UND vs. Wayne State

[The Walrus]

For whatever reason, I'm nowhere near as disappointed about this loss as I was after the last games of the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons. I guess those losses rendered me immune to women's basketball disappointment. Still, the last game as a dII program is certainly not the ideal time for probably the biggest choke in UND women's basketball history.

Ryan Williams from Wayne is a lock for the USD job, he is a great upcoming coach, will be giving the Sioux fits now at least twice a year....

[bison fan north of GF]

For whatever reason, I'm nowhere near as disappointed about this loss as I was after the last games of the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons. I guess those losses rendered me immune to women's basketball disappointment. Still, the last game as a dII program is certainly not the ideal time for probably the biggest choke in UND women's basketball history.

cough, cough, cough cough cough, cough cough, cough Yep, thats why they play the game, there are no free dinners, especially in the play offs.

Too bad for the Srs. They deserved a better ending! Way to go Gene.

[CMSioux]

Hey North Fan, I felt that same way for the NDSU women's team when they lost their last ever game with UND.

Also, last time I checked the coach doesn't play the game. Why don't you go post on the NDSU smack site or better yet the NDSU Women's Basketball site - oh I guess it's been pretty quiet there for the last few years during the playoffs.

[bison fan north of GF]

Hey North Fan, I felt that same way for the NDSU women's team when they lost their last ever game with UND.

Also, last time I checked the coach doesn't play the game. Why don't you go post on the NDSU smack site or better yet the NDSU Women's Basketball site - oh I guess it's been pretty quiet there for the last few years during the playoffs.

Yep I agree thats where I am going, but I may add that having 3 refs is a big problem, too many whistles! They can be a factor.

[GFSportsguy]

Yep I agree thats where I am going, but I may add that having 3 refs is a big problem, too many whistles! They can be a factor.

Another slow start for the Sioux. This team has had a tough 2nd half of the season with the slow starts. No energy no intensity to start the game AGAIN. I think Roebuck is alot to blame he never changed a thing all year. No accountability if you always know you have your spot. Several times Wayne State knocked the ball out of our hands no ball intensity in such a big game WHY. If we are going to live and die by playing man to man we better be ready or able to play it. We gave up 85 pts to Wayne State coaching plain and simple!!! This team played scared all season Why.. Roebuck needs to take a good look back and figure it out. Next year is a whole new level. I wish them luck ,they have the talent to compete next year

[the green team]

It's certainly frustrating, I honestly don't know what to say after that game. We weren't the only team to have a bad day today. West Texas A&M I believe lost in ot, Indiana PA, i think lost as well. MSU Mankato beat Concordia of St. Paul. Unfortunately there were certain things that plagued us this year, that once again reared itself today, and we were not able to overcome it. The officials at times were horrible, there is no excusing the one officials performance, however that is not why we lost today. We lost today because we could not stop anything in the first half defensively and during that same span our offense could not get the ball inside (the blame lies with everyone on this- bigs and perimeter players alike). From there that was an absolutely clutch performance of shooting by necessity to stem our runs in the 2nd half, by Wayne. Within the last couple of years, for whatever reason we are not as good defensively as some of the Sioux teams have been in the past- I say this because you go back to the championship teams and some of the other teams- when they kicked up the defense- you could tell that we just were going to get the stop we needed at the time-in the last few years-that just wasn't the case. There appears to be a lot of chinks in our amour, and teams have found it and exposed it. This is a tough way to head into D1, that's the sad part, because it will never be the same again, and that's why I'm so bummed about this one.

Honestly, I know I'm going to take some heat for this but I for one hope USD has some success. Coach Lavin has done a magnificent job this year and it would be nice to see him retire with a good run. Plus, I like to see good teams do well, and they have one. I don't tend hold a grudge against teams that beat us as long as they have good people in the program...the only thing is, I really dislike, make that strongly dislike USD fans... they are by far the biggest a$$ clowns around.

