Once again I'm going to let the e-mail box dictate where this post goes. In this case though it will be less answering specific letter and more dealing with larger issues which fans seem to want addressed.
Issue 1: We still don’t have any recruits who have verbal for 2010 or 2011.
Personally, I wouldn’t worry that much about the 2011 guys yet. We’ve got offers out to 9 top-150 players and they all seem to be seriously considering NU. With guys like that, though, they’re getting offers from all over. If they’re smart, and since they’re considering NU they are, they’ll take their time to try and find the right fit. In the end I’m certain the class of 2011 will bring Northwestern very solid basketball talent.
2010 is somewhat more of a concern, but forward Griffin McKenzie visited NU last week and has listed the Wildcats in his final four schools. He seems like a good fit for NU and I believe a decent chance exists for the ‘Cats to land the 6-9 Ohioan.
Issue 2: Did you see the article which ranked NU the fifth best coaching job in the state?
Yeah I saw the article. However, the article refers to an anonymous poll of 22 coaches from around Illinois or who used to coach in Illinois. I don’t think that it was exactly a scientific survey. I also think the outside perception of NU is that it isn’t a great job because you don’t win. However, if you investigated and found out about the large salary and fairly strong fan support most people would change their point of view.
Issue 3: Kyle Rowley
I haven’t yet found out anymore about Kyle Rowley’s injury than was in the NU press release. I hope to find out more soon. Though NU is deep at center, Kyle’s sheer size is important to the NU program.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Craig Moore Blog
Former Wildcat Craig Moore has started a blog about his professional basketball career in Holland. You can read it here: http://craigmoore.wordpress.com/
Friday, August 21, 2009
Mail and Other Thoughts
I want to take the time today to answer some e-mails from readers and offer my thoughts on a few subjects. First, the poll conducted about Bill Carmody’s flaws as a coach has finished with 53% of the fans voting that people should stop complaining about Carmody. On the other hand, a poll over at The Purple Drank had 60% of NU’s fans supporting the idea that Pat Fitzgerald would be a better basketball coach than Carmody. What does this apparent disagreement in poll results mean? Probably that different people voted in each poll. What else does it mean? That the debate about Carmody’s skills as a coach will continue in NU circles until the Wildcats arrive at the NCAA Tournament or Carmody arrives in the unemployment line. I think the odds are this year will result in one of the two.
Now let us turn to some mail.
Dan J. writes, “What’s the deal with this 2011 recruiting class I keep hearing about. Is NU going to land any of those guys or is this just all talk?”
Well, first off I think that a total of 9 top-150 players are considering NU is remarkable. Even more remarkable is that two 5-star recruits are doing do. This speaks well to both Carmody and Hardy and the other coaches on NU’s staff. They are obviously working hard to get NU’s name out to amongst the top players in the nation. Can NU actually land these guys? I think the fact that both 5-star guys, Shannon Scott and Dai-Jon Parker play for the same AAU team could really help. That team, The Southern Kings, had several players visit NU after one of their assistant coaches took some classes at Kellogg and recommended his guys visit Evanston.
CentralCat writers, “I’ve noticed some different topics lately. What are you going to write about between now and basketball season?”
Honestly, I’ve asked myself the same question several times. I have to say that I won’t ignore football news. Yes, this is a basketball blog first, but it is also an NU blog and if the Wildcats are bowl-bound in football I’ll certainly have some thoughts to share about that. I think most loyal readers have noted my various football related posts over the summer.
TL114 writes, “You posted a bunch about Greg Paulus becoming Syracuse’s QB earlier this year. Now that he’s been named the started, what do you think will happen?”
Great question. How good can a guy be who hasn’t played a real football game in four years? I suppose that depends on just how much talent he has. Greg was a top-rated high school QB. That talent didn’t go away, but it also hasn’t be practiced in years. I for one think that you can’t be at the top of your game if you don’t practice the skills you need to get there. Therefore, I think Paulus will get better as the year goes along. Playing NU in game three I still think he’ll be rusty, but if Coach Marrone sticks with him, I think his natural talent will merge with game experience and he’ll have a nice year, at least in terms of numbers if not wins.
