Bruce Ellington Joining Football Team?
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 8:17 AM EDT
in South Carolina Gamecocks Football
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PrintReports are breaking that Bruce Ellington is apparently considering joining the football team. It has been suspected over the last several weeks that Ellington might make this move. He would stay with the basketball team if so.
As you probably know, Ellington was considered an excellent football as well as basketball prospect coming out of high school, and some people believe he may be a better football player. He would give us an immediate option at wildcat QB, where he starred in his senior year in high school, and he could also probably play slot WR, as well. On the other hand, the move could hurt his development as a basketball player.
I'm a little torn on whether or not I think this is a good thing for Carolina or not. It could clearly help the football team, but considering that Ellington is likely going to be the centerpiece of our basketball team for the next few years, any benefit to the football team may be outweighed by a huge detriment to the basketball team.
What do you think?
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In my eyes
Football is MUCH more important to USC than basketball is, so I really dont care if this move hampers his basketball maturing. Anything that has the chance to improve our football team, is more than welcomed in my household.
I'm not on board with this argument.
I want us to have a good basketball team, and I think we can have one, too. Heck, historically speaking it’s much more surprising that our football team is succeeding right now than our basketball team. Anyways, maybe I know I’m probably in a minority here, but I’d really like to see us field a strong basketball team, and I don’t think our attitude should just be that football comes first and everything else can shove it.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree with Gamecock Man here.
In no way is this good news for Carolina Athletics. Bruce Ellington is going to miss Spring practice, so he’s not going to be up to speed come Fall practice time. He’ll never play at QB behind Connor Shaw and even Stephon Gilmore. We’re deep enough at WR to where we don’t need him there either. He won’t be able to learn the routes any better (probably much worse) than any of the players we already have at WR. He will never see the field.
Meanwhile, he’s wasting prime time to develop his basketball skills and intellect. Modern day college athletics is all about have a successful program, not just one or two sports. It would be nice to have a Men’s Basketball program that can contribute to the AD coffers instead of siphoning off of football like all the other sports. The nails just keep hitting the coffin for the Darrin Horn’s era.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
And, I should add,
having a good basketball team helps the AD more than just financially. When Clemson made a run at Jadeveon Clowney, where did they take him? To a basketball game. Same with Marcus Lattimore. Recruiting are not impressed by half empty arenas and an apathetic fan base. Having a good basketball program affects all the other sports.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Those are great points and should be read by all Carolina fans who think basketball doesn't matter.
Basketball is huge for the economic health and national perception of a major athletics program. End of story, even if you happen to like football and baseball more.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed
Where did Mark Richt take John Jenkins and Isiah Crowell on their last recruiting visit to Athens? To a UGA basketball game win over Kentucky. Sold out crowd sure didn’t hurt our chances with those guys.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
So, is Bruce Ellington the answer to basketball's lack of success that commands the attention it deserves?
I’m playing devil’s advocate a bit, as I do not disagree that basketball matters, but I’m not sure that the loss of a guy who may be a great football player is so detrimental to the basketball team’s effort. It’s not like this is going to be an ongoing issue with other players; it’s rare. Stephen Spinella and Ramon Galloway leaving the team is a lot more important than whether Bruce Ellington plays a sport he’s probably better at.
Why so much negativity over Ellington’s ability to play football? Do you think the football coaches are so selfish they’d encourage a guy they thought couldn’t contribute to leave a sport he is contributing in?
Bruce Ellington might play football. He might not. Either way, the success of Carolina Basketball isn’t dependent on his full attention.
by Skulls and Spurs on Mar 24, 2011 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Our basketball program needs depth.
And it needs the type of players that can grow and mature over their careers. We’re never going to be able to recruit one-and-dones. And, as we all know, football takes up the preponderance of a student-athlete’s time – learning plays, practices, work-outs. We need Ellington spending as much time on the basketball court as possible and focusing his efforts there. The success of Carolina basketball is very much dependent on his full attention. People got mad at Stephen Garcia because he was playing some video games the night before a bowl game. How would you feel if Garcia went out for the basketball team? The uproar would be cacophonous.
