In 2004, I sat in an arena and watched Greg Oden dominate his opposition.
Even then he was tagged as the next big thing and I anxiously awaited the day that this 30-year old looking teenager took his game to the next level. I'm still waiting.
After that 2004-2005 season, he played one more year at Lawrence North High School, got hurt -- played a year at Ohio State, got hurt -- was the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, got hurt and missed EVERY game in his initial rookie season.
All of that history leads to the question: why did we expect more when his 2nd rookie season began?
Because just 14 minutes later (and four missed field goals), he was on the bench- hurt.
I no longer look forward to the day when Indiana boy Greg Oden fulfills his prophecy of being basketball's next big thing. Instead, I await the day that he scores a single basket.
Too bad right now the name of that day seems like it only rhymes with the word never.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
>Now I can sleep easier at night
It was 2005 the only other time I have seen something the likes of what I saw when watching back-to-back-to-back IPFW volleyball exhibition matches last Sunday. It was a completely revamped scene that sometimes saw all six active players on the court as new faces to everyone.
A big senior class last year had to breed a new, big freshman class this year, we all knew that. But that concept scared me a bit. It scared me just as much as it did in 2005 when unfamiliar names like Brock Ullrich and Josh Stewart joined the familiar’s of Matt Zybyszewski and Serdar Sikca.
I guess I can rest easy now. Because what I saw made me crack a reminiscent smile. Much like that January day in 2005, I have found myself thinking “these new kids- they are going to do alright.”
More than alright, they were pretty impressive on a 2-1 day where they hung with a pretty experienced Ball State, even in a loss.
To me, last year’s team and the personality driven spark that they put out cannot be replaced. But this team has already, in one day, gone a long way in reminding me that I also once had to adjust to those departed ex-players.
The roster has the names of twelve players who, coming into this year, have never worn the blue and white in a match. Eight of them did it for the first time Sunday in Gates and for the most part, they did it delightfully.
While familiar faces of ex-IPFW players Dan McNerney and Jason Yhost watched from the stands and another former player, Jon Bassillo, sat nearby on the sidelines as part of the Quincy coaching staff- it was the sight of Phil Peterson, Jonathan Meyer, Eric Hardek and a host of others that peaked my interest the most.
Peterson, thus far, is the most impressive I have seen a freshman be since Josh Stewart in the 2005 regular season. He led IPFW in kills against Carthage and Ball State as well as overall for the day with a powerfully fast spike. Filling in the void of CJ Macias, Ullrich and Yhost on the outside will be a difficult task, but Peterson showed that he will be a big part of that. And while his passing and defense sometimes looked weak, he also led IPFW on the block. I can see his versatility being the main ingredient in how successful this team can be from the early going.
I’m equally impressed by the power, control and emotion of sophomore Darryl Shank, who played little as a freshman. Arnie Ball is going to have his hands full in deciding the balance between these two, as well as freshmen Hardek and Ivan Matos on the outsides as all four showed a major upside over the weekend with day-totals of 28, 24, 18 and 10 kills (more than 60 percent of the team’s total).
And if it was only the outside hitters, I would still be impressed. But it was much more.
Chris Brigson showed much of that freshman inexperience early on the offensive side but also helped stuff down the opponent with big middle blocks alongside Oliver Kook and Nathaniel Berg. Freshman Dan Mader is going to give Corey Stewart and Kevin Goncalves a run for their money at the setter spot where both Mader and Stewart showed Sunday that they are very capable of handling one of the most important positions of any IPFW team. And, I cannot wait to see the battle at libero between the veterans Mike Morici and Matt Pliske, each of whom has led IPFW to a Final Four appearance. Not to mention, they have a little libero in the wings in Garrett Bitter who will be anxiously waiting, watching and learning.
This team has restored hope in my mind (not that all of it was lost). If they continue to develop over these next two months of practice, I can only imagine that they will be a special thing to watch in many ways come that January 9 home opener.
A big senior class last year had to breed a new, big freshman class this year, we all knew that. But that concept scared me a bit. It scared me just as much as it did in 2005 when unfamiliar names like Brock Ullrich and Josh Stewart joined the familiar’s of Matt Zybyszewski and Serdar Sikca.
I guess I can rest easy now. Because what I saw made me crack a reminiscent smile. Much like that January day in 2005, I have found myself thinking “these new kids- they are going to do alright.”
More than alright, they were pretty impressive on a 2-1 day where they hung with a pretty experienced Ball State, even in a loss.
To me, last year’s team and the personality driven spark that they put out cannot be replaced. But this team has already, in one day, gone a long way in reminding me that I also once had to adjust to those departed ex-players.
The roster has the names of twelve players who, coming into this year, have never worn the blue and white in a match. Eight of them did it for the first time Sunday in Gates and for the most part, they did it delightfully.
While familiar faces of ex-IPFW players Dan McNerney and Jason Yhost watched from the stands and another former player, Jon Bassillo, sat nearby on the sidelines as part of the Quincy coaching staff- it was the sight of Phil Peterson, Jonathan Meyer, Eric Hardek and a host of others that peaked my interest the most.
Peterson, thus far, is the most impressive I have seen a freshman be since Josh Stewart in the 2005 regular season. He led IPFW in kills against Carthage and Ball State as well as overall for the day with a powerfully fast spike. Filling in the void of CJ Macias, Ullrich and Yhost on the outside will be a difficult task, but Peterson showed that he will be a big part of that. And while his passing and defense sometimes looked weak, he also led IPFW on the block. I can see his versatility being the main ingredient in how successful this team can be from the early going.
