The State of the Big Three

[Coyote Fan]

Time for a little honest analysis of where the big three stand right now. For those that are not sure what I mean by that it would be football, men's basketball and women's basketball.

When it comes to football when people wonder why I tend to be on the negative side I will give you some background. For college and pro football I follow The Vikings, Gophers and Coyotes. Of course I am into numbers and facts a lot lately. I am not counting the Coyotes 1/3 of a title in the Great West when there were 6 teams. Lets face it, in spirit that doesn't count. If the Vikings do not get to the super bowl I will have reached 100 total seasons following these three teams and guess how many conference title that would include. Yes, that is zero for one-hundred. I think that is enough to make anyone just a bit on the cranky side. That is crazy but since the late 70's the Vikings have not won a conference title, since the early 80's the Gophers have not won a conference title and since the early 90's the Coyotes have not won a conference title.

That is why I get a bit cranky when I see a Coyote team that finally has it's act together, and then a giant kerplunk. At one point the Coyotes were 6-0 and the Jacks had 2 losses and the feel was that finally the Coyotes have done it, finally they have out done SDSU and finally they are going to defeat the Jacks. How could anything possible have turned around so far in the wrong direction since. It is honestly like a reoccurring night mare and the Jacks are one win away from a title shot and 2 weeks of the most painful media coverage to have to endure. What was once so good became so lost. I am hoping Bob Nielson can turn it back in the right direction again. I think people have put Nielson on a really high pedestal and that is why I think he is slightly over rated. He is a good coach, don't get me wrong but I am a no excuses type of guy. I am not letting the late season slide go by and just write if off to injuries or internal issues or whatever. I don't think any of us should. If we do and if the team takes the same mentality than they won't have the internal motivation to really get better. If they are satisfied with this season then will they really get better next year. I am not saying they won't just that the question is a fair one. Just because the expectations were so low when Nielson took over doesn't mean that I am lowering them with it. I expect the Coyotes to be on par with the Jacks, Bison, UNI and UND because I believe if there are 4 institutions that most would consider the peers, those 4 would be the most mentioned. Since Nielson took over the Coyotes are 0-4 against the Jacks and Bison and 2-2 against UNI and UND. I believe Nielson is 12-12 since taking over. That is the perfect definition of average. Of course Nielson had to rebuild WIU and had to rebuild USD (but I don't get that since most said that Glenn left the team in such good shape) I think he did morally but not talent wise.

I am not especially down on Nielson I am just not as high on him as most. He is solid but in his 6 FCS seasons he has not matched the greatness he did in Duluth. His best season is 7-4 and hasn't been further than the sweet 16. Against I know people will say look at the bad situation he took over. Well whatever it is he still hasn't proven his greatness in FCS yet. Maybe at USD that will be realized and we sure hope that is the case. Maybe he will be just like Glenn. He had a great career but once he came to USD it is like he forgot how to coach or just didn't have the energy or will to succeed or perhaps the game passed him by.

Whatever the feeling the Coyotes will be what they are going to be in years 3 and 4 of Bob. If the program is going to elevate to elite status it will show in the next 2 years. If it has already plateau'd then the year we saw this year could be what we will see for the next hand full of years until Nielson retires or moves on. Almost everyone things that next year will be another step forward but I am 50/50 on that. The Coyotes lose what could have been their best player ever in Streveler and the offense was so wrapped around what he did that it is hard to tell how things will function without him. The team has some big things that need to be improved to make the next step and the D has got to be fixed. Player losses or not, we all know that injuries are part of the game and recruiting has to be done with that in mind. The Bison have their fair share of injuries and they are rolling like they never skipped a beat.

The bottom line is that the jury is still out. Which way will the program head from here. Most say no doubt that it is heading upwards. That very well may be the case but never have we heard Coyote nation ever say that the next season would be worse than the current one.

Next Women's Basketball

[Coyote Fan]

What is the state of women's basketball. Of course like football I am a no excuses guy for every sport. After the incredible WNIT run could the team have taken any more losses than it did after that season. Basically everyone was gone and a new coach in place all at the same time. For all that the team and Dawn had to deal with I thought she got an A grade for the job that she did with all the turnover. A Arens was an incredible surprise and Bradley kept improving from the upside she showed as a freshman under Williams. The team got off to a really good start and kept it going for most of the year. The team did begin to fade at the end because of lack of depth and playing new player a lot of minutes. That is the absolute only reason Dawn did not get an A plus.

