Down in the Valley

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. Been a quiet summer. All but a few of ISU’s basketball players are here in Terre Haute for the summer, ISU is just wrapping up its final camp.

But I’m here to talk about football. That’s right. I’m back on the football beat this year after a two-year absence, so I’ll be football blogging as well as basketball blogging. Should be fun.

Gateway Missouri Valley Football Conference media day is Tuesday in St. Louis. Should be interesting. ISU coach Trent Miles is obviously the new local face at the annual grub-and-gab, but he’s not all that’s new. Two new schools — North Dakota State and South Dakota State — join the newly-named conference. ISU goes to the Fargodome this year, while the Jackrabbits come to Memorial Stadium.

As always, the conference had the media do its preseason predictions. Here’s how I voted …

1. North Dakota State
2. Northern Iowa
3. South Dakota State
4. Youngstown State
5. Western Illinois
6. Southern Illinois
7. Missouri State
8. Illinois State
9. Indiana State

My first thought was to put UNI first, because of the adjustment both Dakota schools will have to the week-to-week grinder of Gateway Valley football … until I checked out the Bison’s roster.

They’re stacked … and they’re balanced. I had six on my preseason All-Valley team (don’t want to mention names, not sure if I’m allowed to). Hard not to pick them to win it, especially since they’re No. 2 in national preseason polls.

Understand that the Valley is so deep in football that doing something like picking nationally-ranked Southern Illinois sixth is not an intended slight. The Salukis will be good, especially up front, but the conference is so deep they could slip that far and still be good.

I think Western Illinois is a real dark horse. They are brimming with talent all over the field and if they pull it together … watch out. On a related note, best of luck to Leathernecks’ coach Don Patterson, who is taking a leave of absence to treat tonsillar cancer.

Why ISU last? I think Miles has already made strides to turn things around, but it’s going to take time, and it’s not likely to show up in wins and losses yet this season. When over half of your roster are newcomers or freshmen, it doesn’t auger well for an immediate turnaround.

That, and ISU was so abysmally uncompetitive last season, just getting competitive, just forcing a few close games again, is a step in the right direction. Miles might disagree, but that’s a realistic goal. I don’t think ISU will go winless, but assuming a quick climb up the Valley ladder is asking too much. The conference is too tough and ISU is almost literally starting from scratch, albeit with a good infusion of talent thanks to the recruiting efforts of Miles and his coaching staff.

On a lighter note, in case you were wondering, and I know you were, ISU’s football losing streak with yours truly on the beat currently stands at 18.

ISU is 1-18 in a Golden-occupied press box, but that one win was my first game and Mark Bennett’s last game on the ISU football beat. So technically, that one (an OT victory over Illinois State) belongs to Bennett, I was training for the glory to come.

David Hughes was on the beat in for most of 2006 and 2007, so I missed the halcyon days of that win over Missouri State in 2006. And … that win over Missouri State in 2006. And … that win … you get the drift.

The University of Evansville made an official announcement today that Valparaiso transfer Bryan Bouchie will become a Purple Ace. It had long been rumored that Bouchie was headed to UE, here’s the official word.

Bouchie to UE

It’s win for UE in the intra-state recruiting wars with ISU, or is it? I heard from multiple, agenda-less sources that Bouchie could be high-maintenance. Time will tell, though it’s hard to argue with getting a player who has proven he can play at the Division I level.

Anyhow, it means ISU still has a scholarship available. I’ll follow up on that as soon as possible in a busy week at he Trib-Star made busier because of the postponed softball sectionals on Monday.

As expected, the non-renewal of Cole Holmstrom’s scholarship by Kevin McKenna has stirred up the ISU fan base. Also as expected, those who are in Holmstrom’s corner are vocal.

For example, someone identifying herself as Cole Holmstrom’s mother made a post on one of the ISU message boards (you can never be sure, but I’m 99.9 percent certain it really is Cole’s mom, Linda Holmstrom) and wasn’t shy about voicing her displeasure.

On the other side of the coin, many in McKenna’s corner have voiced support of the decision, some taking some shots at Holmstrom along the way. More have voiced their opinion that this is the way Division I athletics work.

I will say that I see all sides of this. I don’t blame McKenna for making the decision he made. I don’t blame the Holmstrom’s or fans/friends of Cole for being upset about it. And yes, this IS how collegiate athletics works. Sometimes, it’s not fair, sometimes it sucks. It’s how LIFE works.

