Cinderella |
Cinderella
I have heard from several readers of this blog, listeners from my radio show or friends calling and texting in the past 48 hours on the subject of the latest Cinderella teams in this year's NCAA tournament. Several have asked, "If Florida Gulf Coast can have this kind of program, why can't Clemson?" Or they may say, "How can LaSalle recruit players good enough to do what they have done in the NCAA tournament and we can't?" The last thing I want to do is take away from the accomplishments of Florida Gulf Coast or LaSalle but we must also remember that these are two teams that got hot at the right time. We have to remember that neither Florida Gulf Coast or LaSalle won their regular season title this year. Florida Gulf Coast went 12-5 in the Atlantic Sun with losses to Stetson, Mercer and Lipscomb. LaSalle went 11-5 in the difficult Atlantic 10 this season. I don't want our program to be a one-hit wonder. We have been that before. Stability and identity is more important than catching lightening in a bottle. We have seen one-hit wonders. We saw 14th-seeded Cleveland State make it to the Sweet 16 in 1986. How have they been since? Anyone want to be be on par with their program? Remember Chattanooga making the Sweet 16 in 1997 as a 14th seed? There are plenty of examples of 13 seeds shocking the world in two games. Richmond did it in 1998. How have the Spiders faired since? Valparaiso captured our hearts in 1998 and have had some decent teams since but I want to be more than Valpo. We have seen Bradley reach the Sweet 16 in 2006 and Ohio last season but I don't want to trade places with the Braves or Bobcats. If we are honest, we can admit that Clemson has been that kind of program in the past. We have seen a Sweet 16 season followed up with little sustained success. We have been Cleveland State, UTC, Richmond, Valpo, Bradley and Ohio. I want to be more than a flash in the pan. So I suggest we change our questions today. We should be focusing on ascending up the standings in the Atlantic Coast Conference. That task is about to become more difficult with the addition of Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Notre Dame. We need to figure out how we can compete with those new powers who join North Carolina, Duke, NC State and the rest of the powers in the ACC. We need to figure out how to do what FSU did last year and Miami did this year in winning the ACC tournament. We have had short-term success when Rick Barnes and Oliver Purnell made some noise within the conference but sustaining it has become difficult. Can FSU? Can Miami? The marching orders of our basketball program should be consistency. We need to try to build a program and not a team. That task has proven to be one of the most difficult in the athletic department over the last 60 years. I get the feeling Dan Radokovich wants a new arena and maybe that will be the catalyst to more consistency. We have tried a lot of other things, maybe this is what is needed. I am not sure that is the answer but at least it is an attempt to make basketball more of a priority. I love March Madness and excitement that Cinderellas like Florida Gulf Coast and LaSalle have brought to the sports world in the past four days. But I hope we don't use these teams as our barometer. Great temporary stories? Yes. Our goal? No. Prayer List We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines: If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it. If you would like to add someone to the list please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com *Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list. Those who need our prayers include: Finn Brookover, Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Daniel Rosborough, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, the Nicolopulos family, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle family, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, the Thomas. V Family, Emary Claire Young, Kitty Bowers,Julie Locke, the Scheider family, Lauren Kittles' family, Frank Gentry, Joyce Bussey, Stacey McKeown, Dale Childs, Larry Lentz, Jr, Carl Sharperson, Scott Hannon, William Perry, Tyler Swaney, Lillian, Mark Feit, David Frame, Chad Berry, the family of Matthew M. Watson, the Dowis family, Shervin Messer, Alan Putnam, the Olivers, Lee Tate, Ronnie Abrams, Eddie Greene, the Jackson family, Bill Vader, Jim Taylor, Tina DeWitt, Rock Horne, Christopher Tuten, Bobby Wayne Thomas, Emma and Danielle Carothers, Robert Ditty, Mr. and Mrs. Murray Smith, Dot Cartee, Ayden Mills, Millie Heatley, Lynn Martin and family, Michael Pinson, Jake David family, Angie Crowley, Ira, Mike Tolson, Poly Wells, Dr. Muriel Bishop, Jack Cunningham, Emily Jefford Meister, Zachary Stoller, Aaron Clackum, Pat James, Cortney Moore, William Moore, Angelia and Savannah Anderson, William Ross, Meredith Legg, Scott Johns, Frank Carroll, Brandon Thompson, Alvin Sammons, Georgine McAlhaney, Glen Davis, Mike Price, Clay Childers, Aaron Knight, Danielle Johnston and family, Nicholas Abrams, Lana Kuykendall, Gary, Gary G., William Huggins, Jim Bennett, Chantz Fowler, Ethel McElveen, Michele Gurganus, William Gentry, Lewis Usher and Tanya Sanders, Shon Cooper, Nick Collins, Travis Patterson, Amanda Peake, Danny Hammond, Chip Turner, Nick Collins, Allen Steen, The Sturkey Family, the Lance family, Marcus Lattimore, Nick Chrisley's family, Allison Williams, Lt. Kyle Walker, Summer and Joel Johnson, Nicole O'Donnell, James O. Johnson, Joy Pruett and family, Patrick Heher, Bill Schmidt, Jack Bailey, Bill Early, Gardner Family, Charles Turner, Kathy Bartholomew, Ray Sanders, David and Robin Blocker, J.R. Ray, Kenneth Kowe, Lauren Sielicki, Doug Bailey and family, Johnnie Walker, Jenna Phipps, Mark Lawrence, Harlan Sullins, Peter Laboy, Kat and Carlisle Jones, our great country and the men and women in uniform that protect and serve it every day plus their families.The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency
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