Phantom sighting II
Just talked to Dave.
Background - blogger fans have been posting since last night (and I have edited or killed most of them waiting to hear from Dave) that Rickie Crews refused to go in the game when Dave was about to put him on the floor in the final minute.
Dave quotes: "With about 22 seconds left I was going to put him in...he said he did not want to go in, his foot hurt. I did now know of Rickie having a sore foot. He did twist his ankle a couple of weeks ago. As far as I knew he was available to play.''
TG to Dave, "Your feeling on that?" Dave quotes "Life is about opportunities. Sometimes you only get limited opportunities. Sometimes you start running out of opportunities.''
TG to Dave, "His status for Saturday night (vs. Mount St. Mary's)?" Dave quotes " He's running out of opportunities, he will be available. I wouldn't count on seeing him go in.''
My take...this may, repeat MAY, have marked the end for Rickie at MU. I guess things can change, he's still on the team as we speak.
I think Rickie, and I don't know how badly his foot hurt, should have gone in. He may not realize the gravity of his situation.
I still hope it works out for him at MU, but even my hope is dimming.
Also...on why Yaniv Sipmson did not play. Calloway quotes "I was not putting him in because he's been injured (knees, shins) I knew, and I told him "There's no need for you to go in now with about 30 seconds left.''
If you're going to comment on Rickie.. Please make it sensible and professional. Wise crack, personal attack type bloggers need not apply.
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
Background - blogger fans have been posting since last night (and I have edited or killed most of them waiting to hear from Dave) that Rickie Crews refused to go in the game when Dave was about to put him on the floor in the final minute.
Dave quotes: "With about 22 seconds left I was going to put him in...he said he did not want to go in, his foot hurt. I did now know of Rickie having a sore foot. He did twist his ankle a couple of weeks ago. As far as I knew he was available to play.''
TG to Dave, "Your feeling on that?" Dave quotes "Life is about opportunities. Sometimes you only get limited opportunities. Sometimes you start running out of opportunities.''
TG to Dave, "His status for Saturday night (vs. Mount St. Mary's)?" Dave quotes " He's running out of opportunities, he will be available. I wouldn't count on seeing him go in.''
My take...this may, repeat MAY, have marked the end for Rickie at MU. I guess things can change, he's still on the team as we speak.
I think Rickie, and I don't know how badly his foot hurt, should have gone in. He may not realize the gravity of his situation.
I still hope it works out for him at MU, but even my hope is dimming.
Also...on why Yaniv Sipmson did not play. Calloway quotes "I was not putting him in because he's been injured (knees, shins) I knew, and I told him "There's no need for you to go in now with about 30 seconds left.''
If you're going to comment on Rickie.. Please make it sensible and professional. Wise crack, personal attack type bloggers need not apply.
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
posted by Tony Graham at 11:55 AM
10 Comments:
Sorry Hayward..I may have killed this by mistake...here it is:
Hayward has left a new comment on your post "Phantom sighting II":
I agree that posting Bunch down low seems to open up the offense and let him get some easy baskets. I didn't know why they didn't try it more before this. He's such a large presense it shouldn't be that hard to do if he catches the ball and keeps it up high.
The concern with this team now is depth or really lack of players. An injury at this point could be severe or these guys may just tire out.
I saw the Calloway - Crews interaction late in the game and was hoping it wasn't what I thought it was. My hopes were dashed.
Re: Bunch. They need to get him the ball down low directly in front of the basket. And he may have to establish himself down there a little more , and then he has to catch it, and NOT put it on the floor.
When he receives the ball on the baseline, on either side, is when he is most vulnerable to tunovers.
But, while surely there are some uncertainties in his offensive game, I believe he is the main reason MU won the NEC last year and could be the difference again this year, if it does.
And his defensive presence in the NEC is often game changing.
I agree with you on the depth issue. They at least need Simpson to chew up some minutes.
In a few moments I will be leaving for MU's 2 pm practice..and will return to the blog this evening....
TG, looks like another one has bit the dust. It just may be one more scholarship for Dave to work with in the up and coming recruiting season. I feel sorry for the guy. He just can't seem to get it together. Maybe he just does not realize that he needs to put forth the extra effort in order to make this thing work for him. It just may be that he has not let the high school fame of his game go. Who knows? - He needs to release the "Crews-Control" button and borrow some "Jet" fuel.
Well I guess what I saw from the stands was true. It is such a shame that kids don't undertand the impact and ramifications that their decisions make down the road. Here is a talented student-athlete who had the opportunity to gain some confidence in his game, his teammates, and coaches and he let it slip right out of his hands.