If that sounds like fence-sitting, well, tough. Unlike coaches, players, parents, and especially, fans, my job is to look at everything involving ISU’s program with an unemotional, objective eye. The best way to do that is to put yourself in each side’s shoes. When I do that, I see both sides of it.

Here’s some impressions that might be apropos of nothing … or apropos of a lot.

Looking back on the season, there’s one Holmstrom moment that sticks out. It happened in a mid-December practice, I believe it was in preparation for the Ball State game.

It was already clear that Holmstrom’s minutes were in freefall. He wasn’t shooting well and Holmstrom has never been a good enough defender at the collegiate level to compensate for lack of shooting. Even when he played for Royce Waltman, it was a weakness in his game.

When practice breaks up, players generally head to the training room or take a few minutes to work on their shot or some other aspect of their game. Several of Holmstrom’s fellow guards were working on their shot.

There must have been a women’s game the night before as the La-Z-Boy couch they use for promotions was still on the baseline. Holmstrom decided to pick that time to have a light moment. He stretched out on the couch, arms folded above his head, and relaxed. His teammates still on the floor were laughing at him … it was a classic class clown moment.

The coaches were still on the floor too. They kind of half-smiled and turned away.

My reaction was that it was Cole being Cole, but it was a helluva poor time for him to be cutting it up instead of working on his game. Intended or not, it sent the wrong message about his commitment. And if my red flag went up, you can bet someone else’s did too.

Now … please don’t misinterpret. Cole worked in practice. He was never a problem. He’s an intelligent guy. I step on shaky ground when trying to interpret physical effort, but that was never obviously lacking from Holmstrom. That La-Z-Boy moment might have meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Or that moment, and others like it, might have planted seeds of doubt.

The bottom line is this — Holmstrom’s minutes went from 20-plus to zero in the span of a month. He was given the chance to succeed in McKenna’s system and his playing time indicated that the coaching staff didn’t think he was taking advantage. Some might say a month isn’t long enough. Perhaps, but it’s 1/4 of the season, how much time does a veteran player get?

In addition to a drop in shooting and questionable defense, Holmstrom was plagued by a significant problem … he struggled in set plays.

It was obvious to anyone who attended practice or who was close enough to the floor during games that Holmstrom sometimes wasn’t in the right place at the right time in offensive sets. It would one thing if it happened early in the season, but it never got better. During ISU’s home finale, Holmstrom went the wrong way on a set and it cost ISU a possession. It was a problem throughout the season. This is the root of where some question Holmstrom’s fit in the system. He played motion at Bloomington South and obviously for Waltman during his freshman season.

I hate writing all of that, but these problems plagued Holmstrom all year. Just to make sure I’m not remembering things selectively, I went back through my blog. Here’s an excerpt of an entry from Dec. 30.

– For the second game in a row, Cole Holmstrom did not play. Until Holmstrom improves defensively and grasps the offense better than he has, it’s going to be hard for him to get minutes unless ISU needs a 3-point shooter on the floor.

From a basketball standpoint, I hate to say it, but I completely understand McKenna’s decision.

As for pulling a scholarship? I’m more conflicted about that.

In general, I’m against it. Players have to be accountable for performance and effort, but coaches need to be accountable for their decisions too. If a coach makes a “mistake” on a recruit, they shouldn’t have carte blanche to wash their hands of the player unless there’s some serious extenuating circumstances. Lamar Lee jumps immediately to mind when it comes to this, though Lee himself has not said he had his scholarship pulled.

A reputation for pulling scholarships is also something other coaches will pull out of their club bag to use against you in recruiting. To make a mafia allusion, it’s bad for business.

That’s my general opinion, but that doesn’t fit here. McKenna inherited Holmstrom. He didn’t recruit him, so I don’t think his level of commitment to the player’s scholarship is as cut-and-dried. Just like I don’t think coaches should wash their hands of mistakes, I don’t think coaches should be beholden to players they don’t feel fit their system.

Just like a job where you get a new boss, the boss doesn’t adjust to the employees, the employees have to adjust to the new boss. McKenna’s decision indicates he didn’t think Holmstrom adjusted well enough and thought he could do better by pursuing someone else. Time will tell if he’s right.

I’m also conflicted because I like Holmstrom. I think most of his teammates liked him. I wish it had worked out, but it didn’t.

As for some of the other assertions put out there on both sides, there’s no way I can confirm or refute them. For example, I’ve seen it thrown out there that the coaches didn’t work enough with him? That argument can be made, and the counter-argument can rightly be made that it’s the player’s job to work for him. Who knows?