I am severely bummed I'm making myself sick. I wish I could say there's always next year but in our case there won't be, and that's a tough pill to swallow.

[coach daddy]

Another slow start for the Sioux. This team has had a tough 2nd half of the season with the slow starts. No energy no intensity to start the game AGAIN. I think Roebuck is alot to blame he never changed a thing all year. No accountability if you always know you have your spot. Several times Wayne State knocked the ball out of our hands no ball intensity in such a big game WHY. If we are going to live and die by playing man to man we better be ready or able to play it. We gave up 85 pts to Wayne State coaching plain and simple!!! This team played scared all season Why.. Roebuck needs to take a good look back and figure it out. Next year is a whole new level. I wish them luck ,they have the talent to compete next year

1) No accountability because his bench can't play. He started the 3 best guards he had (unfortunately) and his bench wasn't good enough to take spots away. I know you all love Bergen but is so limited it is scary.

2) Players play and coaches coach. Buck teaches man to man as well as coach around but if players are more worried about fake tans and how their uniforms fit, whats the point. This team never played hard defensively. Mayville St. had them tied w/8 minutes to go, remember? Truth be told, that night, 2 of the 3 best guards on the floor at anytime were Mayville guards, not ours. Fact is, the NCC wasn't a great league this year and they could coast at times and still win by 20. Other than Langen and Kimbrough, no one else even received hon. mention all conference. That should tell us all something.

3) He'll figure it out. Send em all home. 15 scholarships now in DI.............go get kids who are hungary. This team plays like their full. The Katie Richards, Tiffany Pudenz, Jamie Pudenz of the world would have beat this team by 30, knocked em to the floor, and walked over the top of them. They wanted to kick your ass all night..............This group didn't.

Blame the coach who has 3 national titles and has put this school on the map if you want. Bottom line is kids at this age and this level should be self-motivated and ready to play every night. In my opinion, this group wasn't.

[Irish]

1) No accountability because his bench can't play. He started the 3 best guards he had (unfortunately) and his bench wasn't good enough to take spots away. I know you all love Bergen but is so limited it is scary.

2) Players play and coaches coach. Buck teaches man to man as well as coach around but if players are more worried about fake tans and how their uniforms fit, whats the point. This team never played hard defensively. Mayville St. had them tied w/8 minutes to go, remember? Truth be told, that night, 2 of the 3 best guards on the floor at anytime were Mayville guards, not ours. Fact is, the NCC wasn't a great league this year and they could coast at times and still win by 20. Other than Langen and Kimbrough, no one else even received hon. mention all conference. That should tell us all something.

3) He'll figure it out. Send em all home. 15 scholarships now in DI.............go get kids who are hungary. This team plays like their full. The Katie Richards, Tiffany Pudenz, Jamie Pudenz of the world would have beat this team by 30, knocked em to the floor, and walked over the top of them. They wanted to kick your ass all night..............This group didn't.

Blame the coach who has 3 national titles and has put this school on the map if you want. Bottom line is kids at this age and this level should be self-motivated and ready to play every night. In my opinion, this group wasn't.

Other than the Jenny Crouse years, Roebuck's teams have a notorious reputation for folding in the tournaments. Look at the 5 years directly before Crouse and the last 5 years and you will see what I mean. This is not just a one time happening that reflects on only the current players. This happens almost every year. The coach is involved.

[GFSportsguy]

1) No accountability because his bench can't play. He started the 3 best guards he had (unfortunately) and his bench wasn't good enough to take spots away. I know you all love Bergen but is so limited it is scary.

2) Players play and coaches coach. Buck teaches man to man as well as coach around but if players are more worried about fake tans and how their uniforms fit, whats the point. This team never played hard defensively. Mayville St. had them tied w/8 minutes to go, remember? Truth be told, that night, 2 of the 3 best guards on the floor at anytime were Mayville guards, not ours. Fact is, the NCC wasn't a great league this year and they could coast at times and still win by 20. Other than Langen and Kimbrough, no one else even received hon. mention all conference. That should tell us all something.