In short, we have plenty of depth at every position for which Bruce Ellington has been talked about filling. Meanwhile on the basketball side, Horn might soon have trouble finding enough warm bodies to put in the game. Ellington is roughly 1/100 of the football team. As of right now he’s 1/10 of the our basketball squad. He is definitely more important to basketball than he ever will be to football.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions
How would you feel if Garcia went out for the basketball team? The uproar would be cacophonous.
I think this is what is at stake here. Too many people just don’t care about Carolina basketball and are willing for the basketball program to take a hit in return for whatever benefits the football program experiences.
Whatever the case may be, it’s Ellington’s choice and I wish him luck in his endeavors. I’m just having a hard time seeing how this benefits Carolina as a whole unless he’s a truly, truly great football player.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions
yea cause football statistically speaking
is more important down here. You see guys who play basketball going to football all the time, but not the other way around. Same with Baseball, we got 2 guys coming in this year that will play Football and Baseball, but I am certain I know which is on top of their list of priorities.
by Gamecockrock on Mar 24, 2011 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions
There are plenty of ways this could be good
for Carolina athletics. The most obvious is someone more effective (or at least less ineffective) could take Ellington’s minutes.
Horn could decide to give Ellington a shorter leash as a result of his perceived (from Horn) lack of commitment and discover that Ellington responds better to harsh treatment than whatever the plan was this year.
It could be bad for the basketball team, but less bad for them than good for football. Let’s say Ellington makes a play from the slot or wildcat late in the 4th quarter to clinch a BCS berth. There is literally nothing he could do on the basketball court, including nooning the stands from midcourt, that would not be worth the cost to basketball to the university and AD.
Wait and see before we assume the sky is falling. I’m excited by the move for Carilina athletics though.
"They've just discovered a new use for sheep over there at Clemson... wool." - Lewis Grizzard
by GwinnettGamecock on Mar 24, 2011 8:44 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I don't think the sky is falling. I'm just not sure I see this as being for the best.
I hope I’m wrong. Everything you said could be true, and no one will be happier than me if that’s the case.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions
The problem is...
that we have plenty of depth at every position for which Ellington is qualified. QB? Check. WR? Check. RB? Check and Check. Meanwhile we don’t have even have enough players on the basketball team to fill all the scholarships. If Stephen Garcia had tried out for the Basketball team after his Sophomore year I doubt that your disposition would be quite so rosy. I can just imagine the laments coming from all corners of the Gamecock nation about how “Stephen Garcia isn’t committed to winning on the gridiron.” Why don’t people expect the same level of commitment from our basketball players? And, frankly, until we get that kind of commitment we’re never going to climb out of the doldrums of SEC basketball.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Im not saying basketball isnt historically more successful
but Football is a MUCH larger priority in the SEC and with majority of the fanbase.
by Gamecockrock on Mar 24, 2011 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Football is king, true
but I worry this isnt necessarily what’s in the unversity’s best interest.
If Ellignton is a legit two sport star, and its ok with both coaches, then let’s give at whirl – though I agree with some of the others like blade and GM that we’re pretty ok at RB, WR and QB (though having a legit wildcat QB without distracting Gilmore from his CB responsibilities would be interesting).
But if this means that Ellington is souring on hoops, despite (hopefully) being Carolina’s guard of the future, then I worry for the hoops team.
There’s no reason why Carolina shouldnt be post-season caliber in football and basketaball and baseball year in and year out. Just my .02.
They wore garnet helmets.
His high school football coach, who's been around a long time, has called Ellington . . .
the best high school football player he’s ever coached. Strap it up, Bruce.
by Skulls and Spurs on Mar 24, 2011 9:05 AM EDT reply actions
This one I can get behind.
If Ellington is truly this good, then maybe he needs to at least try his hand at college football.
Someone I was talking to compared Ellington playing basketball to what it would have been like if Alshon played basketball, which he could have. If Ellington is that good, then he could be a huge difference maker in football.
