I’m a little jealous of you now, b/c all this reads as pretty good humor. It would have been fun to be there. I like this part:
“You’ll be running something and you look and a freshmen will be buried right in the middle of someone’s chest on a screen.”

Rollon: yes, we are going to stink it up this year. But it’s not all b/c the freshmen stink – they don’t, they’re just all brand new. More to my concern is the fact that ee don’t have a very large frontcourt; MSF and Kamp are veterans, but they won’t scare anybody. And who do they have behind them? It’s just barely a serviceable situation. As I’ve often said here, I blame the weak frontcourt on a lack of recruiting success. And it looks worse for next year when MSF leaves and is replaced by a thin freshman who is going to need time to mature.

…You have to realize that Monty is clearly trying to lower expectations, not only for himself but for the kids. Set the bar low and if they reach it, they feel good. Let it ride high and they fall short and it can have a detrimental psychological affect, stunting the kids’ growth. See Ben Braun and Ayinde Ubaka, who was handed the reigns right from the start, and struggled.

“They’re pretty nice kids, they’re pretty good. I’m impressed,” he said of Crabbe and Franklin and their three fellow freshmen. They can score. They can play defense sometimes, when they want to. They’re getting better, though.”

I can understand the learning curve, but do these guys suck that bad? I thought these new kids were all top recruits. Maybe they’re not. I’m glad Monty’s coaching them, but I’m surprised there aren’t at least 2 that are standing out. Bak and Smith looked really bad last year. If we’re leaning on them as 6th man and a starter, we’ve got big problems. I don’t think .500 before Pac10 play is even possible.

Outstanding article. Your efforts by many old blues do not go unappreciated.

Go Bears!