3) He'll figure it out. Send em all home. 15 scholarships now in DI.............go get kids who are hungary. This team plays like their full. The Katie Richards, Tiffany Pudenz, Jamie Pudenz of the world would have beat this team by 30, knocked em to the floor, and walked over the top of them. They wanted to kick your ass all night..............This group didn't.

Blame the coach who has 3 national titles and has put this school on the map if you want. Bottom line is kids at this age and this level should be self-motivated and ready to play every night. In my opinion, this group wasn't.

Bobby Knight had 3 national titles how did he do his last few years?? The players have changed and the game has changed but Roebuck has not. He never made an adjustment all year. Your comments on Bergan are pretty strong. She was was one of the only ones that always gave it 110%. I never watched a game where she had 7 tournovers . Take the scholarships away how dumb a commet is that!! This team will be good next year Maybe they will surprise alot of teams I think they will play more loosely and be real good.

[coach daddy]

Bobby Knight had 3 national titles how did he do his last few years?? The players have changed and the game has changed but Roebuck has not. He never made an adjustment all year. Your comments on Bergan are pretty strong. She was was one of the only ones that always gave it 110%. I never watched a game where she had 7 tournovers . Take the scholarships away how dumb a commet is that!! This team will be good next year Maybe they will surprise alot of teams I think they will play more loosely and be real good.

To compare a coach to Bobby Knight and then rip him is crazy. What coach wouldn't take 3 national titles and 1 runner up and go away pleased with what he did. The teams that beat him prior to Jenny Crouse and the others was NDSU and Delta St. Those 2 schools only won 6 or 7 national championships between the 2 of them; not bad, I guess.

Cutting them wasn't meant literally. Of course their good players or they wouldn't be here. But they have to compete and this team didn't; not like they should have. I don't mean to be too critical of Jossy, I'm sure she does the best she can. However, if Coach thought she could play 23-30 minutes a night and help the team, don't you think he'd play her? He is trying to win games and coaches typically put the 5 players that can help them win out on the floor more than the other players.

It gets real old when every loss gets dropped at the feet of a man who has done more for womens athletics at this university and any one in the history of the institution. He'll be gone in a couple of years and you better be careful what you all wish for. It can and will be worse.

[supersioux]

Coach Daddy I whole heartedly agree with you

[Irish]

"The teams that beat him prior to Jenny Crouse and the others was NDSU and Delta St. Those 2 schools only won 6 or 7 national championships between the 2 of them; not bad, I guess."

My point exactly - in several of those years I felt we had better teams than NDSU but couldn't get it done in the regional. A couple of other years I felt we were equal. NDSU won the championships and we stayed home and watched. The tournament results in the last 5-6 years speak for themselves. Do good teams sometimes get beat in the tournaments - absolutely. However, when it happens with this frequency, something is wrong.

Coach Roebuck has done many positive things including making UND a national contender, recruiting outstanding athletes, and finally learning how to beat Amy Ruley. Getting the best play from his teams at tournament time ain't a strong suit.

[GFSportsguy]

"The teams that beat him prior to Jenny Crouse and the others was NDSU and Delta St. Those 2 schools only won 6 or 7 national championships between the 2 of them; not bad, I guess."

My point exactly - in several of those years I felt we had better teams than NDSU but couldn't get it done in the regional. A couple of other years I felt we were equal. NDSU won the championships and we stayed home and watched. The tournament results in the last 5-6 years speak for themselves. Do good teams sometimes get beat in the tournaments - absolutely. However, when it happens with this frequency, something is wrong.

Coach Roebuck has done many positive things including making UND a national contender, recruiting outstanding athletes, and finally learning how to beat Amy Ruley. Getting the best play from his teams at tournament time ain't a strong suit.

I agree something is wrong do the girls play so tight at tournament time because they are so afraid to make a mistake I don't know but Roebuck has to take alot of the blame. It is his job to get the best out of them.