I do know there are other schools interested in Holmstrom, including Division I programs, but Holmstrom wants to stay at ISU. It’s a helluva pickle.

Whatever happens, I wish Holmstrom luck. He’s a good person and that’s a good enough reason he was popular with ISU fans.

Some other related observations:

– When I talked to McKenna about Holmstrom’s scholarship, he was genuinely shaken. I think the decision was carefully considered (since the end of the season anyway, which is when Holmstrom rumors started to spring up), it wasn’t a heartless, don’t-let-the-door-hit-you type of thing.

– Holmstrom’s career started like a house on fire. A TON of pressure was put on him from the get-go. You have to wonder what might have happened had Holmstrom had a “normal” progression in his career? If he had started as a bench player and worked his way up, instead of starting right away. Starting right away set the bar high right off the bat, it would be hard for anyone to live up to that. Marico Stinson suffers from the same problem. Both were rushed into service during Waltman’s tenure, and thrived for a time, but ultimately had trouble living up to their early production.

– I’ve seen it put out there that Marico Stinson and Harry Marshall left the team. Untrue as far as know. The most recent team function was a get together at the Ballyhoo last Thursday, attended by boosters, media, et al. Both players were there, I spoke with both, and neither mentioned anything of the sort. Both were also at a workout I visited a week previous.

Cole Holmstrom will not have his scholarship renewed by the ISU men’s basketball team. I have a story on tribstar.com right now and will try to get more information and reaction.

On a personal note, I’ll be curious to see if some competitors who will remain unnamed will continue to take news off of our web site/blog without attribution (unethical in our biz) and claim it’s their own.

Enough of my grousing. Here’s the link …

Holmstrom out

ISU fans that were expecting a big splash today aren’t going to get it. The ISU coaching staff got its Letter Of Intent from Rashad Reed (I’ll have more on that in Thursday’s paper) late Wednesday afternoon, but nothing else is expected today as far as new Sycamore recruits.

Here’s some quick hitters on some other Sycamore-related topics:

– Besides Lamar Lee’s intent to transfer, (see link below) there are no other roster changes. Rumors have been going around about other player departures from the team, but it hasn’t come to pass … yet.

– Assistant coach Greg Lansing declined to comment on speculation surrounding his interest in the Drake head coaching job, so did head coach Kevin McKenna.

Former Drake head coach Keno Davis decamped for Providence on Tuesday. Lansing — who is an Iowa native, a former Iowa assistant, and a popular figure in his home state — has been listed as a candidate for the Drake job by the Des Moines Register.

It is at least the second time Lansing’s name has been linked to an open coaching job, The Burlington (Iowa) Hawk Eye suggested Lansing as a candidate for the Western Illinois job. Ex-Bradley coach Jim Molinari was hired at the Macomb school last week.

– The hunt for Bryan Bouchie is on after he was given his official release from Valparaiso on Tuesday. Bouchie has been linked with ISU. Last week, he allegedly announced on his Myspace page that he was interested in transferring here. That page has since been made private.

Since then, he has also been linked with Evansville and Indiana, where his father Steve played.

I called Steve Bouchie on Tuesday and left a message, but haven’t heard back.

– As for Lee, it’s a shame to see him go. He needed work defensively, but he showed flashes of offensive talent. ISU took a flier on him when McKenna arrived, I think if someone else takes a flier on him, they won’t be disappointed.

Both newspapers in northwest Indiana (Northwest Times, Gary Post-Tribune) have reported that Valparaiso forward Bryan Bouchie has entertained the possibility of a transfer. According to the Northwest Times and Post-Tribune reports, Bouchie will meet with Valparaiso coach Homer Drew next week to keep him in the Crusader fold.

More germane to ISU fans, a rumor was floated on the Valpo message boards that Bouchie’s Myspace page indicated he was a Sycamore-to-be. There’s no way to confirm this at present as Bouchie’s Myspace page is now set to private views only.

By NCAA rule, ISU’s coaches are not allowed to comment on a potential transfer.

Bouchie, a Washington native and son of former Mr. Basketball Steve Bouchie, averaged 7 points and 3.3 rebounds for the Crusaders last season. Bouchie has three years of eligibility remaining.

Is it true? I don’t know for sure. I have a feeling there’s a faint whiff of smoke, but not as much fire as ISU fans might like at present. Stay tuned.

