OMG! B McKnight suspended

[RACER]

if kd suspended him im sure he has a good reason.i don't get how kd is losing control of the team.he suspened humpty for one game,and now brett.now is the time for mc neese to do what he did the last game.zeke has so much potentialhopefully he will get more pt.zeke is the one guy we have that can shut down the middle.brett is a great player,but we have other guys like zeke that just need to play more min.with brett we are alott better offensive team.with zeke in the middlewe are alott better defensive team.now maybe he will get more pt to show what he can do.

[infofan]

To put in my 2cents worth....... I observed the night of the EMU game in which Hitchens and Sullivan were suspended that both Alex and Humpty were on the bench during the game AND were on the team lineup for the national anthem. In the NIU game 2 nights later Humpty was in the starting lineup. What that tells me is it was a minor transgression ( otherwise why would he start and not just be reactivated) with KD trying to make a point. I was not at the CMU game but I did hear B McKnight was at the game in street clothes. I would assume again it was a minor issue (missing practice or study table?)and Brett will be back on sunday highly motivated ! While they can be inconsistant the McKnights seem to be good responsible kids (kids? theyre bigger than me!)with great parents. We have had a number of player suspensions in the past ( hipscher and Crawford eras) and I recall the suspended players not being at the games.

[zippyrifle32]

I am not slamming the coach. I am saying that two suspensions of starters in a week shows lack of control.

Okay, let me get this straight.You have a problem with "lack of control"?Yet..... you appear to be griping about suspensions, which is an indication that policy is being enforced, or at least that anarchy is not going to prevail.Right? First off, let me just say that, philosophically speaking, and sociologically as well, control is an illusion.However, in the sense of maintaining discipline, a suspension is not only an indication that something went wrong, it is also inherently an indication that something is being done to correct it. Since players are human beings and not robots on remote control, no coach is "in control" so to speak. Now, to be fair, I think that what you are suggesting is that KD is being heavy handed, and the suspensions are unwarranted?

No, what I am saying is this:These are full scholarship athletes on a Div I team. The coach's job is to motivate them to be good players AND good students AND good citizens. Even the THREAT of suspension means something is wrong. That should be a last resort. Now, a player can stray now and then. Lets face it, Babe Ruth, the greatest ballplayer and probably the greatest pro athlete of all time would have been suspended by KD before he ever got into a game, and RIGHTFULLY SO! He was a bum off the field.But after Humpty was suspended last week, the message should have gotten out. That is did not is partly, if not totally, the coaches fault. I could be the coach and suspend players, that takes no special talent. It is maintaining team and personal discipline WITHOUT imposing sanctions that takes special talent.

You do realize that Mack Rhoades instituted a class attendance policy that is department wide before he left right? Like in Humpty's case, it could have come from the administration enforcing their rules which override the coach and the team rules. It really doesn't have anything to do with the coach. They send people to randomly take attendance at the beginning and sometimes ending of class and if the athlete is late or skipped out early it counts against them. Last because of weather? or let out of practice late? or over slept? or just totally bail? I don't know.

[Hilltopper]

I'm sure I read that the team was not coming home after the BSU game, but straight on to Mt Pleasant. I wonder if they went to the Casino?

[RACER]

does anyone know how long the suspension is..the good news is we have ohio at home.hopefully the bigsnik. c mcnight .zeke.conyers can do some damage inside,and make people forget about brett for one night.i am not saying brett is not a good player ,but other people have to step up like mc neese/zeke did for us last game.that's why players have to be ready to play anytime.i still would like to get zeke more involved in the offense,buti realize we have alott of guards that can score.if nothing else why not pass the ball to zeke.he is an excellentpasser,and can set up some open shots for are guards.

[GP1]

does anyone know how long the suspension is..

I really don't know. I'm pretty sure this thread will last longer than the suspension though.

[Dave in Green]

Nothing official, but I always assume a suspension for violation of team rules is for 1 game unless it's specified as a multi-game or indefinite suspension.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Nothing official, but I always assume a suspension for violation of team rules is for 1 game unless it's specified as a multi-game or indefinite suspension.

I think you could live 1,000 years and never make a safer assumption than that one.

[Spin]

At the end of the season, all that counts is the final standings. No one is going to remember that we could have should have would have won with humpty/brett/whoever gets suspended next.

Wrong.The only thing that matters is who wins the MAC Championship Game. Use the regular season to teach these kids that they have to toe the line, play by the rules, and be coached by the coach, so that they will be there for the team (and fans) in those final couple of minutes in Cleveland in March. Because THAT'S what really matters...Not to compare him to any Zips players, but AI might give the Cavs a couple more W's, but what happens to team chemistry in the finals? How many Super Bowl rings does TO have? Ocho Sicko?

[GP1]

At the end of the season, all that counts is the final standings. No one is going to remember that we could have should have would have won with humpty/brett/whoever gets suspended next.

Wrong.The only thing that matters is who wins the MAC Championship Game. Use the regular season to teach these kids that they have to toe the line, play by the rules, and be coached by the coach, so that they will be there for the team (and fans) in those final couple of minutes in Cleveland in March. Because THAT'S what really matters...

******BUILDER ALERT********Are you saying DrZ, Captain Kangaroo, Zip Watcher, ZipsWin!, etc. are wasting their time going to regular season games? I happen to think winning the MAC Tournament is the cherry on top to a good season. Every game matters. Every game is an opportunity to win, not experiment. People are investing their hard earned money and free time to supporting the team. It is up to the team to perform well each game, not just to be involved in some ongoing scrimmages getting ready for the MAC Tournament.If the players start to think everything is about the Tournament, they will fail to experience success during the regular season. The only thing the players should be thinking about is the team they are about to play and what their job is in that game.Did anyone ever think the rules Mack put in place might be a little too strong? Maybe I'm not following it closely enough, but I don't read about players from other schools getting suspended. I don't think we have bad kids, maybe there are too many rules to follow. I'm all for discipline and order, but how much is too much for the player to follow? Maybe the punishments are too strong. This should be looked into.

[zippyrifle32]

Did anyone ever think the rules Mack put in place might be a little too strong? Maybe I'm not following it closely enough, but I don't read about players from other schools getting suspended. I don't think we have bad kids, maybe there are too many rules to follow. I'm all for discipline and order, but how much is too much for the player to follow? Maybe the punishments are too strong. This should be looked into.

Nope, because these are STUDENT-athletes and if they can't go to class and be responsible they shouldn't be rewarded with playing time. Classroom accountability is something that Mack was priding himself in and the rise in GPA's reflected that too. It's not a one and done, it's more like a three strikes and you're out rule, so it's not as harsh as it's being made out to be. "Star players" on the "revenue" teams should not get any special treatment, including but not limited to excused absences or cash bonuses of $1,000/month.

[Spin]

I think they should win every game too, and I also think if you can't follow the rules then you sit. Playing sports is a privilege.I would rather sacrifice one regular season game if it meant getting everybody on the same page so the team can improve. If you let things go, they're not going to win many regular season games anymore. Let alone the games when the nation is watching.

[Dr Z]

It's hard to comment unless we know all the details. I hope this somehow becomes a positive for the team.

Way to stay focused and come up big when it mattered the most. What is the saying "It's not whether you get knocked down...It's how you get back up"

GREAT photo!

From the newsnet 5 interviews:

"I just thank gawd for a second chance" --Brett M

"I'm so proud of him" Steve M

"Give Brett, credit he stepped up and swished both after shooting an air ball, that's not easy to do" --Geno F