I guess what I’m saying is that if the benefit for the football team outweighs the detriment to the basketball team, then I’m cool with it. If the benefit to the football team is small and the detriment to the basketball team great, I’m not so cool with it.
At the end of the day, though, he should do what he wants to do.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions
If all that is true, then Ellington needs to transfer and play football somewhere else.
I doubt he’ll break the starting lineup at receiver here. I don’t trust our quarterbacks to hit a small receiver like him anyway. For the sake of his future, he needs to go somewhere else if he’s that good.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I think most of his high school reputation was made playing wildcat QB.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, I'm also not really excited about a 5'9" guy having the option to pass the ball.
I hesitated saying that ’cause of Randall Cobb, who is also really short, but I said it anyway. We have several other guys for that in my opinion.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
True, but Ellington was a monster at the position in high school.
A lot of people thought he was the second-best prospect in the state behind Lattimore for what he did. Go see if you can find some video of him playing QB. He runs for long TD after long TD. Makes Cobb look like a chump, if you can believe that.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Last time I saw Cobb
he was making us look like chumps. I just didnt follow BE too closely out of Berkeley.
Flounder raised a good point at LOHD that there is the “Bear Rule” that means his scholly has to count against football, not hoops? I’m not familiar with that -but if there is a silver lining does that give Horn a third scholly to dish?
They wore garnet helmets.
Yes, the "Bear Rule" dictates that the scholarships of two-sport players who play football have to count against football.
Back in the day, Bear Bryant used to evade scholarship limits by filling out his roster with guys who had scholarships to play other sports. The other sports programs at ’Bama were all essentially committed to giving their scholarships to guys Bryant wanted for the football team. The rule is intended to prohibit that.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions
The last thing Darrin Horn needs right now is more open scholarships.
He needs experience and depth from the bench. And players with high basketball intellect.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I just viewed two videos, and I wasn't all that impressed.
I thought he was faster to be honest. He looked in the 4.5 range, which is good, but not worth using him over Shaw in my opinion.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions
all you gotta do is listen to lattimores comments
at the practice from today.
by Gamecockrock on Mar 24, 2011 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't believe it.
I really thought our program was more responsible than that. I had been defending their signing practices, but I can’t get on board with dropping a kid for Ellington coming in at the last minute. That makes me truly disgusted. If it plays out like that, I’m not sure what my response will be. To paraphrase Spurrier’s interview:
Spurrier: “OMGOSH ELLINGTON IS COMING TO PLAY FOOTBALL FTW!”
Media: “What will you use him for?”
Spurrier: “IDK, LOLZ! BUT HE’S AWESOME.”
Media: “Will his scholarship count against the limit for recruits this year?”
Spurrier: “IDK OMGOSH, STOP ASKING STUFF!”
Seriously dude, you don’t even know what you want him for yet, but you’re willing to toss a kid to the curb at the last minute whom you had been recruiting all this time? That’s one of the worst examples of oversigning.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Dont get carried away
in an average year, we wont recruit the maximum players, this past recruiting cycle was insanely good (efficiency wise).
by Gamecockrock on Mar 24, 2011 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
It doesn't matter to me what happens in a normal years, all I care about is what is happening right now.
Maybe enough guys won’t qualify and there will be no problem, but I doubt it. Besides, it still doesn’t excuse Spurrier’s willingness to do something underhanded like that. I’ve lost all respect for our program’s ethics until they come out and make a public statement that what they’ve done is wrong, profusely apologize, and say they won’t ever do it again.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 25, 2011 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions
If that is such a feather in his cap,
then why didn’t he get a football scholarship. HS coaches say those kinds of things all the time. That’s their job. Akim’s razor tells me he’s probably not an upgrade at any position for us except on the third string.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
He didn't get a football scholarship because he didn't want one. He adamantly said he wanted to play basketball.
He would have been a four-star prospect as a football player and would have had offers from many high-profile programs.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
That just tells me he thinks he is a more talented basketball player.
