by vivid_dude » Fri Dec 15, 2023 10:01 am
Prepare yourselves. My megaphone is on full blast, and I’ve installed a pedestal on top of a soapbox on top of my high horse. But Good Lord Almighty, some of the takes in this thread need a reckoning.
First, a reminder, Creighton is coming off an Elite Eight appearance and has twice been voted into the Top 8 of the country this season. The Jays earned and deserve all of that. And now we earned to likely drop, pending the game with Alabama. You can’t take these achievements or recognition away from the players because your feelings are a certain way.
Can some of you please have some perspective? These inexplicable losses happen every year. And most years, Mac has proven himself to be able to adjust and find a way to exceed the doom and gloom expectations short-sighted fans (of which there are too many in this thread) have of the team.
Mac has built this program to be near the top of college basketball. How? With a style of #LetitFly. We are one of the best offensive teams in the country. Defense has improved dramatically in recent years (because of the disinterested, mono-ridden, soft, quitting, embarrassing Kalk). We can’t be that AND have a bunch of above-the-rim athletes AND run 11 deep off the bench, etc. Yes, losing R2 and Kaluma hurt with shot-creators. We went out and found some good replacements. Not perfect replacements, but considering the market, we were all happy.
#LetitFly is an effective, imperfect style that has taken Creighton to heights few expected them to ever achieve. Here’s that word again: PERSPECTIVE.
But this thread? Wow...
The hilarious Kalk hate
“Kalk looks like he has mono again” – Hardwood
“Kalk is soft” Trifecta
“(Kalk) probably doesn’t want to be there anymore.” – Outlaw_Wales
“Ryan Kalkbrenner should be embarrassed.” – bluejayfan00
“Kalkbrenner is not intimidating in the least.” – Trifecta
“Kalk doesn’t care.” – ingregwetrust
“Big East is DROOLING at the prospect of playing (Kalk).” – Outlaw_Wales
What game are you watching? He consistently beats his guy up and down the floor. The guy he's guarding almost never gets an offensive rebound. I can assure you that the Big East is not DROOLING over playing the two-time conference defensive player of the year. Conversely, they will be devising their entire offensive and defensive schemes with him in mind. He impacts games in ways ignorant basketball fans will never appreciate. Because one opponent has a career game against him, he's a bum?
Kalk had a solid box score last night. You can’t discount that because you feel a certain way. And Kalk’s value is always shortchanged by counting stats because of how he impacts the games in so many other ways. While his opponent had a good night, about 10 of those points were contested, six to eight foot hook shots, that bounced around the rim a bunch and fell. I don’t think Kalk’s guy got one offensive rebound. I’m not saying it was great, but it wasn’t anywhere near as described by the clown car cast of characters cited in the quotes above.
Ashworth
“Ashworth is absolute garbage.” – HandsDownManDown
Beyond this personal, unproductive, hot-take insult toward a college kid, I’d call many of the criticisms of Ash’s play fair up to this point. However, again, PERSPECTIVE. He’s played a handful of games. Look at the majority of CU’s transfers over the years. Whether it’s Hawkins, Baylor, Huff, Farabello, etc. There was an adjustment period and learning curve. We are a handful of games into the season, in a new system, with new teammates. Mac and his teammates rave about him – he’s still finding his place.
Trey
“Trey is a middle of the road player in the BE. He looked great against cupcake competition but throw real athletic players at him and all sorts of weaknesses are exposed” – Alphawalt
This may be the worst take in the history of the BJU. Two years ago, Trey was on the All Big East Freshman team. Last year, he was honorable mention all-conference. Four games ago, national pundits were putting him on the watch list for the All America status because of his hot start. In his career, he has played some of his best basketball in the very tough Big East and in the NCAA tournament, against top notch, athletic competition and crushed it. To have Alphawalt’s opinion based on a three or four-game slump, when Trey has the credentials, videotape, stats and reputation to objectively refute it, is mind-blowing. Some people aren’t mentally or emotionally equipped to express sensible opinions during a bad game.
It's a slump. He didn’t forget how to play basketball. Can’t wait to see how Alphawalt’s take holds up by the end of the year.
Thankfully, not everyone is an overly-emotional, short-sighted, over-reactionary, goofy Husker-like fan.
“It’s okay to post negative comments about the effort. But to extrapolate from a bad night some of the apocalyptic comments is an unreasonable overreaction.” – ICBluejays
“I don't think there is any reason to criticize Kalk's effort or motivation.” – OKBluejay
Chicagojayfan is always measured and doesn’t let his emotions go nuts on him.
R-E-L-A-X. It’s okay to criticize the play, but some of the shit in this thread is so over-the-top, it’s embarrassing. Get some perspective.