[GFSportsguy]

To compare a coach to Bobby Knight and then rip him is crazy. What coach wouldn't take 3 national titles and 1 runner up and go away pleased with what he did. The teams that beat him prior to Jenny Crouse and the others was NDSU and Delta St. Those 2 schools only won 6 or 7 national championships between the 2 of them; not bad, I guess.

Cutting them wasn't meant literally. Of course their good players or they wouldn't be here. But they have to compete and this team didn't; not like they should have. I don't mean to be too critical of Jossy, I'm sure she does the best she can. However, if Coach thought she could play 23-30 minutes a night and help the team, don't you think he'd play her? He is trying to win games and coaches typically put the 5 players that can help them win out on the floor more than the other players.

It gets real old when every loss gets dropped at the feet of a man who has done more for womens athletics at this university and any one in the history of the institution. He'll be gone in a couple of years and you better be careful what you all wish for. It can and will be worse.

I don't understand your commet about being careful what you wish for. Are you saying Roebuck can't coach at the Division 1 level and it is going to be worse next year? In your mind he is God so it should be an easy transition next year We will have to see!!!!

[coach daddy]

Yep I agree thats where I am going, but I may add that having 3 refs is a big problem, too many whistles! They can be a factor.

Another slow start for the Sioux. This team has had a tough 2nd half of the season with the slow starts. No energy no intensity to start the game AGAIN. I think Roebuck is alot to blame he never changed a thing all year. No accountability if you always know you have your spot. Several times Wayne State knocked the ball out of our hands no ball intensity in such a big game WHY. If we are going to live and die by playing man to man we better be ready or able to play it. We gave up 85 pts to Wayne State coaching plain and simple!!! This team played scared all season Why.. Roebuck needs to take a good look back and figure it out. Next year is a whole new level. I wish them luck ,they have the talent to compete next year

1) No accountability because his bench can't play. He started the 3 best guards he had (unfortunately) and his bench wasn't good enough to take spots away. I know you all love Bergen but is so limited it is scary.

2) Players play and coaches coach. Buck teaches man to man as well as coach around but if players are more worried about fake tans and how their uniforms fit, whats the point. This team never played hard defensively. Mayville St. had them tied w/8 minutes to go, remember? Truth be told, that night, 2 of the 3 best guards on the floor at anytime were Mayville guards, not ours. Fact is, the NCC wasn't a great league this year and they could coast at times and still win by 20. Other than Langen and Kimbrough, no one else even received hon. mention all conference. That should tell us all something.

3) He'll figure it out. Send em all home. 15 scholarships now in DI.............go get kids who are hungary. This team plays like their full. The Katie Richards, Tiffany Pudenz, Jamie Pudenz of the world would have beat this team by 30, knocked em to the floor, and walked over the top of them. They wanted to kick your ass all night..............This group didn't.

Blame the coach who has 3 national titles and has put this school on the map if you want. Bottom line is kids at this age and this level should be self-motivated and ready to play every night. In my opinion, this group wasn't.

Bobby Knight had 3 national titles how did he do his last few years?? The players have changed and the game has changed but Roebuck has not. He never made an adjustment all year. Your comments on Bergan are pretty strong. She was was one of the only ones that always gave it 110%. I never watched a game where she had 7 tournovers . Take the scholarships away how dumb a commet is that!! This team will be good next year Maybe they will surprise alot of teams I think they will play more loosely and be real good.

To compare a coach to Bobby Knight and then rip him is crazy. What coach wouldn't take 3 national titles and 1 runner up and go away pleased with what he did. The teams that beat him prior to Jenny Crouse and the others was NDSU and Delta St. Those 2 schools only won 6 or 7 national championships between the 2 of them; not bad, I guess.

Cutting them wasn't meant literally. Of course their good players or they wouldn't be here. But they have to compete and this team didn't; not like they should have. I don't mean to be too critical of Jossy, I'm sure she does the best she can. However, if Coach thought she could play 23-30 minutes a night and help the team, don't you think he'd play her? He is trying to win games and coaches typically put the 5 players that can help them win out on the floor more than the other players.

