Vonwolf: A Subset of State Basketball Fans Need to Shut Up and Cheer

Last night I did something I shouldn’t have…I opened Twitter.

I know there were moments of the State-Nebraska game that were hard to watch. But why does a certain subset of State fans continually have to hate on this team and staff? For every, “awesome effort!”, there’s a, “well the game shouldn’t have been that close and Keatts sucks.” It’s mindblowing to me, it really is. State men’s basketball had one of it’s best 12-hour stretches in recent memory and here folks are sh*tting all over it.

One-and-Done Haters are Idiots

“That’s harsh, why do you have to attack State fans like that?”

Because it’s true.

One of the top players in the entire country flipped from Kentucky to State. It’s near the very top of the biggest recruits to verbally commit to State ever. Yet, I repeatedly see people getting upset that Dillingham came out and admitted he’s, “for sure a one-and-done college player.”

You can absolutely hate the rules in place and daydream all day long about the good ol’ days of college basketball. But you need to realize, this is how the game works now. Every single team that makes their way to the NCAA Championship has a combination of guys ready to leave and guys that are looking to play out their eligibility.

Old farts that make statements like, “If he’s one-and-done, I don’t want him”….or…”I won’t bother remembering his name.” STFU. We have a high class player that could potentially shift State’s relevance in a variety of conversations from recruiting to game success.

Give props to Keatts for getting into these conversations. Big time recruits, bring more big time recruits…the winning will come with it too.

Whoa is me, we’re 6-1

I love this team. Without a doubt, there will be games this year that are just not going to be fun to watch. That said, enjoy the damn moments this team gives you.

It’s ridiculous that State fans almost want to decline wins because the margin of victory just wasn’t up to their standards. Are you kidding me? (update: As mentioned by Keith Gantt on FB…lots and lots of Colgate “we barely beat a toothpaste team” talk, then Colgate whoops up on Syracuse)

Look around the country and the dogsh*t LOSSES that ranked programs have had. Wouldn’t we rather beat teams than lose? This isn’t football where each and every game is thrown under a microscope. We’re talking basketball, where wins are wins and losses are losses.

Last night, there were significant stretches where the five guys on the floor included; two freshmen, Dowuona (who had next to no minutes coming into the season), Allen (coming off the bench for five minutes a game prior) and Seabron (who has exploded on the scene). Every single minute they were going all out. You can’t hate on this team with one ounce of your soul, if you truly are a State fan.

Keatts is Keatts

Which brings me to my last point, which is a continuation of sorts to the latter part of the players on the court. You can dislike Keatts, but you can’t be in hate/fire him mode.

You can’t talk about how hard these players play and then not think this staff had anything to do with it. Seabron has exploded this year. Dowuona had EIGHT damn blocks. The freshmen duo of Pass and Smith are going to make a hell of a jump come season’s end. Oh, and we got Dillingham.

Do I wish we had more directive and purpose on offense? Yeah. Would it be nice to get a little more X’s and O’s going? Sure. But do I see a team that is playing as one and just wants to prove everyone wrong? Absolutely.

Two months ago if I said, “State is 6-1 through seven” not a single person would bat an eye. Yet without Bates and a heavy influx of underclassmen stepping up, it’s more than impressive.

Enjoy the wins. Take pride that each guy is fighting for ‘State’ on their uniforms. Shut up about wanting to win by more or heaven forbid, State starts getting one-and-done dudes.

#GoPack