Which happened first? A media outlet blew a story out of proportion and fudged the facts in the interest of a hot story? Or a coach fudged his or her interest in an open job and toyed with the affections of fans?
That is the chicken-or-the-egg place we are at with the Gregg Marshall-and-South Carolina story. He thinks the attention to the story is overblown and the media is treating him and his family unfairly. As far as I can tell, most of his gripe is with talk radio and TV. KGSO’s Chris Allison gave him a chance to identify the mistakes. Marshall declined, although he later said a report stated he is friends with South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier. In fact, they have never met, Marshall said Tuesday. I can find that reference here at the KWCH Web site. I don’t know if it has been repeated elsewhere. Read More »
The Shockers played a solid first half. They fouled too much and shot poorly. But they are in the game. Last season, WSU trailed by 15 at halftime. Read More »
Robert Crow is in his second year covering SIU. Here is his take on today’s game, and why SIU can still be a factor in the Valley race. Read More »
SIU Arena might be my favorite road gym in the Valley. It’s just that – a gym. It’s a basketball place, not a multi-purpose ice hockey/concert/tractor pull place. No luxury boxes or boosters sipping wine coolers at courtside. It does desperately need an update, and one is scheduled. SIU built it in 1962 and the school’s deferred maintenance plan immediately kicked in. I like it because it’s the kind of place you walk into and immediately feel all the great games of the past. Walt Frazier. Dick Garrett. Mike Glenn. Basketball fans have been cramming into this same gym and these same seats for over 40 years to watch basketball. It’s a lot like Koch Arena. Read More »
January is not your typical time for coaching rumors. With the retirement of South Carolina’s Dave Odom, we’ve got one. WSU coach Gregg Marshall’s name naturally came up as a successor. His success for nine years at Winthrop, located in Rock Hill, S.C., makes his a logical name to toss around.
WSU practiced at Southern Illinois on Friday afternoon. After a pretty good practice, Marshall said he was aware of the Odom story and the connections to him. He said he wanted to first focus on Saturday’s game. Monday, he will release a statement after consulting with athletic director Jim Schaus. Read More »
There is a good chance Shocker fans will watch Antiquawn Beckham of New Hampton (N.H.) Prep next season. Might be in a WSU uniform. Might be in the uniform of an MVC rival. Beckham, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound combo guard, is checking out WSU, Creighton, Bradley and Northern Iowa, in addition to schools such as UAB, Fresno State and Fordham. Read More »
WSU worked out at Illinois Wesleyan on Thursday morning. Lots of running. Lots of challenging. Assistant coach Earl Grant and graduate assistant Dana Ford gave emphatic talks advising the players to stop feeling sorry for themselves, help out teammates, toughen up, play hard, hate losing and have fun. They spoke with the perspective of guys finished with their playing career. Unfortunately, sometimes that wisdom only comes with age. Read More »
Fun week starts today (Thursday) for Wichita State baseball. The days start with weights, which aren’t so much fun. It gets better after that.
Fun week is the baseball team’s annual team-building time. The Shockers are divided randomly into four teams. Then they get busy on the basketball court, bowling lanes, racquetball courts etc. to win points. On Sunday, they get points for bringing in a church bulletin. They watch “Cloverfield” together. Saturday, they will watch the SIU basketball game in the All-American Club at Eck Stadium.
That fun lasts until Monday. Tuesday, WSU starts individual drills. Real practice starts on Feb. 1.
Boston Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli will be the featured speaker at the First Pitch Banquet on Feb. 4 at the Marriott.
The Shockers are staying here today. They practice at 11 a.m. at Illinois Wesleyan (former home of Jack Sikma). Tonight, they will go to Robertson Field House to watch the WSU women play Bradley in a matchup of the MVC’s worst teams. Both are winless. Friday, WSU buses south to Carbondale. Saturday, it’s SIU in a 2 p.m. game. Read More »
Illinois State’s defense is dominating this game. WSU can barely get into its offense at times. The Redbirds are bigger, quicker and more athletic and they are using that to great advantage. They are in the passing lanes and forcing WSU to catch passes way out on the court. Inside, Anthony Slack’s shot-blocking is quite discouraging for WSU. WSU gets a few open shots and not nearly enough are going in. Read More »