I'm sure Crews is a good kid and I hope that this all ends positively and he stays with the team and this is just a bump in the road. But based on Dave's comments it looks like the road is coming to an end and that is a shame for such a talented kid.
I bet if he had the opportunity to talk to some of the would-of could-of-should-of players that have come through the Boylan gym doors they would tell him he made a huge mistake by not seizing the moment and going in the game, even if it was just for a few seconds. I like Dave's comments and support them 100%. The coach is the General and you are a soldier. When asked to do a task a do it with no questions asked.
He should take a page from the Steve Bazaz school of basketball. Steve knows each night when he suits up that he will only get an opportunity to play in a game if Monmouth is blowing out the other team. he knows that he will most likely only be in the games for minutes, if not seconds. And what makes him so amazing is that when Dave walks down to the end of the bench and gives Steve the nod he jumps up ready to go with out blinking an eye and runs to the scorers table ready to go in as if there were 10 minutes left in the game. That eagerness and seizing the moment is something that Crews needs to think about.
It's a shame that some how when we (Monmouth) gets these "sort of" top caliber players they never seem to work out or stay and graduate.
If his foot was truly hurting he is the only one that will ever really know that. I just hope that one day, years from now he doesn't look down at that "hurt foot" and say why didn't I just go in the game?
Ricky, if you are reading this, my suggestion to you is this. Run your sprints like you have never run before. Practice like a madman, arrive early for practice and stay late. Talk to the coaches and see what you can do to become a better player. And you may get another "opportunity".
T Graham,
I have never met Rickie Crews, never even seen him. But I have been around the MU hoops program for the the better part of 16 years. I have know Dave since his playing days and throughout his entire coaching career. He does not ask very much of his players. They eare expected to go to class, stay eligible and practice "hard and smart"
The reward for this is playing time and a free college education.
The players have to act more responsible then he average student, but they also get more than the average student and probably get more chances then the average student.
There have been plenty of kids who have come through the program who arrived as the best player from their high school, only to spend most of their time on the bench. Only playing during garbage times. And although they were bitter at the time, most look back on their experience as a positive. They all got a free education because of hoops.
However not one of those players ever refused to go into a game. No matter how much time was left.
So T, tell Rickie to ask a former star like Blake Hamilton, John Giraldo, of Alex Blackwell if they would like to have 30 seconds back on that court. Or former walk ons like Brian Hickman or Jim Earhardt what they would do for an extra 30 seconds of PT. Or any other former player who spent more time on the bench in their 4 years then ever before if they would like those 30 seconds in the sun.
And when your done, wish him luck in whatever college he winds up in next year. He will hardly be missed.
I couldn't agree with the previous comments more! Crews, if you're reading this, don't over look your opportunities at MU. Some guys would pay to be in your basketball position, if they could!
I want to compliment the posters so far for what I consider their sincerity and passion for this subject.
To me this is the most frustrating side of covering college and high school sports, to see players with all the talent in the world, failing to take advantage of it for any number of reasons.
You just want to reach out and shake these athletes until they listen or "get it." And some eventually do. And some never do.
To this day I don't know how many of the MU players read the blog...Dave says he doesn't (he probably figures he has enough problems), though I know Chris Kenny does.
If someone can just make Rickie aware - as has been pointed out here - how fortunate he (or any athlete is) to be in the position as a D 1 scholarship athlete, plus the fact Rickie is a member of a team that has a chance to go to the NCAAs, and how special an experience that is, than this blog may be serving a very worthwhile purpose.
Open note to Ricky Crews:
Ricky, stop and think about the situation. Right now you're locking horns with Calloway, next year, the way it looks, you'll probably be locking horns with another coach somewhere else -- YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO LOSE THOSE BATTLES -- don't even get into them!!
You've already wasted most of your freshman eligibility, and it looks like you're going to waste the rest of it too. If you leave MU after the season, you've also wasted your sophomore eligibility as well (unless to drop down out of Division I).
Is it all worth it? If so, go ahead, quit and leave. I guarantee you the grass WON'T be greener elsewhere -- it's been tried by many before. Just swallow your pride, be a man, apologize for your immaturity to your teammates & your coaches and become a real team player -- you'll be the winner in the end.
At this point I have decided not to provide daily updates on Rickie Crews. It's not through lack of interest on his saga and I will, but only if his situation alters.
As long as he dresses and comes to practices and games I don't feel there's a need to chronicle the every move of a young man who has played a grand total of 11 minutes in one game, no matter his potential.
Of course, if he plays in a game or there is a change in his status, I will update it.
If anyone disagrees please advise.
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