It gets real old when every loss gets dropped at the feet of a man who has done more for womens athletics at this university and any one in the history of the institution. He'll be gone in a couple of years and you better be careful what you all wish for. It can and will be worse.

I don't understand your commet about being careful what you wish for. Are you saying Roebuck can't coach at the Division 1 level and it is going to be worse next year? In your mind he is God so it should be an easy transition next year We will have to see!!!!

My reference is to the next person who coaches here, smart ass. I don't remember referring to him as God but since I'm pretty sure you've never recruited a player, organized a practice, drawn up a play, coached a game, or even blown a whistle, why should I expect anything less?

Coach will do a couple more years but he is at the age where he won't see this DI thing through. Amy didn't, Coach Lavin at USD isn't going to, Miles left, etc. We'll start seeing coaches come and go about every 5 years. DI in North Dakota is a stepping stone, not a stopping point.

[UND92,96]

UND's loss certainly doesn't look any better now, as Mankato defeated Wayne St. yesterday. Mankato was just 6-6 in the NCC this year.

[fan86]

It takes much more than a coach to win championships - it takes players having the will to win and playing up to the level they are capable. I was fortunate to be a part of teams leading up to the nationalship championship years and some of those years. When we came to practice - we came with the mindset that we were going to work hard to get better. We LISTENED to what he had to say and we tried our best in games to do what we were told. We were not always successful but as long as we worked hard and played with HEART we knew we would get better. We were given an opportunity to play for a school we grew up dreaming about and we didn't expect just because we were a SIOUX that we were owed anything. It was just the opposite - we felt that we owed something to the program because we were playing for the SIOUX. Where did it all change - does it have something to do with kids nowdays? or parents? Fans? How about getting back to the idea that you have to work hard for something, hustling and doing the little things that win games, getting along with teammates, parents getting along, etc. Our coaches never had to worry about getting us up for a game - that is why we won. And when we lost we came to practice the next time ready to LISTEN and WORK HARD. Those are the two things that coach taught me about life - pretty simple.

[siouxperfulous]

I too was very let down with the Sioux loss to Wayne State. Although I do agree with some comments here, some of them are ridiculous, bordering on mean.

• The fake tan/jersey fitting comment is ridiculous. What does that mean? Jerseys get untucked when people grab them and refs tell you to tuck them back in. The tan comment is just stupid.
  
• How do we know what goes on in practice/huddles or even their lives for that matter. Is there a problems with team relations or parents getting along?
  
• We are upset by the talent of our bench, but we shouldn't hold a coach accountable? Is the coach not responsible for recruiting such talent (or non-talent?) IMO it is a coach's responsibilty to motivate a team or settle a team down as well as guide them. Are you implying the team doesn't listen? I can't see Roebuck putting up with that. I do think that eventhough a coach doesn't play, he calls the shots. our lack of playing zone has killed us for years...that's not the players choice.
  
• We think the team choked and are upset by that. Do any of you watch sports on a regular basis? Upsets or "chokes" happen all of the time. it's March maddness, you'll probably hear of one or more a day for the next 2 weeks. It is not just UND suffering from this.
  

We played a horrible game at the worst possible time. Tournament time. That's sports. To say that a team who sacraficed an ENTIRE year to work for it didn't care is insulting. I don't know what goes on in practice, etc, but to say they lack work ethic, unless you have info to the contrary, is odd to me. This was the last chance to play for something for a long time for ALL of these girls, not just the seniors. I would say they probably wanted this pretty bad. The team we have left will have a tough road and I would hope we will cheer for them and support them. I agree that some of our players did not play up to their ability, but I don't think it is because they didn't care. There were some bright spots. Kimbrough's play especially. It will be interesting to see how she does at a higher level. She had great tournament play. I thought Beck played well too. I thought Bergan played well off the bench. We will need some good recruits, guards and some help inside, but that will be hard with our situation. I hope this board doesn't turn into a bash-fest for these young women who are really sacraficing a chance to play for anything to bring UND through the transition. Congrats on a good year and I'll be cheering you on next year!