I’m equally impressed by the power, control and emotion of sophomore Darryl Shank, who played little as a freshman. Arnie Ball is going to have his hands full in deciding the balance between these two, as well as freshmen Hardek and Ivan Matos on the outsides as all four showed a major upside over the weekend with day-totals of 28, 24, 18 and 10 kills (more than 60 percent of the team’s total).
And if it was only the outside hitters, I would still be impressed. But it was much more.
Chris Brigson showed much of that freshman inexperience early on the offensive side but also helped stuff down the opponent with big middle blocks alongside Oliver Kook and Nathaniel Berg. Freshman Dan Mader is going to give Corey Stewart and Kevin Goncalves a run for their money at the setter spot where both Mader and Stewart showed Sunday that they are very capable of handling one of the most important positions of any IPFW team. And, I cannot wait to see the battle at libero between the veterans Mike Morici and Matt Pliske, each of whom has led IPFW to a Final Four appearance. Not to mention, they have a little libero in the wings in Garrett Bitter who will be anxiously waiting, watching and learning.
This team has restored hope in my mind (not that all of it was lost). If they continue to develop over these next two months of practice, I can only imagine that they will be a special thing to watch in many ways come that January 9 home opener.
Monday, October 6, 2008
>Tin Caps? Well, it could be worse.
So Fort Wayne has yet another new mascot. Gone are the long-standing Wizards (or the Dragons as their logo has suggested now for years) and in it’s place are the Tin Caps.
Wait? The Tin Caps? Really?
And the logo. It’s a semi-angry apple with a pot on it’s head. Wait, we are the Pot Heads? Oh hell.
Whoever thought this one up must be a genius, because there would never be a chance that anyone would take the name and turn it around in such a negative manner (please, note the sarcasm.)
However, drug references aside, I can’t really condemn our new Minor League Baseball team’s moniker. After all, does anybody remember how much the citizens of Fort Wayne despised the name Wizards when it came about in 1993?
“Amazing baseball,” and all aside, most people here actually wanted us to be called the Fort Wayne Twins, due to our then-affiliation with the Major League Minnesota variety.
So now accounting for taste there.
The Tin Caps does capture two things that I think are very important when naming teams in the present days of terrible sporting names:
1) It is different. It’s not the Bobcats or Warriors or Panthers or something that any other professional team or school has.
2) It is localized. The logo points out things that the name doesn’t. Referring to the tin pot that the fabled Johnny Appleseed supposedly wore on his head, the team had an interesting play on one of Fort Wayne’s more legendary persons of lore.
If you like the name Mad Ants, of the one-year old NBA Developmental League, then you cannot in any good faith dislike Tin Caps.
When Jeff Potter and the crew over with the Mad Ants came up with the name, they used the same formula. They took famed General Anthony Wayne, twisted the Anthony part up and there you have it: angry ants.
And it fits in well with not only the Mad Ants, but Fort Wayne’s only other really focused on professional team the Komets. Because Komets with a ‘K’? That’s pretty much just a Fort Wayne thing.
And Tin Caps is oriented specifically to this city. Or for all you old school Wizards haters, we could call ourselves the Fort Wayne Padres!
Or you could shut up.
We could be boring and cliche with usual names or ones that start with a ‘F’ for pathetic rhyming purposes (Flash? Fever? Defunct Freedom?). Or we could break out as we have done.
So me, I will accept the Tin Caps.
Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t anyone.
After all, we still have this brand new and Tom Henry-rific financially irresponsible stadium to complain about.
Wait? The Tin Caps? Really?
And the logo. It’s a semi-angry apple with a pot on it’s head. Wait, we are the Pot Heads? Oh hell.
Whoever thought this one up must be a genius, because there would never be a chance that anyone would take the name and turn it around in such a negative manner (please, note the sarcasm.)
However, drug references aside, I can’t really condemn our new Minor League Baseball team’s moniker. After all, does anybody remember how much the citizens of Fort Wayne despised the name Wizards when it came about in 1993?
“Amazing baseball,” and all aside, most people here actually wanted us to be called the Fort Wayne Twins, due to our then-affiliation with the Major League Minnesota variety.
So now accounting for taste there.
The Tin Caps does capture two things that I think are very important when naming teams in the present days of terrible sporting names:
1) It is different. It’s not the Bobcats or Warriors or Panthers or something that any other professional team or school has.
2) It is localized. The logo points out things that the name doesn’t. Referring to the tin pot that the fabled Johnny Appleseed supposedly wore on his head, the team had an interesting play on one of Fort Wayne’s more legendary persons of lore.
If you like the name Mad Ants, of the one-year old NBA Developmental League, then you cannot in any good faith dislike Tin Caps.
When Jeff Potter and the crew over with the Mad Ants came up with the name, they used the same formula. They took famed General Anthony Wayne, twisted the Anthony part up and there you have it: angry ants.
And it fits in well with not only the Mad Ants, but Fort Wayne’s only other really focused on professional team the Komets. Because Komets with a ‘K’? That’s pretty much just a Fort Wayne thing.
And Tin Caps is oriented specifically to this city. Or for all you old school Wizards haters, we could call ourselves the Fort Wayne Padres!
Or you could shut up.
We could be boring and cliche with usual names or ones that start with a ‘F’ for pathetic rhyming purposes (Flash? Fever? Defunct Freedom?). Or we could break out as we have done.
So me, I will accept the Tin Caps.
Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t anyone.
After all, we still have this brand new and Tom Henry-rific financially irresponsible stadium to complain about.
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