Has anyone listened to the goggin chants? A lot more sexual/obscene/offensive than what the brickwall is trying to do at millett. And plenty students join in at goggin. My friends who I’ve brought to their first game tell me they want to return (even after a loss) specifically because the chants made it fun
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The old, large bleachers exist? They’re stored somewhere? Or we’re getting new ones? Why “theoretically?”
The Stanford Contraband truly sucks - a totally classless embarrassment to their great university.
For Miami, Ohio and Cincinnati may be somewhat crudely disparaged. Eastern Michigan, Texas State and especially teams like Wilberforce and St. Mary of the Woods should not be.
Although it is a venue I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting, everyone who has tells me it is the epitome of class. It’s Memorial Stadium at Nebraska. People describe Husker fans as inordinately knowledgeable about visitors’ programs, polite to them and passionate about their own team. Class seems to be the piece that might be lacking in the atmosphere some are aspiring to establish at Miami. Class was something about Miami I was always proud of. Crass - not so much.
I wouldn’t rush to push him out because he can be valuable when locked in and he’s won games for us in the past. But yeah, it’s a bit tough to figure out what to do with a sharpshooter who has a tendency to go ice cold for a month at a time. Deadly weapon when the threes are falling; one of the worst players in the conference when the threes aren’t falling.
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I was told by one of the coaches we’re getting them back. But that’s the only thing I’ve heard about it
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Was at the game.
Ultimately, OU just has better players than we do. To me there was a pretty dramatic talent gap between the two teams. Especially in the backcourt. Teams with quick, athletic guards like OU are kryptonite for Miami. We don’t have anyone like Mitchell or Hunter (who didn’t even have a good game.) Weirdly Akron is a better matchup for us because they’re strength is their front court.
The turnovers were obviously a killer and they were all live-ball turnovers which is worse because they lead to points. Some were due to Ohio’s pressure, some were just carelessness. Anderson had a couple backbreakers. Not a great senior night showing from him (or any of our seniors for that matter.) OU might be the best team in the MAC at this point. Wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they won the tournament.
Big picture, we’ve got to upgrade the roster. A friend who I was with last night who hadn’t seen us play asked who our best player was. I didn’t have a good answer which is a problem .Basically it depends on the night was what I said. I’ve said it before on here, but we are a team of third and fourth options. I honestly don’t believe we’re poorly coached. We play hard. I like some of the stuff we run on offense. We’re miles better on defense. Under Cooper and Owens we were comically easy to score on. What’s the expression? “Shit through a tin horn.” That was Miami on defense for the better part of a decade. But we just need better players. Specifically in the backcourt. I think Cooper and Ipsaro can get there, but the gulf between OU’s guards and Miami’s is wide. And we can’t go bargain hunting. Hunter and Mitchell came from Old Dominion and Creighton. Two of our three transfers were from D2 schools and it shows. We can be the most technically sound team in America, but if the guys executing are just mediocre, the team will be mediocre (still not sure how we beat Vermont who as I write this is 26-6.)
I think Steele can do it, but we need to add hard through the portal after the season. I know they’re our top three leading scorers, but I don’t think the seniors we are losing will make that big of a difference to how good we are next year. Anderson was just never in shape this year. He can’t rebound and he’s a liability on ball screen defense. Darweshi and Bultman are nice complimentary players, but there isn’t a lot of difference between them and the eight or ninth guy on our bench.
I like all of our freshmen. Especially Elmer. I think they can all be all-mac type players, but unless two or three of them make mega sized jumps next year, it will be more of the same without some added scoring punch via the portal.
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There should be clapping and cheering in tennis and golf!!!
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Next time we play OU or UC at Millett when those teams take the floor I expect everyone in the stands to turn around and do this!!
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Holy crap…a DG post! And 2 nonetheless! It just takes us getting smacked around by OU. Disappointed I got no love for the “Ohio delenda est”.
So what college atmosphere are you after, exactly? Is there a particular school whose student section you have in mind as one to emulate?
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I was planning on addressing our AD with that idea. We need about 8 to 10 or more rows of bleachers that run the entire width of the court. That could include the pep band and student section. I mean that is what we always used to have. Some people could dress up like the current group, others don’t have to, but hopefully it would be students there to actively support the team. When you say theoretically, how far has it gone so far? Just discussion? Do we still have a section of bleachers somewhere which can be moved there or do they need to be purchased? Have you talked with David Saylor about all this? Or someone else…I really appreciate what you and Adam Redsuit are trying to do.
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I’ll take last night minus the idiocy. Ideally, last night minus the idiocy plus many more students to see a winning team.
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What happened with the student section seems consistent with what every other student section does, for better or worse. I commend the students for trying to get something going. As someone who tried to do the same, stay after it and try to be as creative as possible with what you’re doing.
As far as the team, we need to keep the perspective that we have an inexperienced backcourt, whether they be freshmen or D-1 newcomers and it’s awfully hard to win with a backcourt like that. Next year, I’ll want them to be the leaders of the team, dictating the tempo of the game. They weren’t the main reason we lost the other night, but a more experienced backcourt would’ve tried to control the game more. One example of this was the 3 Potter took late in the 1st half when we were still up 9 or 11. Normally, I’d be ok with the shot, but with the helter skelter play of the last several possessions and the great fortune we had that OU didn’t take advantage of that stretch, our guards shouldn’t have thrown him the ball. They should’ve stopped, waited, calmed everyone down, and run the offense. You can’t blame them too much for doing what they normally would, but that extra realization of controlling the pace only comes with experience.
I think if you wanted to be really fair, everyone involved with this edition of the program deserves an incomplete grade. It’s not a headline grabber, but that’s what it should be. Now starting next year, this year’s freshmen will be a year older and we’ll have another group in, plus Dean, Morris, and possibly (I know nothing) Mabrey and Lewis. The number of holes should be dwindling. I could see us getting an experienced D-1 guard, but that would be it for me.
I’m glad we keep honoring Charlie. Other schools have a memorial type game for someone they want to honor. On and off the floor, Charlie, to me, was the ideal Miami rep.
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I anticipate besides the two freshmen signed Steele brings in 2 transfers. That is based on current available scholarships. Obviously if players transfer that number of transfer players we bring in could change.
I’m not really sure what conversations have/haven’t been had. Just know about this from a quick comment a coach made to me. I trust them because they’ve always been good to me/talked straight. With that said, I’ll be cautiously optimistic until I see it for myself. I think they have a good track record with walking the talk. They’ve made investments in social media and students which wasn’t there in the past (all working towards the same goal mentality Coach Steele has stressed). Coach Owens never gave us the time of day and after a handful of games, Coach Richburg was asking for our phone numbers. Hopefully my optimism is justified, this comes to fruition, and we can fill the bleachers.
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Thanks, but I’ll pass. Bake can still rock the mic all he wants to.
“My goodness! Salopek showing no fear going toe-to-toe with two Kent State linemen to get the sack. But even if he had shown fear, that’s okay, because Fear Is Never Boring!”
-Sledge calling Miami football (I’d listen!)
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I see what you did there. Rob Fetters would approve.
Unknown fact: I once called a couple of Miami field hockey games EONS ago. I was … not good. Hopefully Bake has burned those tapes because I don’t have them.
One thing I like to do is go position by position on the starting lineup and ask “What Miami starters would start for OU?”. Truth is, I am not sure we have one player, other than perhaps Elmer who starts for OU.
I agree 100% with Travis Steele’s first words in his post game presser “that was a straight ass kicking”. That is sure what it looked like sitting in the stands.
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