Michael Jordan didn’t start out playing baseball for UNC.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
At the time of his recruitment, lots of people said he was probably a better football than basketball player.
However, he was certainly a highly regarded hoopster, and I think you have to look at the situation from the present point of view, as opposed to when he was being recruited. At this point, he’s missed lots of time on the football field while specializing in basketball. Our football coaches have filled the roster at his positions. Can he at this point catch up in football and break into the rotation? Or will this just hurt the basketball team to little benefit for the football team? Those are the question to me. And unless he’s a truly great football player, I don’t see how the answer won’t be the latter. Maybe he is that good. We’ll see.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I guess that is more or less my take.
I just don’t see him cracking the rotation at any football position. Having a marginally better third string WR is not worth torpedoing the basketball program.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions
yea and nobody saw
VCU making it past the playoff game. Shocking things happen all the time
by Gamecockrock on Mar 24, 2011 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions
The VCU and Ellington situations don't correlate.
Ellington is already a year behind his cohort and it looks as if he’s going to miss all of Spring practices too. That’s a lot of ground to make up in one summer – even if he were a five star football recruit. And let’s not forget that he hasn’t played football in over a year. So the small sliver of hope that he actually sees one minute of meaningful playing time this year is still not worth torpedoing the basketball team for the next two years.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I was correlating the attitude
the attitude on here right now is that Ellington stands no chance in football… whereas nobody gave VCU a chance in the tourney.
We have had consecutive seasons now where true freshmen have made huge impacts on the football team, thats basically what Ellington is doing now…. a guy with his talents doesnt lose the IQ for the game.
I dont know why everyone is getting in an uproar over this quite honestly, you see 2 sport stars all over the NCAA (in most cases they are the most successful players at the college level). I dont think Jeffery Demps’ career was hampered in either sport he played (8 ypc RB and all american sprinter)
by Gamecockrock on Mar 24, 2011 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I think if anything comes out of Ellington playing 2 sports
it will be good news… he will only mature quicker physically and psychologically from being on the gridiron.
by Gamecockrock on Mar 24, 2011 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't know how you can say that.
When he’s practicing football he’s not practicing basketball. That in-and-of-itself should be enough to deter you from this line of thinking. And an ideal football body is not the same as an ideal basketball body – especially in Horn’s up-tempo scheme. He’s not learning how to have better shot selection when he’s out at the proving grounds toting the rock. He’s not developing chemistry with his hardwood teammates when he’s fielding punts.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 9:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Are you seriously equating...
playing basketball (a complicated team sport) with running in a straight line? Running back and sprinting are the same skill sets. I don’t think anyone would have a problem if Ellington wanted to enter a free throw shooting competition. I can’t think of one legitimate two-sport star in the last 10 years. At least not in the SEC.
I’m not saying Ellington will never contribute on the football field. But he won’t next year. And no, he won’t have the same football IQ that he had as a senior in high school. He is on a new team now and will have to learn new plays, develop chemistry with new teammates, and adjust to faster overall game. We had freshmen contribute the last two years because those were positions of need. They aren’t positions of need anymore.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions
FW, +1000.
There are few to no modern-day two-sport stars in football and basketball. Guys running track and playing another sport is one thing, as training for track helps one develop a skill set that is valuable in many sports. Practicing your blocking skills, on the other hand, does not benefit your three-point shooting skills, so doing one is going to cost your preparation for the other.
Honestly, the only guy who recently played both sports in the SEC that I can think of is Marcus Monk of Arkansas. Anyone else think of someone?
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Not in the SEC, but Julius Peppers comes to mind in the ACC.
I still agree it’s distracting to his basketball career, though.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, playing football while running track/playing baseball is one thing...
But football and basketball together is an incredibly tough combination, especially since they involve different kinds of athleticism and skills but are pretty physical and injury-prone.
by RumblinFish on Mar 24, 2011 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
We don't need anymore small receivers, or really any receivers at all unless they're as good as Gurley was.