Now let us turn to some mail.
Dan J. writes, “What’s the deal with this 2011 recruiting class I keep hearing about. Is NU going to land any of those guys or is this just all talk?”
Well, first off I think that a total of 9 top-150 players are considering NU is remarkable. Even more remarkable is that two 5-star recruits are doing do. This speaks well to both Carmody and Hardy and the other coaches on NU’s staff. They are obviously working hard to get NU’s name out to amongst the top players in the nation. Can NU actually land these guys? I think the fact that both 5-star guys, Shannon Scott and Dai-Jon Parker play for the same AAU team could really help. That team, The Southern Kings, had several players visit NU after one of their assistant coaches took some classes at Kellogg and recommended his guys visit Evanston.
CentralCat writers, “I’ve noticed some different topics lately. What are you going to write about between now and basketball season?”
Honestly, I’ve asked myself the same question several times. I have to say that I won’t ignore football news. Yes, this is a basketball blog first, but it is also an NU blog and if the Wildcats are bowl-bound in football I’ll certainly have some thoughts to share about that. I think most loyal readers have noted my various football related posts over the summer.
TL114 writes, “You posted a bunch about Greg Paulus becoming Syracuse’s QB earlier this year. Now that he’s been named the started, what do you think will happen?”
Great question. How good can a guy be who hasn’t played a real football game in four years? I suppose that depends on just how much talent he has. Greg was a top-rated high school QB. That talent didn’t go away, but it also hasn’t be practiced in years. I for one think that you can’t be at the top of your game if you don’t practice the skills you need to get there. Therefore, I think Paulus will get better as the year goes along. Playing NU in game three I still think he’ll be rusty, but if Coach Marrone sticks with him, I think his natural talent will merge with game experience and he’ll have a nice year, at least in terms of numbers if not wins.
A Link
I've been pretty busy, but I'll have some new posts up a little later. For now, though, take a look at this article from Wildcatreport.com about NU's 2011 recruiting targets.
http://northwestern.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=978761
http://northwestern.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=978761
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Kyle Rowley Suffers Foot Injury
NU Center Kyle Rowley suffered a fracture in his left foot today while at a basketball clinic in Chicago. There is currently no timetable for his return. The fact is foot injuries, especially with big guys, can be unpredictable. All NU fans remember Evan Eschmeyer missing two years with a bad foot. The good news, if there is any when something like this happens, is that center is the position at which NU has the most depth.
Monday, August 17, 2009
So, It is Football Season...
As it is football season I want to offer some brief thoughts about the Big Ten this upcoming year. First off, I think this is a very important season for Northwestern. It is a chance to post a second consecutive winning season and get to a bowl game for the second year in a row. Considering that hasn’t happened in more than a decade, I think that is pretty significant. I also think Northwestern should be able to do that with relative ease. I know that doesn’t sound typical for a Northwestern fan, but when you play Towson, Eastern Michigan, Syracuse and Miami Ohio in non-conference games you should finish the non-Big Ten season 4-0. The only one of those games which worries me is Syracuse. Going to New York could be much tougher than hosting the Orange at home. However, I think it’s a lot to ask for Coach Doug Marrone to turn that program around in his first season. Especially if his quarterback turns out to be a guy who was shooting jump shots at Duke less than six months ago. NU’s other non-conference opponents also have new coaches and personnel in key spots and the ‘Cats should be 3-0 before the Big Ten and 4-0 in non-Big Ten regular season games.
