Quit squawking
posted by David Cloninger, 3/15/2009 08:49:00 PM
Shut up.
You people are really something. I’ve seen it for years, I’ve known what was wrong, I’ve held my tongue.
That’s over.
The Gamecocks did not have a disappointing season. Their season was glorious. How else could you possibly label a 21-9 year after a 14-18 year -- with the same players?
Yes, it was disappointing because USC couldn’t take that final step that defines greatness. Getting to the NCAA tournament is the goal of every team that steps onto the court in October.
But the end doesn’t define the wonderful six months before it.
This team added no one and lost three guys from a team that gave up on approximately Jan. 5 last year. It had one superstar player, two or three that could be very good and the rest had a tiny bit of talent and a lot of belief to fill in the gap.
It won 21 of 30 games. It brought enthusiasm, energy and life into Colonial Life Arena for the first time in five years. It put itself back in the top of the SEC standings, which it had avoided like a rabid dog for the majority of the previous 17 years.
So it didn’t quite get there and “has” to play in the NIT. Big freaking deal. Is it worse than sitting at home and grumbling because you think it’s just “same old Carolina?”
Most of you suffer from having eyes way too big for your stomachs. Your hopes are so far above realistic expectations, you could sell stock in yardsticks.
Those are different, hope and expectation. For instance, I reasonably expect to get married someday, when I get tired of being independent and being able to do whatever I want, when I want to do it.
I hope to get married to Jessica Biel someday.
It must have been great watching this program under Frank McGuire. I get it. Really, I do. I’ve written so many stories on the glory days of USC basketball I ought to be given an office at the Roundhouse.
Thirty years ago, people. He’s gone. The expectations you had for McGuire’s teams cannot be passed on to these teams.
It’s a different game and a different time. It’s like you blame the current athletic administration and its coaches for not finding another McGuire when the first one retired.
The best this team could reasonably expect was a top-four finish in the league. Did it. Whether that was good enough to make it to the NCAA tournament depended on too many other factors beyond the team’s control. And to expect a program with only eight NCAA tournament berths in its history to just magically become a constant NCAA team in one year – not here, not anywhere, not ever.
I’m not going to tell you this team didn’t take advantage of its last opportunity to make it to the NCAAs – any fool can see that. The Gamecocks fell into the trap they’d avoided most of the year in the last four games, which was becoming The Devan Downey And Four Other Guys Show. Opposing defenses tend to lock down on the best player and when the other guys can’t figure out a way around it, losses occur.
And USC didn’t get screwed by ESPN or some vendetta against the school or the fabled “Chicken Curse.” First of all, ESPN dogged the SEC all year because the SEC deserved to get dogged all year. Check out the non-conference schedules and tell me I’m wrong. Second, selection committee chairman Mike Slive, in his day job as SEC Commissioner, does not have it in for any school, much less one in his own league. Why would he cost his league revenue by deliberately snubbing an SEC team? Besides, he’s not even in the room when the rest of the committee discusses the league.
Third, curses are a crutch for the feeble-minded who don’t want to admit the truth.
The truth this year? USC did not play well enough to get into the NCAAs. Its non-conference season was good for this team, because it gave it time to grow and mature into a solid group. It was not good because it didn’t impress the people it needed to impress.
The Gamecocks knew they needed to finish the year strongly and didn’t. They lost three of their last four. In a season where the conference was lagging and where they only had a few wins to distinguish themselves, they didn’t have enough.
It hurt, Lord, did it hurt. It hurt me. I have no shame in admitting it. After 13 years in the business, I thought I was finally going to get to cover an NCAA tournament game. I wouldn’t have cared one bit about having to go to Boise, Idaho, or some other godforsaken place because I finally would have gotten to cover March Madness in person.
Yeah, Sunday stung. But this team does not deserve your scorn, insults or crass remarks behind the cloak of anonymity on a message board. It merits your applause and your respect, nothing more.
Because you may not remember it as well as you do those out-of-sight expectations, but the Gamecocks gave you something this year.
Hope.
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To all the people who are labeling South Carolina’s basketball season a choke, or something similar:
Shut up.