Hello all. I haven’t had the occasion to write about this in the paper yet, but I wanted to get it out there.

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that guard Harry Marshall would revert to his 21st Century Scholar academic scholarship and that ISU recruit Rashad Reed would receive the athletic scholarship Marshall temporarily had during his sophomore season.

Plans have changed. Marshall will receive an athletic scholarship for his remaining two years of eligibilty at Indiana State.

Kudos to the coaching staff. Marshall’s contributions to the Sycamores in his first two seasons more than warrant this move.

It’s nice to decompress after a long season. Last year at this time I was stressed out beyond belief trying to track down who Royce Waltman’s replacement was going to be (the most stressful time for a beat writer is a coaching search), so this is a relief in comparison.

Not that I’m totally off the hook. Adam Arnold we know about already, but I’ll be tracking down potential player movement in the coming days and weeks. I’ve heard all of the rumors, but none of them can be confirmed and nothing is set in stone yet.

In the meantime, I thought I’d do something fun. I’ve been on the beat four seasons now. It’s hard to believe. I mean … I’m like 1/8 of Tom Reck. I’ve been here long enough for you to hate, and for a short enough time for readers to say, “Todd who? Is he the ugly one?”

In this internet age, when outlets like ESPN can do all-time moments on various topics dating back to, say, 1990 or so, I’m going to get the jump on nostalgia before its cold in the ground. Led Zeppelin had Ten Years Gone. I’m an editor as well as a writer and I don’t need all that bombast and I sure as heck can’t play a guitar with a violin bow like Jimmy Page, so how ’bout Four Years Gone?

I’m going to start with my four-year All-ISU team. I’ll do an All-Valley team, Best Games, Worst Games, Funniest Moments, Best Anger Management Moments, Rank The Campuses, Rank The Mascots, etc., for the last four years. Some of these stretch the limits of all-anything, but what the hell.

I hope you like it, and if you don’t, I can take solace in the fact you’re probably saying … Todd who?

All-ISU 2004-08
PG Gabe Moore – Very few others have even played point guard in the last four years. The one constant through all four years and Moore gradually got better as time went along. Sometimes compromised his game for the games of others to a fault, but a heady player with good vision and a good defender. A favorite of both coaching staffs too.
SG Marico Stinson — With two years left, the best is still ahead for Stinson. He had moments of brilliance (his 37-point game against Drake was the best single performance by a Sycamore in four years) his freshman season, he was more consistent as a sophomore, but had maddening stretches in both seasons that are typical of an underclassmen.
SF David Moss — Best ISU player in my time here. Truth be told, he’s the only money player the Sycamores have had in the last four years. Unfortunately, when Moss got hurt, his teammates were so dependent on him, the wheels fell off.
Moss could be aloof at times, and like Moore, he sometimes tried to keep teammates involved at the expense of keeping himself involved, but he was the best ISU has had when he was on.
F Trent Wurtz — This was a tough choice. Amani Daanish was solid in his one year I saw him, but Wurtz gets the nod based on playing for two. Wurtz’s in-your-face leadership was missed this year. Sometimes his fire took him into a bad place, he was way too foul prone and would get himself so caught up in the emotion of the game he’d forget what ISU was trying to run, but he was as gritty a player as ISU has had in the last four years.
C Jay Tunnell — Tunnell can be inconsistent, but he’s been valuable for ISU in his three seasons to date. A versatile threat, ISU coach Kevin McKenna is determined to maximize his ability to step out and hit jumpers, he might be more of a power forward next season.
Bench
PF Amani Daanish — In his one season (2004-05) I was here for, Daanish averaged 11 points and 6.6 rebounds. ISU hasn’t had similar production at that position since, though Adam Arnold has had his moments.
F Adam Arnold – When he was focused, Arnold was one of the better rebounders ISU has had in the last four years and he had a good feel around the basket to find space for putbacks.
C Isiah Martin – The affable Martin is already one of my favorite people to wear an ISU uniform and his shot-blocking talents speak for itself. He had the second-greatest shot-blocking season in ISU history.
F-C Darron Evans – Another one of my favorite people to play here, Evans was a hard worker and took the vocal leadership role David Moss was never comfortable with in 2006. He wasn’t going to light it up, but was solid off the bench.
G Tyson Schnitker — Schnitker didn’t leave under the best of terms, but he was dependable in the two years he was in an ISU uniform. His shot to beat Butler in ‘05 at Hinkle is an indeliable momentHe tended to wear down as the season wore on
G Harry Marshall – Far and away ISU’s best walk-on in four years. He’s the grittiest of the current Sycamores and is only going to get better.
G/F Todd McCoy – This team is sorely lacking in three-spot depth, so McCoy gets the nod. His junior season was forgettable, but McCoy was a worthy contributor during his senior season, and took an increasingly larger leadership role as the season wore on.
G Eric Gray – Gray is a thread all to himself. A troubled, troubled person, but a good guy at heart if you took the time to talk to him. Blamed for much of the dissension that gripped ISU in Waltman’s last two years, though much of what Waltman was trying to do for Gray was misunderstood by players who thought Waltman was too easy on him, though in the end, he might have been. That said, few know just how altruistic Waltman was, his concern for Gray was genuine and he did not want Gray to waste an opportunity or his life, but Gray didn’t, or wasn’t able, to reciprocate.
Anyway, he wasn’t the greatest by any means at shot selection, but when Gray was on, he was as good as a shooter as ISU has had in four years. His fadeout is probably the saddest Sycamore story since I arrived.

