Hi, my name is ccd494 and I like to discuss Maine basketball. I think there are numerous topics that are interesting and worthy of discussion, including the pace and space style of play Walsh has adopted and whether that was an indication of his intent to continue to play that way moving forward or a response to the personnel on the roster; the large number of guards on the roster and whether that is an intentional decision or just a product of taking the best player available; whether the team's continued inability to defend is something to be concerned about in the future, and many other topics.
However, I have a problem, and that problem is that any discussion of University of Maine basketball occurs on the Maine high school basketball website. I CANNOT visit that site. I think that most of the posters here would agree I am fairly reasonable. I can get grouchy at times, but I can generally converse at an adult level. Visiting the MBR forum makes me want to destroy my computer/tablet/iphone/whatever device I am using at the time.
My issues are numerous. First, it delves into high school sports at an incredibly creepy level. I don't need to know what is going on behind the scenes at a certain high school. I don't need a parent rant about why his kid's coach is a moron. I don't need to, in any way, hear about the inner politics of Maine AAU basketball.
Second, the amount of old white dudes convinced (CONVINCED) that if they were in their primes right now they would walk on the court and beat the University of Maine in a game of five on five is ridiculous. Nevermind that they never shot a jumper and instead were putting up two hand set shots. Never mind that there was no three point line when they played (an innovation they despise). Never mind that the most athletic player on the court could barely elevate and touch the peach basket they were playing with. But because Stearns High in 1952 was able to go down and compete with Boston Latin, that means that Stearns High of 2016 could run top New England prep schools off the court if they just had some fundamentals.
Third, and god, the fundamentals vs. athleticism discussion. These old guys who rant and rave about basketball today will not stop telling you how bad "athletes" are at basketball. Now, mind you, by athlete they mean black people. Their ideal point guard for UMaine is a 5'5" kid named Dustin Cole, who (rightfully) did not get a scholarship offer. But, he's a Mainer, he's white, he can't dunk, he's the platonic ideal of a basketball player.
Which leads me to point four, perhaps the biggest reason I feel ostracized from the UMaine basketball fan community. I WAKE UP EVERY DAY HOPING TO READ BOB CIMBOLLEK'S OBITUARY. This post is already longer than is reasonable to expect anyone to read, so I won't go into the 75 points that lead to my hatred of Maine's most overrated basketball coach, player and official. But his command and control of the UMaine message board to post his official reasons why things would be better if he were in charge is the world's largest exercise in delusion this side of Marco Rubio's presidential campaign. And even worse, he somehow has a blog on the Bangor Daily News website. His ubiquity is matched only by his idiocy.
So, please, reasonable Maine basketball fans, I beg you. Start posting here. Get off that high school board. I need recruiting updates! I need to know if Garret Beal is alive! I need someone to argue about the merits of playing an 85 possession basketball game with! My blood pressure needs to not skyrocket whenever I give in and check MBR, and the only way to avoid that is not to need to check MBR!
However, I have a problem, and that problem is that any discussion of University of Maine basketball occurs on the Maine high school basketball website. I CANNOT visit that site. I think that most of the posters here would agree I am fairly reasonable. I can get grouchy at times, but I can generally converse at an adult level. Visiting the MBR forum makes me want to destroy my computer/tablet/iphone/whatever device I am using at the time.
My issues are numerous. First, it delves into high school sports at an incredibly creepy level. I don't need to know what is going on behind the scenes at a certain high school. I don't need a parent rant about why his kid's coach is a moron. I don't need to, in any way, hear about the inner politics of Maine AAU basketball.
Second, the amount of old white dudes convinced (CONVINCED) that if they were in their primes right now they would walk on the court and beat the University of Maine in a game of five on five is ridiculous. Nevermind that they never shot a jumper and instead were putting up two hand set shots. Never mind that there was no three point line when they played (an innovation they despise). Never mind that the most athletic player on the court could barely elevate and touch the peach basket they were playing with. But because Stearns High in 1952 was able to go down and compete with Boston Latin, that means that Stearns High of 2016 could run top New England prep schools off the court if they just had some fundamentals.
Third, and god, the fundamentals vs. athleticism discussion. These old guys who rant and rave about basketball today will not stop telling you how bad "athletes" are at basketball. Now, mind you, by athlete they mean black people. Their ideal point guard for UMaine is a 5'5" kid named Dustin Cole, who (rightfully) did not get a scholarship offer. But, he's a Mainer, he's white, he can't dunk, he's the platonic ideal of a basketball player.
Which leads me to point four, perhaps the biggest reason I feel ostracized from the UMaine basketball fan community. I WAKE UP EVERY DAY HOPING TO READ BOB CIMBOLLEK'S OBITUARY. This post is already longer than is reasonable to expect anyone to read, so I won't go into the 75 points that lead to my hatred of Maine's most overrated basketball coach, player and official. But his command and control of the UMaine message board to post his official reasons why things would be better if he were in charge is the world's largest exercise in delusion this side of Marco Rubio's presidential campaign. And even worse, he somehow has a blog on the Bangor Daily News website. His ubiquity is matched only by his idiocy.
So, please, reasonable Maine basketball fans, I beg you. Start posting here. Get off that high school board. I need recruiting updates! I need to know if Garret Beal is alive! I need someone to argue about the merits of playing an 85 possession basketball game with! My blood pressure needs to not skyrocket whenever I give in and check MBR, and the only way to avoid that is not to need to check MBR!