Tuesday night, the Jays travel to Evansville for an ESPNU telecast that, when the Worldwide Leader chose it in October, seemed odd. Evansville? Really? I was esctatic, don't get me wrong, because every road game televised is one fewer game I have to sit and stare at a tiny pixellated streaming Windows Media Player window playing a horribly produced webcast, or worse yet, one fewer game I have to rely on the radio broadcast to follow the game.
In October, it was an odd choice. By the first of the year, it seemed downright clairvoyent: Evansville was suddenly the sleeper pick to win the league, and Creighton was coming off a win in the Las Vegas Classic.
Now, on the eve of the game, it is again an odd choice to showcase the Valley, but not for the reasons you'd expect. The Jays are playing some bad basketball at the moment, struggling to put two good efforts in a row together.
On the radio today, Dana Altman and several of the players dropped the same party line on listeners that we've heard all season. Frankly, its getting absurd: players talking about being disappointed, about feeling embarrassed by their effort, and coaches saying the team is struggling to find their identity. We've heard it all year, and no one backs up the talk with action.
I'm a graphic designer by trade, I write a basketball blog as a hobby, and I last played basketball competitively in high school. Meanwhile, the coaches and players live and breathe basketball, specifically Jays basketball. It isn't shocking that one of these groups would know the identity of the team, and one wouldn't.
What is surprising is that its the coaches and players claiming they're struggling to find an identity, and not me. Since they're telling the world they don't know that their identity is, I'll give them some unsolicited advice to help them figure it out: You're soft, weak and small. Your players, for the most part, play to avoid contact. For all of the talk of strength training, my eyes make me skeptical that anyone even knows where the weight room is, much less that they lived there all summer. And the bulk of the minutes at the "4" position have been played by guards 6'4" or smaller.
Its preposterous to claim this team is "struggling to find its identity." Seems pretty clear cut to me. Stop making excuses and do something about it already, before I do something really crazy like order three bags of mini donuts in one game, ask for a half-PBR half-Schlitz hybrid at the Cheap Beer stand, or order a soft pretzel with a cup of nacho cheese and ask them to hold the pretzel. Doubt it? Just try me.
Here's my advice to all us fans: Pretend you are a Detroit Lions fan. Stop looking at the season as a whole. Take each game for what it is: two hours of diversionary entertainment. Don't go in with any expectations, just watch and try to enjoy yourself. Turn on ESPNU, grab a snack, cheer like mad, throw your shoes at the TV if necessary. Win or lose, don't get caught up in the season. You'll be much happier that way.
Who knows, someday the most famous Lions fan might cease to be Axel Foley, and the Jays might actually outrebound someone. A man can dream, can't he? You bet.
One Big Paragraph With Lots O'Dots (TM): The ESPNU telecast will feature the dulcet tones of Mac McCausland, a gentleman I grew up listening to as the voice of Iowa Basketball during my childhood in Iowa. He's still one of the better commentators around and doesn't get his due, in my opinion ... Evansville is 12-5 overall and 4-3 in the MVC, tied with Drake and Creighton for fourth place. Their two non-conference losses were to Butler and North Carolina, going a long way towards explaining their newfound respect ... Senior Shy Ely averages almost 17 points a game, and torched the Jays for 28 points in last years' Purple Aces win in Evansville. You might remember that as the game where he went 18-18 from the line. I remember the game, but not the aftermath, due to whatever it was I drank to forget it ... Jason Holsinger is still around, too, and is the leading active scoring leader in the MVC with over 1200 points in his career. The long range shooter could have a nice night against the Jays porous bullfighter defense ... Former Evansville All-American Marty Simmons returns for his second season on the bench, and he's already well on his way to restoring the once-proud tradition of Purple Ace basketball. Of course, in my opinion that proud tradition won't return until the sleeves do, but that's just me ... Creighton and Evansville never met prior to the Aces joining the MVC, and since they did, the Jays lead the all-time series 19-9, with the series tied 7-7 at Roberts Stadium.
The Last Time They Played: A 22-turnover game where the Jays only allowed 13 made buckets yet somehow found a way to lose. How is that possible? Foul early, foul often. Evansville made 30-32 free throws, and won 60-56 for their third MVC victory in 15 tries. Lets forget that one.
Gratuitous Linkage: Waste some time at work today, and play "The Duel", based on last weeks classic episode of The Office. You're welcome.
Official Gametime Snack: Buy yourself a box of Purple Nerds, in honor of Sleeved Jerseys and Sugar Highs. Its a 6 o'clock game, so you could technically not snack at all and instead eat actual dinner. But what's the fun in that?
The totally random song I'd play right now if I were still a radio DJ: Shy Ely is annoying, what with his propensity to make 18 free throws in a game and what not. Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy", on the other hand, is never annoying. Check out that hair! So. Jealous. Someone stop me from buying a can of mousse and attempting that hairstyle, I beg you. No, I'm going to do it, so please, stop me. I don't ask for much, come on! Hold me back! The environment and my hair follicles beg you, stop me!
There, I'm over it. Incidentally, the lead singer of Kajagoogoo later had a hit single off the soundtrack to the Neverending Story. I think his name was Limahl. Why do I know these things? Because I just do. Don't question it, just do what you can to make small fortunes off my obscure knowledge.
Prediction: The Jays, who traditionally struggle at Evansville, play pretty well at the outset of this one and hold a four point lead at the half. Early in the second half, their lead swells to nine, before a 12-2 Evansville run gives them the lead. The Jays promptly implode and lose by 10. Rebounding margin is 42-20 in favor of the Aces. After the game, Dana Altman tells T. Scott that the Jays have to get a lot better, that they've got a long ways to go, and that they're struggling to find their identity. Ouch.