You people are really something. I’ve seen it for years, I’ve known what was wrong, I’ve held my tongue.
That’s over.
The Gamecocks did not have a disappointing season. Their season was glorious. How else could you possibly label a 21-9 year after a 14-18 year -- with the same players?
Yes, it was disappointing because USC couldn’t take that final step that defines greatness. Getting to the NCAA tournament is the goal of every team that steps onto the court in October.
But the end doesn’t define the wonderful six months before it.
This team added no one and lost three guys from a team that gave up on approximately Jan. 5 last year. It had one superstar player, two or three that could be very good and the rest had a tiny bit of talent and a lot of belief to fill in the gap.
It won 21 of 30 games. It brought enthusiasm, energy and life into Colonial Life Arena for the first time in five years. It put itself back in the top of the SEC standings, which it had avoided like a rabid dog for the majority of the previous 17 years.
So it didn’t quite get there and “has” to play in the NIT. Big freaking deal. Is it worse than sitting at home and grumbling because you think it’s just “same old Carolina?”
Most of you suffer from having eyes way too big for your stomachs. Your hopes are so far above realistic expectations, you could sell stock in yardsticks.
Those are different, hope and expectation. For instance, I reasonably expect to get married someday, when I get tired of being independent and being able to do whatever I want, when I want to do it.
I hope to get married to Jessica Biel someday.
It must have been great watching this program under Frank McGuire. I get it. Really, I do. I’ve written so many stories on the glory days of USC basketball I ought to be given an office at the Roundhouse.
Thirty years ago, people. He’s gone. The expectations you had for McGuire’s teams cannot be passed on to these teams.
It’s a different game and a different time. It’s like you blame the current athletic administration and its coaches for not finding another McGuire when the first one retired.
The best this team could reasonably expect was a top-four finish in the league. Did it. Whether that was good enough to make it to the NCAA tournament depended on too many other factors beyond the team’s control. And to expect a program with only eight NCAA tournament berths in its history to just magically become a constant NCAA team in one year – not here, not anywhere, not ever.
I’m not going to tell you this team didn’t take advantage of its last opportunity to make it to the NCAAs – any fool can see that. The Gamecocks fell into the trap they’d avoided most of the year in the last four games, which was becoming The Devan Downey And Four Other Guys Show. Opposing defenses tend to lock down on the best player and when the other guys can’t figure out a way around it, losses occur.
And USC didn’t get screwed by ESPN or some vendetta against the school or the fabled “Chicken Curse.” First of all, ESPN dogged the SEC all year because the SEC deserved to get dogged all year. Check out the non-conference schedules and tell me I’m wrong. Second, selection committee chairman Mike Slive, in his day job as SEC Commissioner, does not have it in for any school, much less one in his own league. Why would he cost his league revenue by deliberately snubbing an SEC team? Besides, he’s not even in the room when the rest of the committee discusses the league.
Third, curses are a crutch for the feeble-minded who don’t want to admit the truth.
The truth this year? USC did not play well enough to get into the NCAAs. Its non-conference season was good for this team, because it gave it time to grow and mature into a solid group. It was not good because it didn’t impress the people it needed to impress.
The Gamecocks knew they needed to finish the year strongly and didn’t. They lost three of their last four. In a season where the conference was lagging and where they only had a few wins to distinguish themselves, they didn’t have enough.
It hurt, Lord, did it hurt. It hurt me. I have no shame in admitting it. After 13 years in the business, I thought I was finally going to get to cover an NCAA tournament game. I wouldn’t have cared one bit about having to go to Boise, Idaho, or some other godforsaken place because I finally would have gotten to cover March Madness in person.
Yeah, Sunday stung. But this team does not deserve your scorn, insults or crass remarks behind the cloak of anonymity on a message board. It merits your applause and your respect, nothing more.
Because you may not remember it as well as you do those out-of-sight expectations, but the Gamecocks gave you something this year.
Hope.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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David Cloninger. David is a full-time staff writer for GamecockCentral, and covers Gamecock football, men's basketball, baseball and recruiting. He may be reached by email at david(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.