Ok, first off I'm sorry I've slacked on this. I got out of the habit once I went to the hospital and have to get back into the groove of this thing. I will.
The recent losses to me prove one thing: Central is going to have to get more out of its bench. There are two reasons for this. The first is that Central needs more scoring options to take the heat off Joe and Ken. Aaron can be a spark off the bench, and needs to harness his energy to become a solid contributer more consistently.
Marcus, as evidenced by his stretch run last year, can be a beast on the boards while showing a deft scoring touch. I'm pretty sure we'll so those things from him at some point this year. January would be a nice time to start.
2) The second is simple, the fatigue factor. It was a special group in 2007 that went basically 7 deep. The Blue Devils CAN win playing 6, but it sure would be nice to get that total up to 8 or so. At some point, someone's going to need a break. Shemik in particular. And that's in no way a shot at him, it's just that he's playing the toughest position, bangs himself around, and doesn't have a true backup yet.
This team is young, and I firmly believe will close out games next year. This team has the potential to win a LOT of games next year. It will learn to finish off some of these games and get a few more wins. Does that mean 30-5? No. Does it mean they could upset some people> Yes.
Remember, Howie does a great job prepping the guys for NEC play by finding anyone he can to play his guys before NEC play starts. I know some of you will hate to hear this, but in a one-bid league, November and December games really are the preseason. It's great to win those games to avoid the PIG in March, but it's more important to learn about the team and get some experience during those games.
As for the fanatic debate: The truth is somewhere in the middle. I love when people are deeply passionate about Central. That's the kind of fan the Blue Devils need more of. People who will come no matter who they're playing and care about the team even during the tough times. Look at the bandwagon crash UConn is suffering from right now. The diehards who are there all the time are the real fans, and the ones the program should care about the most.
However, being a die-hard doesn't give you licence to go crazy. You have to look at the games almost from a gambling perspective. There are games Central is a big underdog in going into the games and games they should win. Being a die-hard and hoping the best for your team doesn't mean you should overshoot expectations. Would it have been nice if CCSU had held on at Rhody? It would have been huge. But it would have been a big upset. That team had Duke dead to rights. (They would get killed 9 of 10 times, but on that day they played great) and has one of the best shooters in the country.
It was great the way CCSU hung in against BC, and I think the last 10 minutes, when the Devils prevented the game from getting ugly with a couple of tough-minded runs to keep the game under 20, set the tone for the rest of the year. That stretch sparked the comeback against Albany and some of the big efforts Central has given those die-hards this year.
So remember: passion is great, as long as it's realistic. Central isn't joining a bigger conference anytime soon, there's no giant stadium coming, and the basketball team isn't going to go undefeated. You can get upset about bad losses. CCSU was up 4 with 62 seconds left against Colgate, it never should have come down to a last shot. You could even say they should have won at Albany. But don't lose sight of the times CCSU is the underdog. Albany would have been an upset on the road. URI would have been a big upset.
Be a die-hard, but be objective and realistic. Know when your team should win and know when you're just being greedy. And be thankful for the good efforts you're getting out of a young team that will only get better.
And as always, enjoy the Ken Horton Show.
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