Unless he can give us some depth at running back, I’m completely against it. I wanted to see him play basketball as an upperclassman first anyway. Horn said he wouldn’t keep playing guys who weren’t performing next season, so I think the chances of him chucking up a bunch of bricks every game is reduced.
stuff 'bout stuff.
Yeah, I kind of worry about what his place on the football team is going to be, too. We're covered at the positions he plays.
I guess he could play wildcat QB and backup RB.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions
If he were interested in defensive back and special teams, however ...
that might be something to really consider. I agree that there’s no reason for him to ride the pine behind Lattimore and Miles, and we even with Tori leaving early, we’re stacked deep at WR. But if he handled wildcock QB duties, and let Gilmore focus entirely on improving his CB play, that might be a good option.
They wore garnet helmets.
I think Spurrier settled on Shaw to run the package formerly known as the Gilmore package.
I don’t think Gilmore has seen time at quarterback since the (first?) game of last season.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions
I had heard that, but we never saw it
which makes me think Spurrier really wants Shaw to be able to step in and run the first team “true” offense (which has a lot of called QB runs of course).
They wore garnet helmets.
We ran the Gilmore package against FSU in the Peach Bowl.
Gilmore had one short run and a long pass to Jeffery.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh yeah.
Was Shaw available for that game, though? I think I remember him being out.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, Shaw was out. He had the flu or something like that.
I would assume that Spurrier would have played him at some point in that game if not. It seemed like the only reason Gilmore got in was because Garcia was playing so poorly.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Basketball is MUCH more important to me
than any of the other sports. I like football and baseball, but not nearly as much as basketball.
If Ellington plays football, it will hurt his basketball. I think it will likely put him at the end of the bench in basketball. However, I was not impressed with him as a basketball player this past season, so I have mixed feelings. Unless Coach Horn can recruit another player for next year that can make a positive contribution, this will hurt our depth.
We now have only 10 players for next year, which is probably enough, if no one gets hurt. But it leaves us with only one point guard(Eric Smith). That is a problem. How Horn might deal with that for next year is the big question right now. If he can’t recruit a PG for next year, then that probably means that Lakeem Jackson will be playing the position some, which I think would be good. I think Lakeem can play the position. Actually, given his scoring problems, PG might be his best position. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
I wouldn't say that basketball is more important than football to me...
But it’s as important, and it’s definitely more important to me than baseball. That puts us in a minority among Carolina fans, I guess.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Ellington as a basketball player
has not impressed me. The more I think about him playing football, the more I think this will eventually prove to be a good thing for the basketball program. Coach Horn now has an extra scholarship that he can use to see if he can get a BETTER point guard than Ellington was, or will be. Ellington is a shooting guard in a point guards body.
The team played better with Eric Smith running the point this past year. What Carolina needs are for the four other players to be able to score and let the point guard get the ball to them. That was the big problem this past year, we just did not have people who could score the ball. That problem should be a little better, and maybe a lot better next year. But I think the team will be better with Smith and Jackson playing the point than with Ellington playing it.
This is true. Perhaps this will forcibly end Horn's strange love affair with Ellington, which could be a good thing.
I can’t help but think, though, that Ellington has a lot of potential to become a great basketball player. One bad season as a freshman doesn’t mean he’s washed out.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Horn doesn't need any more scholarships.
Where is he supposed to find a warm body that can contribute for next year this late in the game? It’s likely to just go to a walk-on, especially with the two players that just left the team. And what’s more, it’s not like football has extra scholarships to give up. They’re going to have to find that scholarship somewhere, and we’ll probably be in the news again for all the wrong reasons.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, this is going to create an even bigger oversigning problem for us.
I can’t wait to see what Texas_Dawg has to say when we shed a scholarship to provide Ellington his spot.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think they do it.
