Blogs > The Full-Court Press

Welcome back to the Trentonian's Full-Court Press blog. Yes, we're still alive, and with the 2015-16 season rapidly approaching, it's time to fire up the old blog for another season. Check back here throughout the year for updates on all things Rider and Princeton, including coverage of both the MAAC and Ivy League. Feel free to drop me a line on twitter @kj_franko (https://twitter.com/kj_franko) or email kfranko@trentonian.com.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Senior Day

Today is Senior Day at gyms throughout the league, including Rider. Today's Trentonian has stories on the Broncs' two seniors: Ryan Thompson and Robbie Myers.

There's been a back-and-forth concerning Thompson all year on in the comments section, so now is as good a time as any to analyze his career.

My take is as follows:

There's no doubt that his struggles are a major reason Rider is one loss away from the play-in round. What's more interesting, though, isn't that he played extremely poorly for the first half of the season. It's that he's been able to take a team that wouldn't have otherwise been worth watching and carried it as far as it's gotten.

In spite of the monster month of February he's had, there's no question his senior year will go down as a disappointment. He was the easy choice for preseason Player of the Year, and isn't even assured a first-team all-MAAC spot. There's also no questioning the correlation between his level of play and Rider's.

But in looking at Thompson's career, what he hasn't done is much less interesting than what he has done.

With that in mind, consider this: Only three players in school history have more points than Thompson: Darrick Suber, Jerry Johnson and Jason Thompson.

Suber's place in Rider history is well solidified, and as proof, a banner in his honor hangs on the wall at the Zoo. But his numbers need to be viewed in perspective because he played in the NEC -- a far less competitive conference than the MAAC.

Johnson, a scoring machine, is unquestionably on a short list of the greatest players in school history, and it's worth noting that the team fell apart after he graduated following the 2004-05 season. But because of his versatility, Thompson has arguably been a better and more complete player.

That means an argument can be made that Thompson trails only his brother on a list of the best players in Rider history.

Has he come up small in some big spots this year? Yes. Could Rider have lived up to its expectations if he had been better in December and January? Quite likely.

But here's a question of equal or greater importance -- one that should always be remembered when talking about his legacy:

Where would Rider have been over the last two years without him?

***

Were I a Rider player, I wouldn't have been smiling Friday when Myers checked into the game. In fact, were I Myers, I most certainly wouldn't have been smiling, given the circumstances. From a player's standpoint, there shouldn't be anything funny about getting bludgeoned on your home court in a conference game. But as I wrote in today's story, the kid has been buried on the depth chart for the past two years and hung in there, by all accounts being a good teammate. That counts for something, and that's the primary reason he'll get such a big hand when he's introduced today.

***

I went 4-1 in my Friday picks (Niagara failing to cover at Manhattan gave me the loss), rallying to bring my season record to 7-6-1. The feature will return for the first Friday of MAAC play next year.

***

A programming note for those who may be new to the blog or those who simply could use a reminder: The blog will have full-throttle, wall-to-wall coverage of the men's and women's tournaments beginning bright and early Thursday morning in Albany.

In addition to continuing the live chat feature that we started during last year's tournament and have continued during the regular season, the goal will be to have postgame video on every game in the tournament, from the women's play-in round Thursday to the men's title game Monday night.

Hope you'll tune and and tell a friend.

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, Doody -- you may want to re-write the part about Myers given his facebook comments.

What's your take on all the bad things the players are writing on their facebook accounts about Dempsey?

February 28, 2010 at 6:04 AM 
Anonymous Marko said...

I have read all the Facebook comments but most of them are from players that don't play much. Not many players at any sport really like their coaches. These are 20 year old guys who up until now, were always told how great they were. (including Rider when they were recruited.) Guys who don't play much always think it the coaches fault.

This is no different than the real world, about our bosses in the workforce. However, I will not be writing on FB for my boss to get fired.

