Thursday, October 29, 2015

Ridiculous

Saw several stupid comments by the clueless that one of the new Braves, Scottie James was homesick and likely to leave.
LOL - but here's the truth.
Could he leave or transfer?  Sure, he could...anyone could - it happens all the time.  But he's no more likely than anyone else on the team and likely nowhere close to as likely and 99% of Division I players.  Come on - use some brains...
Every college kid looks at potential for playing time...
He just got here - hasn't finished a single semester.  He has basically NOBODY on the roster ahead of him - where the heck would he go or could he go that he'd have any better chance at playing time than here?
Plus, I have heard he likes it here, likes his teammates, likes the coaching staff. 
The rest of the players like Scottie, too - when he won the slam-dunk contest the players had at the Youth Clinic last week - the other guys mobbed him and were truly excited for him - even the dunkers he just beat! (btw- there is a vido of that dunk contest posted on the internet)

Also- remember - he turned DOWN an offer from FGCU (right down the road from his hometown) to come to Bradley.  Sure doesn't sound much like a kid who expected to get homesick.

And thus far - NOT ONE player on the roster has played a MINUTE more than Scottie since he arrived here.  So why would he leave.
That said - of course he still might leave - there hasn't been a single season this century that someone with eligibility remaining didn't leave - some quite unexpectedly, so as I said, it happens all the time.  But the wild and immature speculation that I am reading is completely wrong and silly.

On a separate topic, the open practice showed several things that fans noticed.
First is the way the practice was run.  Competently, professionally, and seriously - all business and no goofing off as many can confirm happened endlessly in Geno's practices....
Geno's practices looked like recess at a grade school sometimes, with kids doing their own thing, goofing off, and talking back at the coach - oblivious to any worries about losing playing time since Geno knew he couldn't win without those kids so they got away with it.!
The one kid who never goofed off was Nate Wells and he never got playing time, until Geno was forced, then Nate proved Geno didn't even know his own players.

Second- the players are fit and in shape -- no skinny 170 lb weaklings....
the smallest guy, Joel Okafor is ROCK SOLID and ripped...the skinniest guy, Davante Cooper, still comes in 30 lbs bigger than Anthony Thompson or Nate Wells did.

Then they all look like they can play - hustled, dived for loose balls, made some shots (can always improve on this) and weren't afraid to fight for rebounds.

Everyone is picking Bradley last for an obvious reason - youth & inexperience.  This is what a true empty cupboard (gift of Joanne, Cross, & Geno) looks like.  So we might finish last - but I knew we would last year even when the PJS guys were pompously bloviating about how much better we were and picking Bradley 3rd or 4th (Dave Reynolds picked Bradley in the Top four EACH of the last two-three years.)
But I still like our chances better than in any of the Geno years because at least we have kids who want to play, can play & develop, and who are good kids who will work hard for the team & for the fans.

Go Braves!

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