Eskie Joe'sAngelito has an assassin's soul. Angel took the lead early with a 3 to tie it, a steal and then a layup. 5 points in a flurry. He shows ability in a flash. He creates opportunities from nothing. His heat check three was a thing of beauty. He is everything that our other guards are not. He has imagination and courage and flair. There will be times when these attributes serve to destroy and not create, and we have already seen these times, but more importantly he has "it." He has the swag, he has the cojones, he will not be denied. When Angel stepped to the line with the game still balancing precariously on his shoulders. His eyes looked tired, sunken, like a zombie from Thriller. But they did not blink and they did not show one ounce of doubt. He was looking through the hoop and staring down the death rattle of Oklahoma State's curse. He is at his best when there is chaos, the other point has speed up and he can sag in to passing lanes. Then he's out on the break. That is becoming a weapon. Instead of the 3-2 I think the trap could develop in to our finishing move. We need something to put the foot on the throat of opponents once we get in to our run.
Jamar owned the paint. Jamar wanted this one. 12 boards. Got to the line, frustrated the opposition, played great basketball. He had a lot of other people's work to do and he stepped up to the occasion. There's something about this team that allows Jamar to shine when the chips are down. I wouldn't have thought that would be where he'd be. He is so much more comfortable when he is not the leader, when it doesn't have to be all about him. He lives to work hard, but he doesn't want the world on his shoulders. Rodney's development has had knock-on effects I couldn't have imagined.
You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might just find, you get what you need Frankites Unite! Who knows what the deal is with JO. Some say this, others that. I'm not ITK, never have been, doubt I ever will unless Fitz gets hauled off and goEMAW starts rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ashley Dunkak, Austin Meek, Cole Manbeck and Rob Cassidy. As it stands, speculation is all we have and largely it is beside the point. I think Frank is aware that the leadership on the team is precarious. And Frank concerns himself with leadership. For as much flailing around as Frank does on the sidelines, he needs players to lead. To this end, I believe Frank is protective of what Rodney has done, the time he's invested in Jamar and Will and Angel and the rest of the team. This war is not won and there is a lot of work to do, but I think the path is being paved. On this topic, there has been a lot of talk about sausages. I'm not one to turn down a good food analogy, but I don't know if it is an apt comparison. Often times, people are judge the the team before it is complete. It is not a tired cliche to say that Frank's priority is success in the NCAA tournament. College Basketball is not an odd sport, it has a playoff at the end of the season that determines the champion. I think what causes all of our heartburn is a do or die college football mentality to every game. It serves the crowd well in the Octagon of Doom, but I don't think it serves our psyche's too well. That may just be our cross to bear, but being aware of it helps.
Guards The guards boarded so hard and were tough. Will was not at his best and Martavious and Angel stepped up. It is heartening to see the team function like this. Frank has said that he does not and will not respect "roles" on the team. This team is a swiss army knife and Frank has spent most of the year pulling out the different pieces. I think he knows where they all are and Tay is an important piece. Tay played the second most minutes and he was a calming influence. Really good game for him. 6 boards too. Good for him. Will had 8 and 5, not bad but he will bounce back with his shot.
AAAAAAAADRIAAAN! and vic. BIG MAN ON THE BOARDS! I think Frank may have brainwashed Diaz into believing that he really is playing his brother every game. Alternate theory: maybe Frank has set up some sort of dark room like in Saw deep within Bramlage where he's holding JO.....and only Diaz and Vic playing solid minutes can save him. Well, I'm on the edge of my seat Frank. Bravo! 38 minutes for the disabled duo and it was digestible, but probably not very healthy for you (sausage analogy back in play!).
Rodney is so Rodney right now Man. Sometimes I just wait for him to flash a million dollar smile and melt hearts. If you could take Rodney and Shane and make a baby. You'd have one hell of a hero, dropping panties and treys all over creation. But Rodney's terrified face whenever he dunks is reward enough. There is no sense being greedy. He did something that Jacob did not do, that Beasley did not do, that Cartier did not do, that Gilson DeJesus did not do. I've expected great things from Rodney and he is rewarding us. Enjoy this cat fans. Enjoy every second of it.
Bitter Buffy'sThe refs were awful. Anytime you have two technicals in a game without a physical altercation to be spoken of, the referees have lost control of the game. Full stop. I didn't see what shenanigans Travis was up to, but unless he literally asked for it, it was probably unwarranted. As for Gip? That was the weakest T I've seen in a long while. The foul was a bad call too. What a double whammy. Absurd.
The Jet just crashed at the airshow. He is out of control almost all the time he's on the floor. The defense is not good, but that has been discussed ad nauseam, the problem is his offense is not producing right now. Where the hell is Nino?
Nino is the toothpick in the swiss army knife Frank lost him.
Shane is completely anonymous. How is it possible? 9 minutes of sadness.
Can't do
GOATS UP/
GOATS DOWN! WE'RE JUST RUNNIN' TOO GOOD RIGHT NOW!
ALL-TIME LOW GOAT!