Despite the usual rips in the national media, the Big Ten might be a little tougher this year than last. NU misses Michigan which, funny as it sounds, is a major disadvantage in the Big Ten race. The Maize and Blue might be a little better in year two under Rich Rod, but they aren’t going go from three wins to nine or ten. NU also misses Ohio State which is obviously a plus. NU hasn’t played well against the Buckeyes since upsetting them in 2004. Therefore, it is probably just as well that NU avoids them in this critical year. Obviously the best team in the Big Ten is Penn State. They have Darryl Clark back at QB and Evan Royster back at running back. At least NU gets them at home. Other teams people are considering for the top of the Big Ten include Iowa and Michigan State. Personally, I think Iowa and Michigan State have talent similar to Northwestern. Why MSU gets lots of preseason pup when they also have to replace their starting QB and RB is beyond me. Heck, NU actually has a QB and RB stepping in who have started games. MSU doesn’t even know who their QB is right now. Iowa’s positive hype comes from the QB position as Ricky Stanzi earned the job and is expected to do big things. To do so, though, he’ll need running back Jewel Hampton to have a year similar to departed back Shon Green. If Northwestern is going to beat MSU and Iowa, which are both road games, it’ll be because NU has a better defense than those squads. Iowa losses two all-world defensive tackles while NU returns with one of the top D-Lines in the Big Ten. Michigan State is a team who has good defensive players, but other than perhaps linebacker, I think NU is stronger on that side of the ball. NU’s secondary has been rightly ranked at the top of the league by most publications.
As far as the rest of the Big Ten, I think Indiana and Purdue need some work. Indiana is probably better because they have a decent defense, but they’ll need a big year from QB Ben Chappell if they want to finish higher than ninth. Two other teams which NU needs to be ready for are Illinois and Minnesota. Both have a ton of offensive weapons, but both underachieved last year. Minnesota turned a 7-1 start into a 7-6 finish and Illinois went from 9 wins and the Rose Bowl to 5 wins and no bowl. What’ll happen to those teams this year? I think Illinois will turn things around somewhat. I expect to at least see the Illini in a bowl. Minnesota I think is probably about as good as they were last year. Whether they make a bowl (or what type of bowl) will depend on their games against the teams in the middle to upper-middle tier of the Big Ten. Northwestern is one of those teams and I know Minnesota wants revenge for the past two years.
The only Big Ten team I haven’t at least mentioned briefly is Wisconsin. With do respect to the Badgers, I’m a little disappointed to see them at the end of our schedule instead of Illinois. NU football doesn’t have any trophy games except Illinois and I liked that it was played the last week of the season for the past decade. That said, Wisconsin and NU have played some great games with each side winning their share of nail bitters in the years since Gary Barnett took over NU in 1992 (remember that ’92 game, Badger fans). So what can we expect for the NU-Wisconsin game this year. Well, like NU Wisconsin is a team which is somewhat in transition. Again, though, NU seems more stable. Wisconsin has a wide open QB situation and their defense didn’t exactly dominate in last year’s 7-6 season. Still they do have RB John Clay and he’s got to be good enough for 3 or 4 wins alone. How many more can the Badger get? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised to see both them and the Wildcats with around 7 total victories and battling each other for an upper-level bowl when the teams meet in Evanston this November.
Despite the usual rips in the national media, the Big Ten might be a little tougher this year than last. NU misses Michigan which, funny as it sounds, is a major disadvantage in the Big Ten race. The Maize and Blue might be a little better in year two under Rich Rod, but they aren’t going go from three wins to nine or ten. NU also misses Ohio State which is obviously a plus. NU hasn’t played well against the Buckeyes since upsetting them in 2004. Therefore, it is probably just as well that NU avoids them in this critical year. Obviously the best team in the Big Ten is Penn State. They have Darryl Clark back at QB and Evan Royster back at running back. At least NU gets them at home. Other teams people are considering for the top of the Big Ten include Iowa and Michigan State. Personally, I think Iowa and Michigan State have talent similar to Northwestern. Why MSU gets lots of preseason pup when they also have to replace their starting QB and RB is beyond me. Heck, NU actually has a QB and RB stepping in who have started games. MSU doesn’t even know who their QB is right now. Iowa’s positive hype comes from the QB position as Ricky Stanzi earned the job and is expected to do big things. To do so, though, he’ll need running back Jewel Hampton to have a year similar to departed back Shon Green. If Northwestern is going to beat MSU and Iowa, which are both road games, it’ll be because NU has a better defense than those squads. Iowa losses two all-world defensive tackles while NU returns with one of the top D-Lines in the Big Ten. Michigan State is a team who has good defensive players, but other than perhaps linebacker, I think NU is stronger on that side of the ball. NU’s secondary has been rightly ranked at the top of the league by most publications.
