Shocker Woes

The winning streak is over, quite possibly for the rest of the season if the Shockers continue to play as they did in the second half of the game against Creighton. Once again they failed to get the ball to the big men. Now that may be a result of the inconsistent play from the big men. If your big men can't produce in the paint, you begin to hesitate to pass inside. Garrett Stutz seems like he's a beat or two behind the rest of the team. Kind of like when you have a satellite feed on one tv and normal on a tv in an adjacent room and there is that few second delay as you hear the people in one react to a play or shot before you are able to witness what happened. A delay. And for the Basketball Gods sake, if your seven-feet tall...DUNK THE BALL! Don't sissy lay it up there...be aggressive.

Enough of the big guys...there's just inconsistent shooting all around. Except for A.J., he seems to produce some numbers although it contrasts against his consistently leaving his man open for wide open shots. And if you're 2-14 from 3-pt. range, enough already. Find another shot.

I know. They're young. They need more experience. I'll be patient. I guess I'm spoiled when it comes to these Creighton/WSU games in that they are always down to the wire or we're making a crazy comeback or the 3's are raining from all over the court by both teams, but usually Creighton...last night was just disappointing. The last time I was elated after a Creighton/WSU game was February 14, 2006, my 40th birthday, and we beat Creighton here at home, Ogirri and Mattie hitting those 3's to send the crowd into a frenzy. What a birthday gift that was!

So, enough of the past. This is the future and I'll be patient, kind, and optimistic going into Wednesday night against Bradley. I've enjoyed watching Hannah handle the ball and Ramon's constant hustle and passion on and off the court. Don't get me wrong, I love my Shockers. I'm just venting after a loss to our MVC nemesis.

But there is one thing I have noticed over the years...that Dana Altman somewhat resembles one of those aliens from Close Encounters of the Third Kind? No? Maybe it's just me. Or maybe it's just his out-of-this-world ability to coach a winning team season after season after season...