I can see how a prospect can get told no when he’s been told way in advance he’s on a bubble, and can clearly see the competition he’s up against to make the team. None of those prospects were factoring on Ellington being a part of their competition, though. I think it’s only fair for these guys to have all the information available to them in order to make the best decision for themselves. Throwing Ellington into the mix at the last minute is not fair in my opinion, and I would have a lot to say about it.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 24, 2011 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Beware
I’m fairly confident that Texas_Dawg goes by another name on the SB Nation sites (“Rangers100”). He’s been banned at numerous sites and was recently banned at DawgSports for consistently provoking the commentariat over there.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
Good lookin' out, AuditDawg.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks, Audit.
Worry not; Texas_Dawg / Rangers100’s days at Garnet and Black Attack would be likely be extremely short. I would welcome his opinions, but I wouldn’t tolerate the constant misinterpretation—whether willful or due to stupidity—of people’s words and the veiled accusations of racism.
It’s worth noting that posters using different handles for each site they frequent are often—although certainly not always—trolls.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Awful news for basketball/Horn; so-so news for football.
I understand Ellington is supposed to be an incredible football player, but his skills are desperately needed by the basketball team. Like, there aren’t words to describe how much more he means to that program. If there were 3-5 years ago, I’d be more receptive to him hopping on the football team, but we’re as loaded as we’ve ever been on that front — especially at the skill positions. Having him as an option is pretty neat, sure, but football is a much more demanding sport, physically and in terms of time spent practicing. I doubt he will return to the hardwood, even if that’s his intent right now.
I have to admit that I’m staring to wonder about Horn’s grasp on this team and his relationship with our players. There’s been a lot of roster turnover in his team here, and while a lot of it was out of his control, these recent departures were not.
Oh, and from a personal perspective, basketball is right up there with football for me. But even though football is top dog around here, it wasn’t always that way, and having a successful basketball program should be wanted by Gamecock fans. Look at schools like UF and Ohio State — those are clearly football powerhouses, but they field great basketball teams as well. Why NOT strive for excellence in every sport? It does nothing but great things for recruiting and the overall image/perception of your university.
Agreed ... and now the rumor mill is spinning rapidly
this business from Columbia’s “The Game 107.5 FM” that something is “brewing” with the basketball team is a case in point. It was just talked about today on Bobby Hartin’s show on 910 AM down here in Charleston.
This sort of distraction is hurting the program. Hopefully, its just rumors. And, hopefully, it will be lost in the buzz over NCAA Sweet 16 games.
They wore garnet helmets.
I'll tell you another thing I'm sick of hearing about in all this...
Brad Brownell. What exactly did he do that was so impressive with Clemson this year? They got to the NCAA tourney, yes, but they made another quick exit just like they did for the last three years under Purnell. (Sorry, I don’t think winning a play-in game against a trash opponent is much to write home about.) Besides that, Horn had a great first year, too — didn’t make the dance, but he grabbed a regular season division title. Coming in as a new coach when you have developed seniors at your disposal sure makes life easy. Let’s see how good Brownell is when he has to recruit, develop, and otherwise build his own team.
(And to be clear/fair, I think it’s entirely possible that Brownell is a fantastic coach. It IS impressive that he was able to pull Clemson together after they had a horrific start to the season. But it’s too way early for Gamecock fans to be envious of Clemson’s hire and use that as a way to bash Horn.)
I agree with your last sentence
I think Brownell’s worst loss was to Carolina, actually. I don’t think Clemson deserved to be in the play-in game, and they were probably being punished for the perception of the ACC more than what they deserved.
Moreover, if we’re going to continue to be fair to our in-state friends, they got screwed having to play a late night game in Dayton then fly down to Tampa for an early game 36 hours later. If there’s going to play-ins, they should be played in the same region where the next game will be played.
Back to Brownell. He has a great personal story and seems like a stand-up guy. True, Ollie left him a better overall program than Davey Odom left Darrin Horn (even though Horn inherited an all SEC talent like Devan Downey). But I think the realistic assessment has to be that Clemson is a better hoops school than Carolina and if I’m a h.s. coach or parent of an in-state kid, I look at how Brownell’s Tigers improved over the course of the season, while Horn’s gamecocks got worse. That is an obstacle that Horn will have to overcome – assuming he can.