As far as the rest of the Big Ten, I think Indiana and Purdue need some work. Indiana is probably better because they have a decent defense, but they’ll need a big year from QB Ben Chappell if they want to finish higher than ninth. Two other teams which NU needs to be ready for are Illinois and Minnesota. Both have a ton of offensive weapons, but both underachieved last year. Minnesota turned a 7-1 start into a 7-6 finish and Illinois went from 9 wins and the Rose Bowl to 5 wins and no bowl. What’ll happen to those teams this year? I think Illinois will turn things around somewhat. I expect to at least see the Illini in a bowl. Minnesota I think is probably about as good as they were last year. Whether they make a bowl (or what type of bowl) will depend on their games against the teams in the middle to upper-middle tier of the Big Ten. Northwestern is one of those teams and I know Minnesota wants revenge for the past two years.
The only Big Ten team I haven’t at least mentioned briefly is Wisconsin. With do respect to the Badgers, I’m a little disappointed to see them at the end of our schedule instead of Illinois. NU football doesn’t have any trophy games except Illinois and I liked that it was played the last week of the season for the past decade. That said, Wisconsin and NU have played some great games with each side winning their share of nail bitters in the years since Gary Barnett took over NU in 1992 (remember that ’92 game, Badger fans). So what can we expect for the NU-Wisconsin game this year. Well, like NU Wisconsin is a team which is somewhat in transition. Again, though, NU seems more stable. Wisconsin has a wide open QB situation and their defense didn’t exactly dominate in last year’s 7-6 season. Still they do have RB John Clay and he’s got to be good enough for 3 or 4 wins alone. How many more can the Badger get? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised to see both them and the Wildcats with around 7 total victories and battling each other for an upper-level bowl when the teams meet in Evanston this November.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Wildcats Have Something to Prove in Both Football and Basketball (And They Will Prove It)
For very different reasons both Northwestern’s football team and men’s basketball team have a lot to prove in their upcoming seasons. Both had what I would call successful seasons last year, but many doubters remain. The sense I get inside the Northwestern community is that Wildcat Nation stands in direct opposition to those who doubt the gridiron ‘Cats. We expect Coach Fitz’s crew to ride a strong defense and Mike Kafka’s legs to a minimum of 8 wins. At the same time, though, Wildcat Nation is much more divided in its expectations for Coach Carmody’s basketball Wildcats. The optimistic Wildcat hoops fans are still cautious in their optimism, but they fully expect last season’s win total of 17 to increase into the 20s and perhaps place the ‘Cats in the NCAA tournament. The less optimistic feel that Bill Carmody simply doesn’t have what it takes to get Northwestern into the NCAA tournament and will likely be looking for work when his contract runs out.
While it might be frustrating to some to hear negative comments about the team we support, I think it is important to remember that those comments bother us far more than the players or coaches. The players and coaches either don’t bother to read the negatives written in magazines, newspapers, and internet sites or they use them as motivation. One of the most powerful forms of motivation is the desire to prove that you can accomplish a feat which others think you have no chance to accomplish.
I believe both Northwestern teams will use this form of motivation and excel in the coming seasons. I’ve already heard the NU receiving core has responded to the fact nearly every preseason publication has ranked them at the bottom of the Big Ten by introducing themselves during media day by saying, “I’m nobody.” What they really mean is they’re nobody yet, but Andrew Brewer, Sidney Stewart, and Jeremy Ebert have confidence that by November everybody will know their names.