I will say that Dempsey has lost this team and I don't know if he can get them back this year or in the future. I do agree that he is over his head. Maybe Rider should bring Bannon back (I think his troubles at Rutgers are behind him.)

February 28, 2010 at 10:11 AM 
Blogger Kyle Franko said...

Anon,

You may be right about Myers, and the facebook stuff is absolutely out of control.

College athletes' facebook pages are a gray area when it comes to coverage. If a kid drops an F bomb in a wall post or even writes about skipping classes or smoking pot, I'm not inclined to care about it, let alone mention it on the blog.

But when players and former players write the stuff that Vosilla has written, it reflects extremely poorly on the program.

I've spent virtually no time scanning players' facebook pages in the past, but I'd be fairly confident in saying that good programs don't usually have former players calling for the coach's head.

What these kids completely fail to grasp is that writing this stuff on their walls is no different from telling it to reporters for use in stories.

February 28, 2010 at 10:37 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

come on guys its FB and these are only kids. athletes on all levels including professionals get heated at their coaches if they don't get time. as long as those in the rotation in rt, gadson, robinson, ringgold, penn, youngblood, and jt are fine thats all that matters. i agree calling for a coach to be fired is crossing the line but that was a former player. once again it is not uncommon for athletes to be upset about pt

February 28, 2010 at 11:45 AM 
Anonymous rider2 said...

Great analysis regarding RT. Despite the disappointing year, he deserves to be recognized for his contribution to the program.

February 28, 2010 at 11:48 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

vosilla did not say that. he just copied it from a post that was made on the facebook page of rider mens basketball team

February 28, 2010 at 12:01 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would have never believed someone if they told me at the beginning of the season that Rider would be playing their last game of the season trying to get out of the play-in game. '09-'10 season = disappointment. It's sad to see a player like RT with the talent he has to end his Rider career like this. Dempsey is a good coach and doesnt's need to have certain types of players on his team. Maybe it's good the season is almost over and Rider can start over next year.

February 28, 2010 at 12:30 PM 
Anonymous tmd39 said...

Anon - Dempsey is the one that recruits the players. He put "certain types of players" on his team.

February 28, 2010 at 12:45 PM 
Anonymous #1 Rider Fan said...

Hardest thing to do when you evaluate a high school player to college is mental toughness and heart. Most of these kids are very successful in high school, and do not encounter much adversity. That is why they were recruited.

Think Rider has a mentally soft team without much heart.

It is the same reason why thousands of scouts looked at Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf and thought they were about equal.

Or why Felipe Lopez made the cover of SI out of Rice High School.

Kids killing the coach is another way of them saying "I can't cut it." Hopefully 75 percent of this team transfers and the rebuilding process can start.

February 28, 2010 at 1:06 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What I meant was "those certain types of players" that are posting comments on the internet. The players that aren't leaders and don't care. Rider doesn't need people like that. In the end, Rider doesn't play like a team determined to win. If you have been to a game this year, at times the players are yelling at each other on the court and don't play like a team. Take a look at Siena. They are a team that looks like they have been playing together for years. They outhustle you, they outplay you, they outcoach you, and they are all smarter and better than you. That is why they are the best team in the conference.

February 28, 2010 at 1:06 PM 
Anonymous #1 Rider Fan said...

The last Anon comment was probably the smartest thing I have read on this blog.

Siena is not more Athletic than Rider. They don't jump higher or run faster. But hustle, commitment, and basketball IQ is a landslide. And that is why they don't lose.

February 28, 2010 at 1:20 PM 
Anonymous xyz said...

NEC or no NEC, taking a shot at Suber is totally uncalled for Doody. Here is a guy who teams knew was goign to get the ball and they still coudn't stop him.

February 28, 2010 at 8:03 PM 
Blogger Kyle Franko said...

xyz,

In no way, shape of form was that a shot at Suber. All I said was NEC numbers aren't the same as MAAC numbers, and that needs to be considered when comparing stats.

February 28, 2010 at 8:56 PM 

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