Scotty-14
Sophomore
Posts: 156
Age: 31
Reg: 10-10-18
|
02-16-22 12:25 PM - Post#336578
In response to DoCtoR62
The point I really want to hammer home here, is that both Ellis and Spear (And in more complex ways Sotos too), were criminally mismanaged and mistreated for stretches of their careers at Bucknell. It's difficult to truly know the reason/s for their departure, but I can't ignore the fact that Spear was knocked by the coaching staff for his inability to defend 5s, when he was obviously a 4. Ellis was benched for much of his sophomore season, before his 3&D ability was miraculously discovered after injuries/illness thrusted him into the starting lineup at American. People may forget how marooned he was to start that season, as he ended up as the top 3-Point Shooter in the PL. Sotos' situation was a bit more complex; however, I remember him getting subbed out before the under-16 TO very often, not allowing him to get into the scoring rhythm we needed from him.
I know this is a truism to some here, but as soon as John Griffin left the program, the wheels came off. Sotos did not develop like Stephen Brown did his Junior/Senior years. A player like Spear was treated like another athlete on the roster and not a diamond in the rough that could be molded into a Mid-Major star.
Stephen Brown, Zach Thomas and Nana Fouland were talented players, but were not expected to be superstars when they stepped on campus. By their senior years, they may have been the best 3 players in the league. I am not sure if I can point to a player developing significantly since Kimbal Mackenzie (JG Last Season).
Lack of talent development and management starts an avalanche of failure that turns a PL Powerhouse who never had a player transfer out of the program into one of the worst Division I teams who struggles to keep it's best players.
|