So onto this year. It is really hard for me to judge because I have viewed the men probably 3 times more frequently than I have seen the women play. I have listened to them on the radio and had to miss a couple of games when they were on TV or online. They have played a pretty tough schedule so far. They haven't won many games they weren't supposed to win and haven't lost many games they weren't supposed to lose. The exceptions that come to mind were beating a good Creighton team and losing to SFA in a game they really should have won.

It's really tough to judge fairly yet as I think the jury is still out. It seems like the offense has been a little selfish this year and the D a bit up and down. I believe the team has the capability to be a very good Summit team but I believe it will have to get more consistent. If there is something slightly worrisome is that other than McKeever I do worry about the underclassmen a bit as it seems as if the contribution isn't where the new comers were last year. I think the Dawn's recruiting is still up in the air but it seems like the Jacks have been winning that battle since Amy left.

Overall I am happy with where the program is at and when the league gets underway the questions will really begin to be answered.

Next Men's Basketball

[Coyote Fan]

So now it onto the sweetest spot of the Big 3 right now and that is the Men's Basketball team. When Craig Smith entered his 3rd year I will be the first to admit that I had some big questions. Year 2 was not a pretty one because Craig kind of threw the season a bit for the good of year 3. He would never admit that, but he certainly threw all his eggs in the basket for the 2016-17 season. Everyone kept saying how the team was better, the talent was better. I was like OK, is it just Coyote homer talk or is there something to it. I was not really committed one way or another because the hoops program had been down for awhile, mostly because of the transition.

So last year the guys were kind of so so to start the year. I was actually not really feeling it for awhile but then I saw something in the team when they played Omaha at home to start the conference season. They really upped their game and blasted a pretty good team. That was the revenge game from the year before when Omaha came back from over 20 down in the second half. The team made a step forward that night. Then things leveled off a bit. Then the turning point of the program came up in Fargo against North Dakota State. The switch went on during that road trip and it has never gone off since. I believe they lost at Omaha in a close one but then beat NDSU and Fort Wayne in back to back road games. From that part of the season until this very day this teams went from good to very good. When I say that the three things I look at in a team are how they play on the road, how they play in the last part of the season and how they play in the last part of games was to the T with this team. They went from what looked to be a 2nd or 3rd place team to a conference championship team and they did it mostly on the road. This team grew up together as a team away from the SCSC where they almost always play good ball. Then the really good win against the Jacks at home in a game where the Jacks played a very good road game. The Coyotes were good that day and Mooney really became the star of the team during that game. His late threes sealed the win. The Coyotes went back on the road and swept W. Illinois and IUPUI and clinched the title. They ended up winning their last 4 road games and it certainly wasn't an easy stretch. My entire perspective of the team changed during that season ending run. My questions were pretty much all answered and I no longer had much of a doubt about the team or the program.

The Coyotes took one of the most heartbreaking losses in the tourney semi-finals that has ever occurred in the history of Coyote basketball. That loss I believe motivated this team all off season. I felt there was a real sense of wanting redemption this year and so far the team is playing like it. I don't know if I can say I sense that same feeling with the football team but we will see.

With basketball this year I am kind of giddy about things. It just seems like this team is all about winning and playing good ball. Smith's GATA ball is as evident as ever. They are not perfect but they are such a confident bunch. They don't hope they are going to win, they know it. This is the kind of team that will be tied with an opponent and suddenly 7 minutes later they have a 15 point lead. This team is building for the Summit Tourney. Of course repeating as regular season champs will be important but there is going to be a sense of urgency and confident once this thing hits Sioux Falls. The Jacks will be tough and it can be argued that they should be favored and it can be argued that the Coyotes should be favored. What cannot be disputed is the sense of purpose with this team. I am as proud of the team this year that I have been for several years. It all started in Fargo a year ago and there has been no turning back.

I believe coach Smith is the most indispensable coach of the big 3. He is now a proven commodity and his players trust him completely. He is a great interview and a likable guy. I have more trust right now in the direction of men's basketball than I do football and it is bordering on not even being close.