Honorable mention – Jerod Adler (first post player out), Cole Holmstrom (first guard out), Russ Trudeau, Mick Yelovich.
What Might Have Been – Jeremiah Wise. He’s the one player who left during my time who I think could have been good. He just needed to work (a lot) on his defending, but he could have helped the current team on the offensive end. He didn’t take to Waltman’s style, and thus, never made much of a commitment to be better. The last month of his ISU career it was clear he wanted to be elsewhere.
Too soon to tell — Aaron Carter, Lamar Lee, Brant Leitnaker, Jordan Printy, Keenan Barlow.
Got hurt — Logan Whitman.
Washed out – Elliott Booe, Zach McGrath, Norman Wells.
Walk-on legends — Brandon Ray, Marc Urban, Adam Lottino, Torrian Bluitt.
Never showed up – John Ashworth, Clayton Vette.

– ISU is fortunate to be down six. The Sycamores are 1 of 11 from 3-point range as the combination of Drake’s defense and the inability to create easy chances in the paint is forcing ISU into a lot of low-percentage shots. ISU does have 14 points in the paint, all but five off second chance buckets.

– Todd McCoy is giving ISU energy in key spots and leads the Sycamores with 7 points. McCoy converted a big three-point play just before halftime to get ISU within four points. Adam Emmenecker made it a six-point halftime margin, however, on a play that appeared to be a charge.

– Jay Tunnell has played 7 minutes, but he didn’t see much action in the last 10 minutes of the first half. He had two fouls, so it could be just be that, though it could also have been precautionary due to his knee.

– Drake is doing just enough offensively to keep ISU at bay, but the Bulldogs aren’t shooting lights-out from 3-point range either. Drake is 4 of 13. Leonard Houston hasn’t scored at all for the Bulldogs, and Josh Young has just 3 points. Jonathan Cox is hurting ISU with 9 points. Klayton Korver and Emmenecker have 8 apiece.

– ISU has a 20-17 rebounding edge.

– There’s a decent ISU crowd for an early Friday afternoon game (noon St. Louis time), but it’s being drowned out by a larger Drake contingent.

– Sycamore Sam has a new, bulked-up look. Looks like he’s been hitting the HGH a little too hard. It also appears he had his mouth facelifted to where his snout once was.

I have to be quick. I’m having major connection issues at both Scottrade Center and in my hotel related to my wireless card. If you see a computer flying off the top floor of the Scottrade Center, chances are, it’s mine.

Quick observations …

– ISU did just enough to get past Wichita State. Todd McCoy played very well in the first half, as did Jay Tunnell, who gave a yeoman’s effort on a bum knee. ISU’s zone defense gave Wichita State trouble, something I wasn’t able to hone in on much in my game story thanks to Gregg Marshall’s histrionics.

– The second half was just weird, thanks mainly to Marshall’s ejection. ISU did well in spurts, but could never finish off the Shockers. Frankly, I thought ISU was in serious trouble until Matt Braeuer airballed a 3-pointer with under a minute to go.

– ISU outrebounded Wichita State, but the Shockers won the edge in second chance points with 22. ISU’s penchant for giving up offensive rebounds is going to hurt them.

– Tunnell spent 15 minutes after the game on the training table, getting his knee worked on. The treatment was so neccessary, Tunnell was not permitted to take part in the postgame press conference.

– Hopefully I’ll have more tomorrow. I’m hanging in there the best I can with the technology I have.