An Explantion For WSU's Beating Expectations

[Wufan]

I don't even know what to say about pot and kettle above…

[iSASO]

What other team in recent memory has lost 3 starters and has several others limping along, yet is still comfortably a Top 35 team in the nation and sitting in 1st place in the conference(though only one game in)?

And to further debunk the recruiting myth, Marshall did recruit Graham Hatch and Garrett Stutz - both smart guys and had good BBIQ from Day 1. And who among you would tell Ehimen Orupke to his face that he was just a very athletic, but dumb jock who survived on talent alone? Stop with the ignorant stereotyping.

[glm38]

I don't even know what to say about pot and kettle above…

Oh come on wufan. Some of us have seen the posts on shockernet where cold and others have urged more shox fans to post here more often so that this board can be "educated". There have even been posts where you and other moderate/reasonable shox posters are called out for being too reasonable. Other fanbases may have one or 2 of that type but not anywhere close to the number from WSU.

The sad thing is it's unnecessary. Most Valley fans recognize that WSU has one of the 2 best basketball programs in our conference. Trash talking is one thing but the type of constant berating and belittling that is done by a number of Shox fans is ridiculous.

[Snaggletooth]

The thing I find myself wondering about , is why we didn't see all this posturing from the fan bases of SIU, ISUr, UNI or even until recently Creighton when those teams had their run at the top of the league in the 90's and early 2000's.

I have two words for you: BS

SIU fans were insufferable.

NIU fans are still insurfferable - they will live in the past till the day they move to Div 2

CU fans have forgotten they were once in the abyss

[Ricardo del Rio]

I don't even know what to say about pot and kettle above…

Oh come on wufan. Some of us have seen the posts on shockernet where cold and others have urged more shox fans to post here more often so that this board can be "educated". There have even been posts where you and other moderate/reasonable shox posters are called out for being too reasonable. Other fanbases may have one or 2 of that type but not anywhere close to the number from WSU.

The sad thing is it's unnecessary. Most Valley fans recognize that WSU has one of the 2 best basketball programs in our conference. Trash talking is one thing but the type of constant berating and belittling that is done by a number of Shox fans is ridiculous.

Sanctimonious.

Curry favor so you will be liked.

Please like me. Please like me.

[shoxrox]

For some reason that I have been unable to explain, WSU fans on this board are the most insecure of all of the fanbases. Earlier this year, they were here boasting about beating Western Carolina. Western Carolina! My comment then was, "If you are a top program, shouldn't you expect to beat Western Carolina? Why the need to brag about it so much? It was Western Carolina, not North Carolina."

I've tried for years to understand this phenomenon, but have yet to come up with an explanation. Perhaps being a commuter school in shadow of two other schools that get more recognition for basketball is the reason? Maybe it has to do with the absolute depths the program suffered for an entire decade? Maybe the voluminous history of NCAA sanctions has left them a bit paranoid? I don't know, but feel it would make for a nice psychological study.

The most insecure? Well, tell me how you'd react if you had opposing fans slam your team after you got beat to a pulp by 25 points by some dumb JUCO's? Would you bat an eye and pretend like nothing was said?

Yes, there are a few fans that go over the top. I don't agree with them and their tactics, but every fanbase has them. It doesn't make the entire fanbase a case for a "psychological study" or whatever that means. If we step off the message board platform and talk reality, I don't think there's a fanbase anyone can't stand more than Creighton fans, especially Creighton fans in St. Louis. Go ahead and ask around about that one. It's more than just WSU fans who think that.

But anyways, we're digressing a tad. Maybe the victors goes the spoils? Maybe WSU has more fans and thus the chances of seeing more unfriendly ones increase more?

As it stands now, we have yet to have a former player come on to the board and display his grammatical skills after graduating from such a higher-level institution and try to formulate an analysis that would make even CaseyGarrison4President look good. I guess we have that going for us.

[C0|db|00ded]

Perhaps I can offer our Valley brethren some perspective on the issue.

Mike Kennedy was mentioning before the game not too long ago that WSU was a top 2 or 3 Valley program back when the MVC was considered the top basketball league in the nation. Kennedy made the comparison that the MVC used to be the ACC of today. At the time when we were a top 2 or 3 program in the ACC of yesterday, half (or more) of the current Valley membership weren't even playing Division 1 basketball.

No doubt a few short-timers on here think of Club BJ as a big-time basketball program. Shocker fans remember BJ playing ball in a dump for most of their existence in front of a few thousands fans. When the 11,000 seat Henry Levitt Arena (now Koch Arena) was built in 1955, it was one of the most futuristic, state-of-the-art arenas in the United States. Back in the 50's, the Shockers were cramming similar numbers of people into Henry Levitt Arena that you would find in the entire state of Nebraska (not counting cattle).

Hopefully this clears up a few questions about The Shocker Nation.


T


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[glm38]

Ricardo you are beyond ridiculous. I could care less what people on this board think of me. Your posts are some of the worst on here. Always trying to come across as witty and clever but always falling far far short of that.

[Wufan]

I don't even know what to say about pot and kettle above…

Oh come on wufan. Some of us have seen the posts on shockernet where cold and others have urged more shox fans to post here more often so that this board can be "educated". There have even been posts where you and other moderate/reasonable shox posters are called out for being too reasonable. Other fanbases may have one or 2 of that type but not anywhere close to the number from WSU.

The sad thing is it's unnecessary. Most Valley fans recognize that WSU has one of the 2 best basketball programs in our conference. Trash talking is one thing but the type of constant berating and belittling that is done by a number of Shox fans is ridiculous.

I posted this earlier and I will stand by it:

"There are far more WSU fans than fans from the other schools. It makes it appear to be more over the top than it actually is."

SIU and Ind St were out of control, so the first post was pure BS. Spouting nonsense about WSU is the norm around here. After a Shocker fan responds he/she is called out for being a zealot. There are two choices; agree that WSU sucks and that Greggggg a-hole Marshall only recruits idiot transfers that were turned down by every respectable public school, or retort with fact. Responding to utter nonsense with slams is justified IMO and I won't apologize for it or for anyone else that feels the need.

OTOH, wushock reaper posts crazy and I won't defend him.

[BEARZ77]

First off my post never referenced Indiana St. but did Illinois State. Secondly as far as the history lessons, being from St Louis and beyond 50 years old, I've followed the Valley long before Missouri State came into it. Funny that we don't see the same behavior from Drake and Bradley fans despite their rich heritage in the Valley as well, so those rationalizations ring a little hollow. And funny UNI can't refer to a history of excellence that is only 3 years ago, but we constantly have to hear about the history of WSU in the 70's and 80's.

My experience has always been if you are truly good, you rarely have to spout it because others are more than willing to do it for you. I have no problem giving credit to WSU for their current success , they've earned it; but not anymore than any other MVC program did over the years.

Cold likes to constantly reference the D-2 heritage of some of the other Valley schools , but what tends to come out of that is how embarrassed WSU is to not have been one of the MVC schools that were courted to the opportunities Louisville,Memphis, Cinn. and other schools were, and then to have the schools that they had to now share the league with, almost all out perform them in the first decade of the current league structure. Had to be a bitter pill .