn't it Weems' high school teammate that was considered the big catch for MSU?

That was the case and I will never understand why. I remember watching them the summer they came in and I just wasn't impressed with Austin. He was small and not overly quick while Kyle had some size with a good stroke and quick release...plus a good athlete. The redshirt year really helped Kyle plus the previous staff was very good at developing guys but you could see his upside from day 1...not so much with Austin IMO.

[Jet915]

I have high hopes for McDermott this year. If anyone has seen him recently, he has put on some significant weight and is around 240 lbs now as opposed to 215 last year. He played really well against good competition with team USA and destroyed the caribbean competition (albeit, they weren't much competition). His biggest liability last year was his D, with his added weight, he won't be pushed around down low as easily.

[glm38]

Back to the real focus of this thread, It is good press for the Valley to have a young star grace the All American lists. Congrats to Doug, he's done nothing to earn any discount of his play or abilities. And yes it was an MSU fan who first threw a hissy in this thread which was not needed. Weems gets his share of both accolades and disrespect; it comes with being talented and also being around 5 years.It's great for Doug and Rayvonte and other Valley young guns to get theirs as well. The more the better; if someone thinks a frosh was better than the Valley POY, then that just means the Valley must have some great young talent.

I guess that means me? If you'll go back and look my original post in this thread I don't think that's a "hissy fit" at all. I just noted it didn't make sense to me that McDermott was honored and Weems was not.

Regardless I do apologize for sidetracking the thread. It's a great honor for McDermott, CU, and the MVC.

One last thing and then I'm finished with this thread. I don't think WSU has any explaining to do for not recruiting Weems out of HS either. He had a solid HS career but to the best of my recollection he certainly wasn't one of those "can't miss prospects". Even for the mid major level. Luckily for the Bears he's just gotten better every year. Through hard work on his part and the coaching staff I'm sure.

[Aargh]

I think a discussion comparing Weems and McDermott is legitimate. The Valley's returning POY is not named to a pre-season AA list and another returning player is. That'sdefinitely an area ripe for discussion.

I think McDermott's inclusion on the USA U19 team gave him some exposure that he needed to get this type of recognition. I'm not saying in any way that McDermott doesn't deserve the recognition based on what he did last year, but without the added exposure he got over the summer, he may not haver had the name recognition to be in AA discussions.

[WSUbballer]

[quote="BEARZ77"]I don't think it was that close once you get beyond rebounding and ppg; Weems is a plus defender , while McDermott a liability as a frosh. Weems was top 10 in almost every statistical measure, McDermott not so. As far as defensiveness, I believe it's a few of the WSU fan base that needs to get beyond Weems rejection of WSU and give him his due. We all know what a bitter pill it was watching an instate kid who rejected the State school lead a rival to a title in a year WSU was expected to win. I'm sure MSU fans will feel similar if say Avery Dingman comes in with Creighton in 2 years and leads them to a win in Springfield and an MVC title. Get over it, or perhaps get used to it.

Baller I'm afarid the insecurity complex lies squarely with you, regardles of who is winning in the MVC, Creighton, UNI, MSU, you always find reasons to dismiss their teams and players. Win and you will be able to enjoy life w/o such pettiness.[/quote]

Other fans in this thread pointed out disagreement with glm's assertion that Weems is a better player than McDermott. Why you are making this a "WSU" issue is beyond me..

Believe me, most WSU fans have no bitterness in regards to Weems. Firstly, as it's been pointed out, we never offered Weems so there was no angst to begin with. Secondly, Weem's attitude and sportsmanship has been rather sour. He could just easily be a cancer on a team, even with the talent.

When have I dismissed Creighton and UNI players? I have opinions, but if you think I'm "dismissing" a player every time I don't agree with you or any one of those players' fanbases on something, you are more shallow in observations than I thought. In fact, I am siding with a Creighton player on this very issue, so again, I don't see the angle you are coming from.

