Oh boy, I had no idea there were so many chickens named "Little" among us. I mean, I nearly got run over by one before the game when he was running for the mini donut stand with only two thoughts on his mind: "Mini Donuts" and "Kenny Lawson is terrible." During a timeout in the first half as I was up getting a beer, one of them actually said TO ME that "I can't believe we failed to draw 10,000 people, this is pathetic." At halftime I had a chicken named Little spill beer on me because he was using his hands to illustrate what he apparently felt his words couldn't convey alone, namely that "If we're not making shots, we suck." These are just three examples, I have many more fine examples but I don't want to give credibility to chickens named Little by talking about them on a fine blog such as this. Ah, who am I kidding, of course I want to. That's what blogs are for.
For those of you scoring at home, this is called "Me taking the bait."
Kenny Lawson is terrible. Um, no he isn't. Dude is a sophomore, and not everyone can be Rodney Buford and be the most dominant player ever right away. That's why Rodney is called Sir Rodney in some circles. I seem to remember a big man who also struggled mightily as a sophomore, a guy who despite his considerable size seemed to play soft and at one point was close to being asked to leave the program. That player is now in the NBA (well, he was; he's currently in the D-League but that does not ruin my analogy one bit, sorry to disappoint). Two words: Anthony Tolliver. From all accounts, Lawson has the work ethic and the skills, he just needs experience and to grow into his body. He's not terrible at the moment, either, incidentally. He has good games and bad games. So does everyone else not named Rodney Buford.
As for Chad Millard backing him up, while its unfortunate, its not his fault he's being asked to play out of position for the benefit of the team. He played 30 minutes last night due to Lawson's foul trouble, and was absolutely gassed by the end but played pretty well. There was a day when a player of Millard's considerable talents would have been embraced by Jays fans, not ripped to shreds for what he ain't. Remember Nerijus Karlikanovas, a big man who frequently played the "5" although he was better suited for the "4", and who should have played with a red cape because he played defense like he was a bullfighter? How about Big Al Huss, who was a fantastic human being but not the most talented player? Big Al played a ton of minutes backing up Doug Swenson and later, Karlikanovas (yes, Nerijus started in 99-00. You could look it up) and even Livan Pyfrom. Big Al would have been the Dustin Sitzmann of those teams if Chad Millard had played back then. Just sayin'.
To sum, Lawson doesn't suck, nor does Millard.
I can't believe we failed to draw 10,000 people, this is pathetic. Here's the thing, Little Chicken. Monday night Creighton played a school ranked 343 out of 343 in Division 1 on a night when your, ahem, lower extremities might well freeze off if not properly shielded from the arctic cold. Oh, and did I mention it was during Finals week?
The last time Southern visited Omaha, they were similarly terrible and the game took place on a similarly frigid December evening. I distinctly remember going to that game and sitting amidst about 25 fellow students in what only the most brazen of reporters could call a "student section." The announced crowd was 3215, but there was no way there were that many people there. And Creighton was GOOD. Rodney Buford was in his junior year, about to lead Creighton to the NCAA Tourney. Sir Rodney got a double double in that game. Ryan Sears and Ben Walker were just starting to become dominant. The Civic had plenty of beer for sale. Only 3215 people showed up, and no one complained. The prevailing thought seemed to be, "I can't believe we got 3K to show up on a night this cold against a team so awful."
Have we become so spoiled that failing to draw 10K for a terrible team poses as conversation? Really? Yes, Creighton has 13,500-odd season ticket holders. But last night's crowd, while small, would have sold out the Civic Auditorium. I will no longer engage is this discussion, because it is ridiculous. You bet.
If we're not making shots, we suck. Last time I checked, the object of basketball is to outscore the other team. Every team loses if they don't make shots, unless you're Wisconsin in the late 90s and prefer to turn a game into a race to 40 points. Yes, I know if you play good defense and rebound well you have a better chance on nights when you aren't red hot from the floor. I get it. This ain't my first row-day-oh, cowboy. But this particular edition of the Creighton Bluejays gets energy for defense from their offense. They're not the first Creighton team under Altman with that trait, incidentally. The shots will fall more often than they won't, and having one of the rare "off" nights against a team they beat by double-digits anyway actually makes me optimistic.
In summation, the sky isn't falling, despite what these chickens named Little who are running amok among us are screaming. If I may, I'd like to get serious for a moment.
Things are never as good as they seem, and never as bad as they seem. After blowing out St. Joseph's and Dayton, people were ecstatic. After struggling in back-to-back games against Northern Colorado and Southern, people are upset and down on the team. When they go beat Fresno State and St. Louis (or DePaul) next week, people will be ecstatic again. Remember when that happens, things are never as good as they seem, nor as bad as they seem. Its more fun if you stay level, because you can enjoy the games AND make fun of the people running around thinking the team stinks. Starting a blog to make pithy comments that no one reads is also a fabulous option.
You bet.
*****
Today's Polyfro Player of the Game is brought to you by the Sand Eeago Chicken. His people contacted my people when they saw the number of Chicken Littles running around claiming the sky is falling. Figured this was their perfect target market, because their marketing research shows that Chicken Littles like watching guys in Chicken suits make fun of referees and such. And who am I to turn down funny munny for a non-existant sponsorship of a minor feature on a blog no one reads? Right, I HAD to take it.
P'Allen Stinnett gets the nod tonight for his career-high 7 steals, along with 14 points. Since his benching, P has played markably better defense, but that's something that is usually hard to quantify or to see in the boxscore. On this night, his defense finally gets its due both in the boxscore and on the message boards with the big 7 steals. Good stuff.
You bet.
Stop by tomorrow for a rundown of the Valley after 10 games, and how my horrible pre-season predictions are holding up. Here's a hint: not so well. Time for some self-loathing, which is always fun. See you then.
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