They wore garnet helmets.
Oh, Clemson is absolutely a better basketball school right now.
What frustrates me is that I don’t see any reason why Carolina can’t compete on a similar level. We’re not asking for regular appearances in the Final Four, but frequent NCAA bids and the occasional nice tourney run would be more than enough. We’ve got great facilities, and when the team isn’t struggling, the fans show out. Of course, the problem is that winning cures all ills, and when you’re not winning? Well…
It’s a tough dilemma, that’s for sure, and I don’t envy Hyman right now.
by RumblinFish on Mar 24, 2011 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I doubt that Horn
wants Ellington to play football, which means he would be a part-time basketball player. But he told Ellington he could play both if he signed with Horn, probably hoping he could talk him out of playing football. I think it was probably a mistake for Darrin to recruit a football player in the first place. He should stick to recruiting strictly basketball players in the future.
Darrin Horn is trying to keep his job. I think that, as much as anything, is the reason for the departure of Spinella and Galloway. Horn probably came to the realization that neither was ever going to give him what he needs, so he wants to see if he can recruit some better players.
I can see him gently showing Spinella the door
but I am still thinking Ramon Galloway’s departure was not intended – and that BE’s football flirtation was very unexpected.
I think Horn needs to address the whys – which i havent seen him do yet. Something’s definitely amiss.
They wore garnet helmets.
I don't think Galloway's departure was intended. Maybe, but it certainly didn't seem like Horn didn't have a place for Galloway, considering the major role Galloway played this year.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 24, 2011 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree.
At this rate we’re losing kids faster than we’re signing them.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 24, 2011 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions
+1.
I can’t envision a future for this team that DIDN’T involve Galloway.
by RumblinFish on Mar 24, 2011 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Of course, that's what we're stuck with now.
But by no means do I think it was intentional or planned.
by RumblinFish on Mar 24, 2011 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, Horn knew from day one Ellington was interested in football.
I’m pretty sure a big part of how we recruited him involved leaving the door open for both sports. Horn has got to be unhappy about it, but by the same token, it’s not like he didn’t see this coming when he himself offered it as a possibility.
by RumblinFish on Mar 24, 2011 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions
And it's not over yet!
Ole Miss transfer Murphy Holloway wants to transfer again. Four players in one week.
Are you kidding?
If that’s true we might as well fire Darrin Horn now. No way he recovers from this. It will just save us a year of embarrassing basketball.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 25, 2011 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
I wish I was, dude.
Horn had a press conference about 45 minutes ago, so it’ll be interesting to see what he said. I’ve been in his corner all this time, but something’s up and something has to change.
by RumblinFish on Mar 25, 2011 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree.
This kind of player attrition is inexcusable. What the heck is going on with our basketball programs? Oh, and I assume you’ve heard the news about Clowney.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 25, 2011 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
The stuff about Clowney is BS.
He’s 18 and has the right to be out about town as long as he’s being a good boy. It sounds like that’s exactly what was happening. Just another case of the CPD picking on Carolina players.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 25, 2011 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree.
But at the same time, where is the personal responsibility? At the tender age of 18, I never would have dreamed of going to five points, let alone on a Thursday night.
I really do question whether he matched the description of a suspect, though. From the story it doesn’t appear that CPD just happened to spot him. It looks like they arrives at the Salty Nut already knowing full-well that Clowney was there.
Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina
by The Feathered Warrior on Mar 25, 2011 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Isn't this fairly similar to what his mom was worried about with him attending Carolina?
We’re losing all our basketball players. May as well let Clowney go to Clemson too.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 25, 2011 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
If Clowney wasn't getting into trouble, I have no problem with him hanging out in Five Points.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 25, 2011 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Sounds like the CPD has been attending seminars in Athens...
… on how to handle football players. Glad to see that the idiocy of local PDs is not just limited to northeast Georgia.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
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