As for winning, we've done that 54 times in the last 2 years. I think the pettiness runs both ways.

[WSUbballer]

[quote="glm38"]Is there any basis for your assertion that McDermott is "way" ahead of Weems? You just state that but don't give anything to back that up. Again Weems had the better stats (top 10 in MVC in 6 statistical categories). Weems outplayed him head to head (including a key steal that won a game). McDermott may eventually have a better 4 year career but last year although Mc had a great year - Weems was the better player period. And this was borne out by his POY award.

I think it's WSU posters that are sensitive. Bringing out the "conference USA" thing every chance they get. I guess its a small way to get back for our 2 wins last year.[/quote]

As a freshman, McD appears leaps and bounds ahead of Weems. This is just in visual play and the numerous awards and national teams McD has already picked up as freshman. I don't recall Weems ever hitting those as a freshman.

You're asserting WSU posters are sensitive when it is you that seems to be in constant conflict over multiple threads with every WSU fan who doesn't agree with the MSU side of things. Are you sure you aren't the insensitive one? As for the C-USA reference, that has been dropped by every single fanbase, on multiple fronts. Why don't you complain when other fanbases do it? Fact of the matter is, it will be a long while before that week will be forgotten and how MSU fans flooded this board with matter-of-fact declarations about MSU moving to another conference. Again, you weren't here then so you have no clue what it was like.

[glm38]

As a freshman, McD appears leaps and bounds ahead of Weems. This is just in visual play and the numerous awards and national teams McD has already picked up as freshman. I don't recall Weems ever hitting those as a freshman.

You're asserting WSU posters are sensitive when it is you that seems to be in constant conflict over multiple threads with every WSU fan who doesn't agree with the MSU side of things. Are you sure you aren't the insensitive one? As for the C-USA reference, that has been dropped by every single fanbase, on multiple fronts. Why don't you complain when other fanbases do it? Fact of the matter is, it will be a long while before that week will be forgotten and how MSU fans flooded this board with matter-of-fact declarations about MSU moving to another conference. Again, you weren't here then so you have no clue what it was like.

I promised I was done with this thread but I just can't not respond to this. Do you even read what has been written before you respond WSUballer? Did I at any point say Weems freshman year was better than McDermott's freshman year last year? I was comparing LAST year. Do selection committee's like the sporting news look back at an entire players career? I'm just not sure? I assumed it was just the immediate year past but maybe not. But I don't deny Mc's freshman year was better than Kyle's. But last year was a different story.

You are right in that I need to just let the c-usa references go. It's an old tired joke (probably funny at one time) that's not worth responding to anymore. I wasn't intentionally calling out just wsu posters even though it may seem that way.

[Aargh]

Wow, glm, just WOW! You just made the most anti-Weems post in the entire thread.

If it was only last year that the Sporting News considered - and nothing else....

...And they put McDermott on their AA list and not Weems. They probably had access to the fact that Weems is a returning POY in the Valley, but they still picked McDermott.

Most of the non-MSU fans out here were giving Weems some leeway by saying McDermott as a Fr was better than Weems as a Fr and that our opinions were based at least partly on the class difference between the players.

You just made the argument that only last year was considered. Pre-season AA lists are predictions, so an unbiased source thinks McDermott will have a better year in 2011-12 than the Valley's returning POY. And they based it only on last year with no consideration of the difference in experience, age, and class that non-MSU fans were stating as a reason for their attitudes.

One of the first rules of gun safety is to not shoot yourself in the foot.

[DoubleJayAlum]

People put way too much stock into the Valley's POY award. The award is a joke in that it isn't even annually given to the best player in the conference (although last year Weems may well have been the best player in the conference); it is given to the best player on the conference champion. To generically say that the league's returning POY should be given more respect simply because he is the returning POY is silly considering how the league has watered down the award in the first place.

In fact, I am siding with a Creighton player on this very issue, so again, I don't see the angle you are coming from.

You feeling all right, Baller?