LincolnJay
11-07-2006, 02:16 PM
I think we know which group of WSU fans hang out here!!:lol: :lol: :lol:
Aim for perspective, you Shocker faithful
Two Wichita State basketball fans are sitting on a park bench.
One has his head screwed on straight, is rational and sees Shocker basketball through a prism of realism. The other, not so much. His head is still spinning from last season's Sweet 16 appearance, his appetite for bigger and better still voracious. He has tasted success and he wants more.
This is their conversation.
Rational fan: I'm just so thankful to have a great basketball program at Wichita State. It's so much fun to go to the games and to watch these fine players. Aren't we lucky to have Mark Turgeon?
Irrational fan: Yeah, it's about time we were good. I'm telling you, now that we've gotten to a Sweet 16, the sky's the limit. We can't stop there. We have to keep getting better. There's no reason WSU can't get to a Final Four every now and then. I mean, come on.
Rational fan: Whoa, fella. Those are the kinds of expectations that make it less fun to be a Shocker fan. Why can't we just enjoy what we have? Look, just because we got to a Sweet 16 last year doesn't mean we're going to get to the Sweet 16 every year. Or even that we're going to make the NCAA Tournament. But I do believe this: Turgeon is the kind of coach who will always make us competitive. And we have a program we can be proud of.
Irrational fan: A program we can be proud of? Are you kidding? Sure, I'm proud of the program. But if we stop making NCAA Tournaments and stop winning league championships, I'm not going to be very proud. There is no way this basketball program can take a step back. I spend a lot of money on my season tickets. I expect big things.
Rational fan: Well, I think we're all expecting big things this season. But even if the team is as good as we think it will be, I think it's silly to expect another Sweet 16. Once you get into the NCAA Tournament, it's all about the luck of the draw. Let's admit, last year the Shockers were pretty lucky. Seton Hall in the first round? That wasn't much of a team. And we got the perfect time to play Tennessee.
Irrational fan: What are you talking about? Tennessee was a Top 10 team at times last season and we thumped 'em. And if we had shot better, we'd have whooped George Mason and made it to the Elite Eight. Luck of the draw, schmuck of the draw. We should have been playing Connecticut last year with a chance to get to the Final Four. Until that happens, I won't be happy.
Rational fan: You do realize WSU has been to one Final Four in its existence, right? And those were much different times in college basketball. Please don't hold this program to such high standards. You're setting yourself up to be unsatisfied.
Irrational fan: Listen, pal, I love Turgeon and all these players. But if you're not going forward, you're going backward. And unless we get to the Sweet 16 against this year, with a real chance to go farther, I'm going to be concerned. I don't want this program slipping back to where it was during the 1990s.
Rational fan: The 1990s? We're so far removed from the '90s, it's not even funny. We have an outstanding coach who just signed a 10-year contract extension. Recruiting is going well. There are only three seniors on this team, so the future is good. Things couldn't be better.
Irrational fan: Boy, are you pollyanish. We're getting all of this preseason hype and my big fear is that we'll go out this season and lay an egg. Oh, we might win 20 games, but what if we don't win the Missouri Valley Conference championship? What if we have to struggle to get into the NCAA Tournament? That's unacceptable. Turgeon better not get soft now that he's making all that money.
Rational fan: Turgeon soft? I don't think there's any amount of money that could make Turgeon soft. He's the most driven person I know. He won't ever be soft. I can't wait for the opener.
Irrational fan: Well, I can't wait for the opener, either. But it's those road games we have to play this season at George Mason, LSU, Wyoming and Syracuse that scare the heck out of me. We better win three of those games.
Rational fan: Oh, brother.
Which kind of fan are you?
Aim for perspective, you Shocker faithful
Two Wichita State basketball fans are sitting on a park bench.
One has his head screwed on straight, is rational and sees Shocker basketball through a prism of realism. The other, not so much. His head is still spinning from last season's Sweet 16 appearance, his appetite for bigger and better still voracious. He has tasted success and he wants more.
This is their conversation.
Rational fan: I'm just so thankful to have a great basketball program at Wichita State. It's so much fun to go to the games and to watch these fine players. Aren't we lucky to have Mark Turgeon?
Irrational fan: Yeah, it's about time we were good. I'm telling you, now that we've gotten to a Sweet 16, the sky's the limit. We can't stop there. We have to keep getting better. There's no reason WSU can't get to a Final Four every now and then. I mean, come on.
Rational fan: Whoa, fella. Those are the kinds of expectations that make it less fun to be a Shocker fan. Why can't we just enjoy what we have? Look, just because we got to a Sweet 16 last year doesn't mean we're going to get to the Sweet 16 every year. Or even that we're going to make the NCAA Tournament. But I do believe this: Turgeon is the kind of coach who will always make us competitive. And we have a program we can be proud of.
Irrational fan: A program we can be proud of? Are you kidding? Sure, I'm proud of the program. But if we stop making NCAA Tournaments and stop winning league championships, I'm not going to be very proud. There is no way this basketball program can take a step back. I spend a lot of money on my season tickets. I expect big things.
Rational fan: Well, I think we're all expecting big things this season. But even if the team is as good as we think it will be, I think it's silly to expect another Sweet 16. Once you get into the NCAA Tournament, it's all about the luck of the draw. Let's admit, last year the Shockers were pretty lucky. Seton Hall in the first round? That wasn't much of a team. And we got the perfect time to play Tennessee.
Irrational fan: What are you talking about? Tennessee was a Top 10 team at times last season and we thumped 'em. And if we had shot better, we'd have whooped George Mason and made it to the Elite Eight. Luck of the draw, schmuck of the draw. We should have been playing Connecticut last year with a chance to get to the Final Four. Until that happens, I won't be happy.
Rational fan: You do realize WSU has been to one Final Four in its existence, right? And those were much different times in college basketball. Please don't hold this program to such high standards. You're setting yourself up to be unsatisfied.
Irrational fan: Listen, pal, I love Turgeon and all these players. But if you're not going forward, you're going backward. And unless we get to the Sweet 16 against this year, with a real chance to go farther, I'm going to be concerned. I don't want this program slipping back to where it was during the 1990s.
Rational fan: The 1990s? We're so far removed from the '90s, it's not even funny. We have an outstanding coach who just signed a 10-year contract extension. Recruiting is going well. There are only three seniors on this team, so the future is good. Things couldn't be better.
Irrational fan: Boy, are you pollyanish. We're getting all of this preseason hype and my big fear is that we'll go out this season and lay an egg. Oh, we might win 20 games, but what if we don't win the Missouri Valley Conference championship? What if we have to struggle to get into the NCAA Tournament? That's unacceptable. Turgeon better not get soft now that he's making all that money.
Rational fan: Turgeon soft? I don't think there's any amount of money that could make Turgeon soft. He's the most driven person I know. He won't ever be soft. I can't wait for the opener.
Irrational fan: Well, I can't wait for the opener, either. But it's those road games we have to play this season at George Mason, LSU, Wyoming and Syracuse that scare the heck out of me. We better win three of those games.
Rational fan: Oh, brother.
Which kind of fan are you?