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Are they the Braves? /smdh
Same, but I'm optimistic every year. I just can't help myself.
Paige won an award that gets her free entry to the race next year so now they're considering it.
Thought of this as well, though the situation was slightly different.
SMU had the ball after a missed VT Free-throw so the Inbounder couldn't run the Baseline.
But its all about situation...SMU had 2 seconds...the best decision would have been to use the extra defender to try to force the Inbounds as close to the baseline as possible--in VT'S case an extra defender would certainly have kept Miller from advancing so freely up the sideline. He would have ended up having to heave a 60+ footer with a hand in his face rather than a clean Half-courter.
For Florida, they used a 6'4" guy to "cover" a mobile inbounder and he had absolutely no effect on the inbounds pass. With 8 secs left, they Iowa was almost certain to get the ball to the Frontcourt so having a defender 40 feet behind the play was asinine.
But the results were very similar, both VT and UF took timeouts, up 2 points to concoct a "strategy" that gave their opponent clean looks at the basket.
Covering the inbounder makes sense in this scenario: the opponent has a stationary inbounder and you have Wembenyana to cover him--otherwise you are much better off to have 5 defenders back.
I like Jessie Holmes a lot. I just don't like that he runs so much faster than Paige. I always try to look into the mushers' backgrounds and profiles and find stories that are easy to like and root for. I followed a few more social media accounts this year. I'll have to see the starting lineup for next year and then make a decision.
I like Jody Potts-Joseph's background as an indigenous tattoo artist. Apparently that tradition goes back 10,000 years.
I feel your pain, but I'm the opposite. I generally root for UT against UVA. My grandfather was a big UT fan, but he was realistic about it. He did not have orange colored glasses at all. He always said Tennessee could grasp defeat from the jaws of victory like nobody else.
UT fans can be real jerks and cocky asshats to other fans sometimes, but they aren't stuck up, pretentious douche canoes. They don't pretend to go to a "public" Ivy. They have the history and the championships to back it up. UVA just pretends they matter in the state of Virginia.
I remain hesitant that the PSU brand, fanbase, and NIL game may have been driving the results more than we'd like to admit.
He was doing it:
- At PSU right after the sandusky scandal
- At Vandy, when Vandy was the bottom of the P5 Barrel
To be clear, I don't expect us to all of a sudden recruit at PSU levels. But I think we can recruit at Beamer levels once again. That means maybe one 5-star every 5-10 years, and 6-10 4-stars every class, putting us top 30 in high school recruiting year-in/year-out.
EDIT: I also think he'll bring a competency to roster management that we haven't seen since Beamer/Foster retired. Fuente had all roster that was at one point 14% running backs. Pry had so little depth at OL that we could barely field a scout team. These things won't happen under Franklin.
These are great points, and i definitely agree that his 2-4 weeks of class assembly was insanely impressive. I guess I remain hesitant that the PSU brand, fanbase, and NIL game may have been driving the results more than we'd like to admit. Franklin has definitely proven that he can recruit well. No doubt there; I just wonder how high he can take us knowing we don't have Big 10 money or the donor level of PSU.
I'm sure he will be better than Pry or Fuente's results. When I said "prove me wrong" I was really referring to the idea that he could get elite top end talent here with any regularity (which is what the embedded tweet was about). I've lost faith that we can ever land a consensus 5-star for example. So I welcome him to prove me wrong
This is where I am. After over a half century of Hokiedom, I've seen the highs and the lows, the comes and the gos, but aside from a couple of good years, I don't recall anything like what Franklin's already done and I'm all in, keeping that front row seat on the hype train and flat out unashamedly optimistic. I'm already in his debt for lifting my spirits as basketball has fizzled out.
It is. Ugh
Thanks Frosty for all your work on this. It's great following in the background and we all appreciate what you do.
Agreed. I generally root for UVA against UT. I know that sounds horrible, but my journey has been long and arduous.
When I saw the final score....
I agree it was 'different' - not necessarily convinced it was 'harder' than a typical recruiting class:
- I think you're underestimating how challenging it to convince a high school to schedule an official visit to a new school within a month of signing day. I don't think we've seen anyone put together a class at a new school in 2-4 weeks... ever.
- I think the money is there. I think House/NIL money gets you into a 'band' of player, and the coach will move you to the top/floor of what that money can buy. I think the last class proves that, even without Franklin, we have the cash to recruit at a top 30 level now. Also, there are media reports from CFB/Recruiting outlets that the cash is there.
- I just think that if Franklin can get top 25 classes at Vandy and top 15 classes at PSU, he can get VT top 30 (or better) classes. This is the difference between Franklin and Chesney (for example) - Chesney has never recruited at a P5 level, so the question remains for him. Franklin's been doing this for 15 years.
I guess the ultimate person to root for would be honorary Hokie by marriage Cody. But not sure if he would be wanting to run or not.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. But it still feels gross.
See: End of the SMU game. Really should have had someone around half court who job was to wait and double team whomever caught the inbounds pass.
Part of me wanted them to win and get absolutely boat raced by Iowa St. _ wow do they look legit.
LOLUVA MBB Team Bounced in SECOND Round by TENNESSEE
Not quite as fun, but still always good to see.
The last class was definitely encouraging, but from my memory it also felt like it was a lot of guys who were committed to PSU and probably mentally sold on playing for Franklin there. His firing was pretty sudden so those guys were left in the lurch with only a few months until signing day. He obviously still had to re-recruit them and convince them to sign with VT, but that was probably an easier task than recruiting "from the ground-up" where the recruits have lots of time and options to explore. He has to sell new recruits on VT without already having them in his pocket. Not saying he can't do it, but I just feel like it will be tougher than the last class
They may have done it in multiple years. I know the game I was at there was talk about getting on ESPN as it was a nationally televised game if that narrows it down. I'll see if I can find an old picture I may have had from pregame or something. I could have been involved in 2002 but I remember being at the hurricane game for aTm in 2003 and I definitely wasn't if it was then. As other's have noted, I don't think 2003 fits as it was pouring with torrential downpours all game, and the picture doesn't seem to support that. I was sitting in North stands for that game as well but definitely wasn't involved in any coordinated body paint.
Great trip down memory lane regardless. I'll dig through some of my old college stuff and see if there's any supporting evidence to validate a particular game.
I hope they can keep up this momentum and keep that skid they had behind them.
Thanks for all of the coverage. The interview summary was great. I am thinking this may be Paige's last year. Even without a cancer diagnosis, it seems like it's just so hard on the body as you age. I could be wrong though.
If Paige doesn't run next year, who will we root for? I guess everyone will have to pick their favorite musher.
Well I was a student at the time, I remember helping with the prep cause I was back too late from class to be a part of the lineup and I was standing next to them at the game. I believe most everyone in that pic was in Miles Hall and it had to be 2002 or 2003, which if it was a Thursday night game would have either been Marshall 2002 or aTm 2003. My guess is Marshall cause I stood at one of the walkway entrances with a bright orange poncho for aTm, haha.
I mean if you have Jokic then its okay, but ive only seen 1 of him and not in college
Tracking the Braves pitcher playbook it seems. Starters dropping like flies.