[Irish]

"We think the team choked and are upset by that. Do any of you watch sports on a regular basis? Upsets or "chokes" happen all of the time. it's March maddness, you'll probably hear of one or more a day for the next 2 weeks. It is not just UND suffering from this."

Agreed - but this seems to be a yearly occurrence for the Sioux Women.

[farce poobah]

Watch Roebuck's demeanor on a tape of a game 15 years ago, or during the 1997 playoffs, compared to now.

He's gotten that much more hyper, that much more perfectionist, and I do think that intimidation detracts when the situation itself adds as much motivation is as needed. The extra pressure just doesn't help.

[dakotadan]

The 2001 overtime loss was hard.

This year and last year was almost harder to take just because they were the last ones and we knew it at the time.

We'll just have to see how the next few years go and if our coach will take us through the transition. I hope he at least takes us through a few years.

[coach daddy]

I too was very let down with the Sioux loss to Wayne State. Although I do agree with some comments here, some of them are ridiculous, bordering on mean.

• The fake tan/jersey fitting comment is ridiculous. What does that mean? Jerseys get untucked when people grab them and refs tell you to tuck them back in. The tan comment is just stupid.
  
• How do we know what goes on in practice/huddles or even their lives for that matter. Is there a problems with team relations or parents getting along?
  
• We are upset by the talent of our bench, but we shouldn't hold a coach accountable? Is the coach not responsible for recruiting such talent (or non-talent?) IMO it is a coach's responsibilty to motivate a team or settle a team down as well as guide them. Are you implying the team doesn't listen? I can't see Roebuck putting up with that. I do think that eventhough a coach doesn't play, he calls the shots. our lack of playing zone has killed us for years...that's not the players choice.
  
• We think the team choked and are upset by that. Do any of you watch sports on a regular basis? Upsets or "chokes" happen all of the time. it's March maddness, you'll probably hear of one or more a day for the next 2 weeks. It is not just UND suffering from this.
  

We played a horrible game at the worst possible time. Tournament time. That's sports. To say that a team who sacraficed an ENTIRE year to work for it didn't care is insulting. I don't know what goes on in practice, etc, but to say they lack work ethic, unless you have info to the contrary, is odd to me. This was the last chance to play for something for a long time for ALL of these girls, not just the seniors. I would say they probably wanted this pretty bad. The team we have left will have a tough road and I would hope we will cheer for them and support them. I agree that some of our players did not play up to their ability, but I don't think it is because they didn't care. There were some bright spots. Kimbrough's play especially. It will be interesting to see how she does at a higher level. She had great tournament play. I thought Beck played well too. I thought Bergan played well off the bench. We will need some good recruits, guards and some help inside, but that will be hard with our situation. I hope this board doesn't turn into a bash-fest for these young women who are really sacraficing a chance to play for anything to bring UND through the transition. Congrats on a good year and I'll be cheering you on next year!

Totally agree. Don't bash players...............or COACHES. My bashing of players came after reading constant criticism of Coach Roebuck. I defended him the only way possible on a message board. I do support everyone involved with UND but I will go to any means necessary to defend what I believe is the best basketball coach in school history, men or women. Enough said!!