Really, with the fact NU loses so many skill positions players I can almost understand why some prognosticators aren’t picking NU as high as I think maybe they should. What is upsetting is those prognosticators who predict Northwestern to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten just because it is Northwestern. The past is the past, people need to look at the now. Fitz hasn’t yet won a Big Ten Title as a coach (just wait and maybe not too long), but he’s got the program in great shape. I seriously doubt we’ll ever see any total disaster years at NU with him running the show.
Basketball wise, I again ask people to evaluate in the now, not the past. Yes, NU basketball has a horrible history. Way worse than NU football (expect for that 1931 National Title which I’m still hoping NU’s AD will take note of), but last year was a very successful season for NU. Yes, it at times had the feel of a rollercoaster with some amazing highs and remarkable lows, but it was still a winning season. NU’s players (and coaches) both had some of the best performances I’ve seen from those associated with Wildcat hoops. Off that winning season NU brings back its best player in Kevin Coble and a great team leader in Juice Thompson. The Wildcats also bring in their second consecutive high-level recurring class. There is no reason not to believe such a team will improve over the previous season. If the recruits and the sophomores really step it up to help Coble and Juice they might even improve a lot. If NU’s basketball players do hear the doubters out there, I hope they take a lesson for NU’s football squad and embrace the doubt with the quiet confidence that comes with knowing you will be successful no matter what others say.
Simply put, right now Northwestern has the chance to prove the doubters wrong and put together very successful seasons in football and men’s basketball that prove to be jumping off points for sustained success. And I say to those fans who can’t get over NU’s past struggles, get out of the past. The Wildcats of today can beat anybody. Welcome to the future.
While it might be frustrating to some to hear negative comments about the team we support, I think it is important to remember that those comments bother us far more than the players or coaches. The players and coaches either don’t bother to read the negatives written in magazines, newspapers, and internet sites or they use them as motivation. One of the most powerful forms of motivation is the desire to prove that you can accomplish a feat which others think you have no chance to accomplish.
I believe both Northwestern teams will use this form of motivation and excel in the coming seasons. I’ve already heard the NU receiving core has responded to the fact nearly every preseason publication has ranked them at the bottom of the Big Ten by introducing themselves during media day by saying, “I’m nobody.” What they really mean is they’re nobody yet, but Andrew Brewer, Sidney Stewart, and Jeremy Ebert have confidence that by November everybody will know their names.
Really, with the fact NU loses so many skill positions players I can almost understand why some prognosticators aren’t picking NU as high as I think maybe they should. What is upsetting is those prognosticators who predict Northwestern to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten just because it is Northwestern. The past is the past, people need to look at the now. Fitz hasn’t yet won a Big Ten Title as a coach (just wait and maybe not too long), but he’s got the program in great shape. I seriously doubt we’ll ever see any total disaster years at NU with him running the show.
Basketball wise, I again ask people to evaluate in the now, not the past. Yes, NU basketball has a horrible history. Way worse than NU football (expect for that 1931 National Title which I’m still hoping NU’s AD will take note of), but last year was a very successful season for NU. Yes, it at times had the feel of a rollercoaster with some amazing highs and remarkable lows, but it was still a winning season. NU’s players (and coaches) both had some of the best performances I’ve seen from those associated with Wildcat hoops. Off that winning season NU brings back its best player in Kevin Coble and a great team leader in Juice Thompson. The Wildcats also bring in their second consecutive high-level recurring class. There is no reason not to believe such a team will improve over the previous season. If the recruits and the sophomores really step it up to help Coble and Juice they might even improve a lot. If NU’s basketball players do hear the doubters out there, I hope they take a lesson for NU’s football squad and embrace the doubt with the quiet confidence that comes with knowing you will be successful no matter what others say.
Simply put, right now Northwestern has the chance to prove the doubters wrong and put together very successful seasons in football and men’s basketball that prove to be jumping off points for sustained success. And I say to those fans who can’t get over NU’s past struggles, get out of the past. The Wildcats of today can beat anybody. Welcome to the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)