Post by MEGAFAN on Dec 2, 2004 17:59:21 GMT -5
Many of the newer and/or younger members of this board may not be familiar with MEGAFANLAND, but perhaps now is a better time than ever to re-introduce this elusive concept. I hope it is not perceived as narcissistic that I took the liberty to dedicate an entirely new thread to this topic and entitle it: "Finding MEGAFANLAND."" But, given that MEGAFANLAND may be an even better place to be than Neverland (despite the accolades of the recent holiday movie), I'm sure that some of you out there, even the nay-sayers and eternal cynics, are dying to experience the sense of euphoria of which I speak. The real question that lay before us, is how to do we get there? How do we find it?
To that I say:
“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change the world? There's nothing to it.”
Now must we rely upon the timeless words of Willy Wonka (aka Roald Dahl) to achieve the necessary perspective, or is there some other means by which we on this board can collectively find MEGAFANLAND?
So far this season, despite a disappointing loss to Temple, which I had the privilege of viewing in person, I left the game with a sense of optimism that overshadowed my disappointment. Now, was this merely because I view the world through rose-colored glasses? Or was it merely because having only witnessed our team going to the Elite 8 under Iverson and Co. that my standards are relatively low, and that those from the golden age don’t understand how I can get so excited from the baby-steps we are taking?
Or was it because I saw a thing or two that encouraged me and gave me hope for the future? Perhaps some will not be happy watching us climb out of the depths to which our program has sunk, but only be happy when we have arrived at the mountain top altogether, but for the rest of us, can we not rejoice in the journey itself?
Well, all I can say is that after the loss to Temple, and an easy win against the Citadel, I actually thought we were going to win against Davidson. I turned out to be correct, but why was I in the vast minority. Was that because I am a hopeless “glass is full” kinda guy? Or were there more than a few others who, like myself, did not want to jinx the team, and make their confidence public?
Now, after a very strong performance against Davidson (despite the useful comments that it didn’t look that impressive to NCHoya, a board member who saw the game in person), was this game an anomaly, or did it contain the first tell-tale signs that a new era of offensive fluidity may be upon us? Is it truly time to jump on the bandwagon of dreamers, or must we reign ourselves in and be patient?
Some may be surprised to hear this, but while I am confident that JT III is the man to lead us to the glory land, I’m not ready to start celebrating yet. I think that a solid performance (and a WIN) against PSU is crucial, and beyond that, while it would be naïve to think that we could beat Illinois, I think we must show up and compete against Illinois, especially on our home court. Especially on our home court if the likes of 007 and others continue to represent the student body and young alums in a “sea of gray.” If we achieve those two goals, then I can say that we will be in a position to legitimize some of our intuitions that this team is capable of finishing higher than the lower tier of the BE.
This is not to say that we can suddenly go crazy and start dreaming of the NCAA’s, or a BET victory, but I for one, think that after what has transpired over the last few seasons, there is every reason to burst with optimism, especially if we continue to make progress along the way.
Now, can we come up with a collective set of criteria, perhaps including but not limited to, a number of wins and losses, as well as some type of other measure for those who are more process-oriented? Perhaps the fact that we have out-rebounded our first three opponents, including a much taller/bigger Temple team, is some statistical indication that we are boxing out and getting better at rebounding. As GIGAFAN pointed out to me, last year, despite beating Davidson at home, we were out-rebounded nonetheless. If you compare last year’s game to this year’s, there is a 14 point rebound swing. That sounds meaningful. What about A/TO ratio? Or the fact that our steals have gone down significantly, but it appears to have resulted in better FG% defense.
Or maybe statistics do not suffice. Maybe we need to look at intangibles, such as ball movement, effort, not blowing leads, making comebacks, playing with passion and fire, coaches involvement, learning not to continue to make the same mistakes, etc.
Anyways you slice it, I’m trying to help those of you out there find MEGAFANLAND. In the words of Jerry McGuire, “Help me, help you.”<br>
I apologize for the long post, but would greatly appreciate any input regarding what we collectively agree would be the metrics by which to measure this years team’s progress. And beyond that…<br>
GO HOYAS!!! BEAT PSU!!!
To that I say:
“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change the world? There's nothing to it.”
Now must we rely upon the timeless words of Willy Wonka (aka Roald Dahl) to achieve the necessary perspective, or is there some other means by which we on this board can collectively find MEGAFANLAND?
So far this season, despite a disappointing loss to Temple, which I had the privilege of viewing in person, I left the game with a sense of optimism that overshadowed my disappointment. Now, was this merely because I view the world through rose-colored glasses? Or was it merely because having only witnessed our team going to the Elite 8 under Iverson and Co. that my standards are relatively low, and that those from the golden age don’t understand how I can get so excited from the baby-steps we are taking?
Or was it because I saw a thing or two that encouraged me and gave me hope for the future? Perhaps some will not be happy watching us climb out of the depths to which our program has sunk, but only be happy when we have arrived at the mountain top altogether, but for the rest of us, can we not rejoice in the journey itself?
Well, all I can say is that after the loss to Temple, and an easy win against the Citadel, I actually thought we were going to win against Davidson. I turned out to be correct, but why was I in the vast minority. Was that because I am a hopeless “glass is full” kinda guy? Or were there more than a few others who, like myself, did not want to jinx the team, and make their confidence public?
Now, after a very strong performance against Davidson (despite the useful comments that it didn’t look that impressive to NCHoya, a board member who saw the game in person), was this game an anomaly, or did it contain the first tell-tale signs that a new era of offensive fluidity may be upon us? Is it truly time to jump on the bandwagon of dreamers, or must we reign ourselves in and be patient?
Some may be surprised to hear this, but while I am confident that JT III is the man to lead us to the glory land, I’m not ready to start celebrating yet. I think that a solid performance (and a WIN) against PSU is crucial, and beyond that, while it would be naïve to think that we could beat Illinois, I think we must show up and compete against Illinois, especially on our home court. Especially on our home court if the likes of 007 and others continue to represent the student body and young alums in a “sea of gray.” If we achieve those two goals, then I can say that we will be in a position to legitimize some of our intuitions that this team is capable of finishing higher than the lower tier of the BE.
This is not to say that we can suddenly go crazy and start dreaming of the NCAA’s, or a BET victory, but I for one, think that after what has transpired over the last few seasons, there is every reason to burst with optimism, especially if we continue to make progress along the way.
Now, can we come up with a collective set of criteria, perhaps including but not limited to, a number of wins and losses, as well as some type of other measure for those who are more process-oriented? Perhaps the fact that we have out-rebounded our first three opponents, including a much taller/bigger Temple team, is some statistical indication that we are boxing out and getting better at rebounding. As GIGAFAN pointed out to me, last year, despite beating Davidson at home, we were out-rebounded nonetheless. If you compare last year’s game to this year’s, there is a 14 point rebound swing. That sounds meaningful. What about A/TO ratio? Or the fact that our steals have gone down significantly, but it appears to have resulted in better FG% defense.
Or maybe statistics do not suffice. Maybe we need to look at intangibles, such as ball movement, effort, not blowing leads, making comebacks, playing with passion and fire, coaches involvement, learning not to continue to make the same mistakes, etc.
Anyways you slice it, I’m trying to help those of you out there find MEGAFANLAND. In the words of Jerry McGuire, “Help me, help you.”<br>
I apologize for the long post, but would greatly appreciate any input regarding what we collectively agree would be the metrics by which to measure this years team’s progress. And beyond that…<br>
GO HOYAS!!! BEAT PSU!!!
And where the heck is Giga?