[new2sioux2]

I don't think anyone here is going to argue that Roebuck is not a great coach and I for one would not want anyone else bringing us through this transition. I think he is a tremendous assett for getting scheduling for these next few years because of his winning basketball reputation. I would guess he is respected among even higher level schools. His record speaks for itself, BUT a coach gets the credit and a coach gets the blame. I have to agree that maybe what worked 15 years ago isn't working now. Different personel is part of that. You have to look at the fact that in the last 4 years, the starting line-ups and teams have changed, but the common denominator is the coach. Unless all of these girls are of the same personality, the coach has something to do with play. As other people have noted, the girls seem to play tight or scared. It's pretty hard to play your game or get in a rhythm if you are worried about making a mistake or having a revolving door substitution policy. I think Roebuck knows basketball better than anyone but something is missing. It is his job to understand our weaknesses and figure out a way around them. Our defense was lacking at times. Two of the best players on the team are not speedsters, but you can't sacrafice the scoring potential. I know people have beat this one to death, but a zone fits the big girls better and perhaps should have been and be utilized more often. I am not blaming the coach. The team did not perform at times also I just think it goes both ways. There was a lot of presure this year for this team AND the coach. We expected to go out with a bang. I don't know what happens in the team/coach dynamic either, but I do know that being under constant pressure and being disicplined for mistakes makes it much harder to do my job or any job for that matter. That would include both the team and the coach. Do I think that's an excuse, no. Some people in their nature just don't handle it well, some do. We had some weaknesses on our team as well. Although a coach does recruit talent, sometimes that talent doesn't develop as expected. No ones really to blame for that. I would think we all have off days, coaches, players, people in general. We have 2 All-American candidtates this year which is outstanding. We will have one of them back and a team with talent. I too think that next year we could see this team in a whole new light. I think both Roebuck and the team will loosen up and are capable of playing some good ball. We basically have nothing to lose and will be playing for pride...I think they ALL will surprise us. Good luck to the Fighting Sioux women..players AND coaches.

[UND92,96]

This is more of an observation rather than a criticism of Roebuck and staff, but it's interesting that most people feel that in order to be competitive as a mid-major division I program, UND will need to expand its recruiting territory. And yet, over the past three or four years, it almost seems like our recruiting area is contracting, rather than expanding. Besides Mallory Youngblut, all the signed or committed recruits over this time period have been from either North Dakota or northwest Minnesota, and most are within an hour or two of Grand Forks. Obviously those areas have been very good to UND over the years, but so have the twin cities (Britz, Leighton, LeCuyer via transfer, etc.) and southern Minnesota (Pudenzes, Arndtson, Boese, etc.). The state of Minnesota produces a lot of talent year in and year out. I think we need to get back to getting some of the outstanding players from areas besides just the northwestern part of the state. I like watching local kids as much as anyone, but if there aren't more Langen's or Kimbrough's on the horizon, we need to find difference-makers somewhere else. Just a thought.

[coach daddy]

This is more of an observation rather than a criticism of Roebuck and staff, but it's interesting that most people feel that in order to be competitive as a mid-major division I program, UND will need to expand its recruiting territory. And yet, over the past three or four years, it almost seems like our recruiting area is contracting, rather than expanding. Besides Mallory Youngblut, all the signed or committed recruits over this time period have been from either North Dakota or northwest Minnesota, and most are within an hour or two of Grand Forks. Obviously those areas have been very good to UND over the years, but so have the twin cities (Britz, Leighton, LeCuyer via transfer, etc.) and southern Minnesota (Pudenzes, Arndtson, Boese, etc.). The state of Minnesota produces a lot of talent year in and year out. I think we need to get back to getting some of the outstanding players from areas besides just the northwestern part of the state. I like watching local kids as much as anyone, but if there aren't more Langen's or Kimbrough's on the horizon, we need to find difference-makers somewhere else. Just a thought.

My ONLY question of this coaching staff is that we haven't done enough recruiting outside the area. There are no DI players in northeast ND and northwest MN (Wahlin excluded). I think the hard part for our coaches right now is w/out a conference and a chance to play in the tourney, who'd come here? NDSU found out the hard way that they needed to expand their recruiting. We'll see what their new coach does.

Like I said, those who want to rip coach, go ahead. Personally, I'll defend him and his knowledge of the game. Hey, I'm a coach too. I don't want all the credit when my team wins and I don't want all blame when WE lose. Some people here can't, or won't, see both sides.