3 important facts that we need to remember -
1) We were in a position to win last nights game with a few 3 pt misses from Price and some tough defensive stops.
2) Acker had zero turnovers.
3) UCONN is ranked number 2 in the nation
the thing is.. I'm not depressed or anything about the impact this has had on the team's chances of significant success.. I'm more feeling sad for what this means to DJ. It really is a downright shame and I really do feel bad for the kid. The nightmare that I want to wake up from is completely centered around the fact that he won't be able to participate in the stretch that he, arguably, has spent his career at Marquette preparing for. The team as a whole will do as it will and I will enjoy going to the @Louisville and @Pittsburgh games and cheering on the warriors. Last night showed me that we have a good chance to continue what he has helped start - no frowns there.
i was just saying the same thing to a coworker. we were in that game till the very end. it wasn't like James got injured with 3:00 to go and we lost the game. we played that whole game without him and held our own against a BIG #2 team. did we miss him on the court, hell yeah. but this team will survive.
I too am only bummed today because of how James ended his career at MU. Anyone that has ever played a competitive sport knows this is the worst way to go out. You can't help but hope for the best with DJ. that kid put his heart and soul into the program and should have been playing till the very end. he was and always will be Marquette Basketball.
I think DJ will be very involved and it could help acker immensely down the stretch
I agree completely Spiral. The loss of James hurts our chances, but I feel worse for James than I do for our chances. To think that he would get hurt during the first 4 minutes of the stretch run of his Senior year, he must be devastated. I'm devastated for him.
Quote from: AlumKCof93 on February 26, 2009, 01:06:55 PM
I agree completely Spiral. The loss of James hurts our chances, but I feel worse for James than I do for our chances. To think that he would get hurt during the first 4 minutes of the stretch run of his Senior year, he must be devastated. I'm devastated for him.
+1
His whole career ended up being centered around these final games. To end it in this manner is absolutely terrible. I've been feeling like crap since last night and all through the morning. Now I have to step back and think that James is feeling this too but multiplied by 10..or 100 or 1000...What he feels right now is probably not palpable for us. :-[
Playing #2 tight until the very end and losing hurts me not at all. Helluva game. Losing DJ that way, after all he has done and what he has meant to the MU nation is heartbreaking. Being snakebit with injuries at the end of the year for the 3rd time in 5 years is so frustrating. These guys DESERVED a deep run.
I'm gonna take the optimistic view, and I'm inspired by this quote from the movie "Apollo 13:"
NASA Director: This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever faced.
Gene Kranz: With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.
DJ will be part of this, just like Ken Mattingly (played in the move by Gary Sinese) was on that mission.
(If you're not familiar with the story, Mattingly was medically disqualified to go on the Apollo 13 mission, but he was critically instrumental in returning the disabled spacecraft and its crew safely back to Earth.)
Quote from: MARQKC on February 26, 2009, 02:10:24 PM
I'm gonna take the optimistic view, and I'm inspired by this quote from the movie "Apollo 13:"
NASA Director: This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever faced.
Gene Kranz: With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.
DJ will be part of this, just like Ken Mattingly (played in the move by Gary Sinese) was on that mission.
(If you're not familiar with the story, Mattingly was medically disqualified to go on the Apollo 13 mission, but he was critically instrumental in returning the disabled spacecraft and its crew safely back to Earth.)
+1. Failure is not an option.
Quote from: mviale on February 26, 2009, 12:24:39 PM
3 important facts that we need to remember -
1) We were in a position to win last nights game with a few 3 pt misses from Price and some tough defensive stops.
2) Acker had zero turnovers.
3) UCONN is ranked number 2 in the nation
nice to see you have come off the ledge... i was worried about you in the chat last night. :)
Acker may have had zero turnovers but he was abused over and over. When the game was close all they did was post him up or give the ball to whomever Acker was guarding since he didn't stand a chance since he couldn't keep his man in front of him. Acker is to short, small and he is not fast enough!
If I'm Louisville I would post up Acker or make my players go one on one since he will have to hand check or he will just allow the guy to blow right past him. Plus I would press him too since Cubes cannot do anything on the basketball court.
As much as I could not stand James offensive game he was a decent defender and we needed him since there was basically no deph on the bench since none was recruited the last 3 years.
I noticed that most of Price's shots were beyond the arc - 13/20 to be exact. If that is what you call being dominated on defense, i will take those chances.
Quote from: SCdem@MU on February 26, 2009, 02:27:26 PM
nice to see you have come off the ledge... i was worried about you in the chat last night. :)
Thanks man - i am back on the koolaid
Quote from: thatman32 on February 26, 2009, 02:37:38 PM
As much as I could not stand James offensive game he was a decent defender and we needed him since there was basically no deph on the bench since none was recruited the last 3 years.
Yeah, it was painful to watch a point guard that almost never turned the ball over, was a threat to blow by a defender all the time and could finish at the rim. Was DJ's shooting worthy of criticism-yes, but beyond that (especially this year when he limited his attempts) it is ridiculous not to recognize and appreciate what he brought to the table. I have been constantly amazed since joining this board how many people don't seem to get what an asset DJ was in terms of handling the ball, keeping the D honest and being a leader. I have a feeling DJ will be far more appreciated now that he's gone.