Fitkul.cz | Diskuse

od **khm1997** » čtv 06. pro 2018 6:45:34

You dont know them. Not many people do. Days… Weeks… Months… Almost a year has gone by and still… you dont know them. The legendary Robert Montgomery Knight, aka, The General, one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history, strolls in to inspect the troops. He came to see them, to share his wisdom before they march into madness… to see who exactly this rag-tag bunch of players, not blue bloods… scrappers… fighters… winners, were. Coach Knight, the leader of the last college team to go undefeated and win an NCAA title, the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, shows up at practice in late February to tell them to take it "one game at a time". He is a fan of how they play. "Play Angry". The 2013-2014 Wichita State mens basketball team does just that. But more importantly, plays hard, plays tough and plays together, leading to an NCAA-record 30-0 regular season mark under head coach Gregg Marshall. Saturday, March 1, 2014: Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas: Senior Night. The final matchup before the conference tourney and the opponent Missouri State is no easy out for the Shockers. This is also the final home game for two Canadian senior forwards, Chadrack Lufile, as well as his best friend, a young man whose last name is famous, not only in the state of Kansas, but on a couple continents, Nick Wiggins. Nick has a younger brother, Andrew who you may know, playing in the same state only two and half hours away, for a program so steeped in tradition, the inventor of basketball was the first head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, fellow Canuck James Naismith. I got on the phone with Nick Wiggins and Chadrack Lufile post-practice this week to talk life in the shadows and possibly shocking the world. Did you guys know one another before signing at Wichita State? NW: Weve known one another since we were teenagers. CL: We actually went to the same junior college together at Vincennes in Indiana. NW: I signed first. I didnt force him to sign or anything… just told him it would be special for us to go together. Why Wichita State? CL: Nick had narrowed his choices down to Baylor and Wichita State. He talked about his visit, how they treated him, the ambitions of the coaches and players. There was just a feeling; a good feeling about it all. Once Nick decided, I was in, too. We had to take advantage of what looked like a great opportunity in front of us. NW: When we first got here, first couple years, we didnt play as much as wed have liked to but it was always about team. Still, it was tough at times, knowing you could help the team on the court more. CL: My Dads a minister. He has a huge influence on all that I do. Once, wed lost three straight, neither one of us was playing a lot and my Dad prayed for us. Not just us, but the team. I remember telling Nick about it. NW: Yeah, I mean we had 7-8 guys on this team last year who could score 20 in any game, but we share the ball. Thats how play. CL: And then we ended up in the Final Four. We believed... If you had to compare your game to any Wichita State great from the past, who would it be and why? NW: So many great players who have come through here. Id say Cleo Littleton. He was known for his defence and for being a great teammate. I think thats me. CL: X! Xavier McDaniel. He and Antoine Carr, another Shockers legend, came in to to see us last year and really instilled in us to "Play Angry". Thats our thing now: Play Angry. He (McDaniel) told me to box out hard, never let anyone get to the ball before I did, rebound strong, run the floor harder than my opponent, be versatile with my game. We emulate the guys who were here before us. They are Shockers for life! What do you say to the pundits who believe 30-0 is a function of you guys playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, the perceived lack in your strength of schedule and not because youre a great team? NW: Schedule us. Everyone talks KU (Kansas), but they wouldnt play us. We wanted to do it at a neutral site, but they didnt want it. Thats ok, people who dont believe mid-majors can compete with major D-1 schools havent really watched us play. They will find out soon enough. CL: Say what you want about our conference or the teams we beat. Just come play us. We feel like we can compete with anyone. We beat the #1 team in the country in Gonzaga in the tournament last year. Ohio State was #7, Pitt #20. Just play us. Do you think you should be ranked #1 in the country? CL: Honestly, I think we should be! NW: We dont really pay it much attention. It could be almost like a distraction. We dont look past anyone. You still gotta win. The team we play our last home game against, Missouri State, is tough. They had us down by like 17 with about 11 minutes to go in the game before we fought back and won. It was a war. Im sure they wont care that its Senior Night for us when we play them again. They wanna win, too! If Wichita State runs the table by winning your conference tourney, should you be a #1 seed for March Madness? NW: We proved all year we should be a #1 seed. I think the selection committee will do the right thing and give us that. We lost some great guys from last years team and still havent skipped a beat or lost a step. Coach Marshall has us prepared. This will be a special ride to go on with this group of guys. Dream Scenario: Clearly winning it all is the ultimate dream. But, if Wichita State had a chance to play Kansas in the final on April 7 in Dallas, why would it be that much sweeter? CL: Lets Go!!! Do you know how hype that would be?!? NW: If they seed us and Kansas in the same region 1-2, wow, the rivalry... My brother. I believe itll happen. State bragging rights. Man, I would have lifetime bragging rights in my house (laughs)!!! CL: Andrew (Wiggins) would come down to chill and hang with us. Id tell him "Youre not ready for us, Bro (laughs)!" Im no genius or anything, but I believe all of this. All the things that are happening with Wichita State are meant to be. I feel like well meet Kansas, God Willing. And God Is Good... Cardinals Matt Carpenter Jersey .com) - The San Francisco Giants delivered plenty of big hits to tie the World Series. Cardinals Giovanny Gallegos Jersey . on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring. http://www.cheapcardinalsjerseysauthentic.com/. Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. Cardinals Mark McGwire Jersey . Ontario Superior Court Case Management Master Ronald Dash released the decision on Monday, saying John McCaw Jr. must testify in front of a jury by live video conference. Moores lawyer, Tim Danson, asked the court to compel McCaw - who is based in Seattle - to testify in the case back on February 27. Cardinals Patrick Wisdom Jersey . And, just for good measure, lets say the lottery team finishes the game short-handed because two starters come down with the very same injury.No one likes it when luck is referred to when evaluating the performance of hockey players and teams. It goes against our ingrained notion, particularly in sports, that hard work is rewarded and that players create their own luck. But, the truth is, there are so many things that happen on the ice over which a single player has little to no control. Advanced stats pioneer Gabriel Desjardins has taken the position that, in a given season, 38% of the standings results are luck-driven. (Start with shootouts and go from there.) When it comes to individual players, there are a couple of numbers to look at to see if a player has been lucky, getting the bounces, whatever, and that is contributing to better-than-expected results. On-ice shooting percentage refers to the 5-on-5 shooting percentage of all players when a particular player is on the ice. League average goaltending offers about a .922 save percentage in 5-on-5 situations so, naturally, average on-ice shooting percentages come in at 7.8%. Not every player shoots the puck with the same effectiveness, but even the best skaters can only have so much impact on a metric that involves four other skaters at any given time. Very few players can, over the long haul, generate a substantially higher on-ice shooting percentage because it is so dependent on the performance of others. Sure, Sidney Crosby can hover over 11% and random fourth-liners hang around 5% year after year, but somewhere in between is where the vast majority of players fall. (Since 2007, among skaters to play at least 1000 minutes at 5-on-5, 592 of 796 skaters -- 74.4% -- fall between 6.5% and 9.0% on-ice shooting.) The opposite angle of that percentage game is a players on-ice save percentage during 5-on-5 situations and this is another number that, over a larger sample, is beyond a skaters control. A lot of it will depend on the goaltender, though a factor like quality of competition can play into those results too. If youre facing top lines every night, for example, its not easy to hold their shooting percentages to five or six percent. While the standard short-form measure for whether a player has been lucky is PDO (which combines on-ice shooting and save percentages), I thought I would break it into components because, while the tendency is to have a PDO around 1000 over the long haul, there are players that are outside that range. Of 796 skaters to play at least 1000 5-on-5 minutes over the past seven seasons, 39 players have a cumulative PDO higher than 102.00, while 44 players have a PDO lower than 98.00. That leaves 713 of 796 (89.6%) within that 98-102 range. What Ive done is pulled out those players that have the largest differential from their previously-established on-ice shooting and save percentages to see who has benefited or being punished, essentially, by luck. (minimum 1000 5-on-5 minutes 2007-2013; 500 5-on-5 minutes this season) HIGH ON-ICE SHOOTING Francois Beauchemin, D, Anaheim 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 6.86 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 11.30 Difference: +4.44 Vladimir Sobotka, C, St. Louis 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 5.91 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 9.14 Difference: +3.23 Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 9.51 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 12.62 Difference: +3.11 Tyler Bozak, C, Toronto 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 8.43 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 11.40 Difference: +2.97 Its difficult for individual players to affect on-ice shooting percentage, but especially so for defencemen, because they tend not to shoot the puck as often as forwards. So, Francois Beauchemin being far above his previous norms can be tied to spending a lot of his time on the ice with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Oh, and it turns out that Getzlaf is even having more success than usual this year. Blues C Vladimir Sobotka is an interesting case because hes spent much of his career as a third and fourth-liner, and been plenty effective in that role, but with St. Louis, hes had the opportunity to move up the depth chart. His most common linemates have been Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, much better than typical checking line fare, and that should be at least part of the reason for his dramatic increase. Then we get to Tyler Bozak, the Maple Leafs centre who has come under so much criticism in recent seasons, but has quieted critics this season, scoring 45 points in 53 games. Certainly, Bozak reaps the rewards of playing with Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk on Torontos top line, but thats not unfamiliar territory -- Bozak has played a lot with Kessel over the years -- so the conclusion to be drawn from this is that Bozak (like anyone far exceeding their established norms) is likely due for some regression because, no matter how much of a Tyler Bozak supporter you might be, theres no argument to be made that he somehow creates scoring chances at the same calibre of Sidney Crosby over the long haul. LOW ON-ICE SHOOTING Bryan Bickell, LW, Chicago 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 9.05 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 5.88 Difference: -3.17 Kris Letang, C, Pittsburgh 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 9.00 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 5.74 Difference: -3.26 Dan Cleary, RW, Detroit 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 7.90 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 4.58 Difference: -3.32 Steve Ott, C, St. Louis 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 8.03 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 4.43 Difference: -3.60 Matt Hendricks, LW, Edmonton 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 6.68 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 3.05 Difference: -3.63 Alex Ovechkin, RW, Washington 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 9.54 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 5.66 Difference: -3.88 Steve Bernier, RW, New Jersey 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 8.46 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 4.39 Difference: -4.07 Alexander Edler, D, Vancouver 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 8.12 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 3.88 Difference: -4.22 Ville Leino, LW, Buffalo 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 8.52 2013-14 On-ice SH%: 3.53 Difference: -4.99 While this season has obviously been far from ideal for Blackhawks LW Bryan Bickell following his tremendous 2013 playoff performance, he has scored 10 goals, his most since 2010-2011, while playing 11:18 per game. However, Bickell has also managed just two assists in 53 games -- the last one coming December 30 -- so no one is doing much scoring with Bickell on the ice and, in the rare instances that they do, hes rarely part of the scoring play. Veterans Dan Cleary and Steve Bernier run into fourth-line problems. Theres no guarantee that skating on the fourth line is going to leave you with an on-ice shooting percentage that low, but thats not going to happen with a full season on the first line either. To an extreme, look at what has happened with Matt Hendricks, already starting from a relatively low point and still finding a way to cut that percentage more than in half -- he hasnt recorded an assist in 27 games withh Edmonton.dddddddddddd Ville Leino and, since traded Steve Ott suffer from the effects of playing together in Buffalo, apparently. Kris Letang and Alexander Edler counted among the unluckiest defencemen, epecially so in Letangs case since his most common forwards have been Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin -- not exactly lacking in finishing skill. Of course, we cant ignore Alex Ovechkin, who has spent plenty of time with Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson, but Ovechkin has been the only one on the Capitals scoring when hes on the ice 5-on-5. In those situations, Ovechkin has 20 goals on 215 shots (9.3%) and the rest of the Capitals on the ice with him have combined for 10 goals on 309 shots (3.2%). Its such a dramatic departure from Ovechkins previous levels, that it doesnt reasonably figure to be the new norm, unless the Capitals decide to keep skating Ovechkin with Jay Beagle on a regular basis. HIGH ON-ICE SAVE PERCENTAGE Paul Ranger, D, Toronto 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 88.76 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 93.58 Difference: +4.82 Kyle Clifford, LW, Los Angeles 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 91.75 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 95.41 Difference: +3.66 Nikita Nikitin, D, Columbus 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 90.73 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 94.32 Difference: +3.59 John Mitchell, C, Colorado 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 91.71 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 95.21 Difference: +3.50 Marco Scandella, D, Minnesota 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 90.76 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 94.09 Difference: +3.33 John-Michael Liles, D, Carolina 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 90.99 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 94.32 Difference: +3.32 Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles 2007-2013 On-ice SH%: 91.48 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 94.70 Difference: +3.22 Cody McLeod, LW, Colorado 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 91.91 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 95.08 Difference: +3.17 Maxime Talbot, RW, Colorado 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 91.56 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 94.73 Difference: +3.17 Alexei Emelin, D, Montreal 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 89.68 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 92.84 Difference: +3.16 When you see the list of players that have experienced higher-than-normal save percentages, it doesnt seem to indicate anything more than they are playing in front of goaltenders having strong seasons and thats fine, but given the variance in goaltending from year to year, thats not something upon which you would like to base your opinion of a skater. Paul Ranger is at the extreme end, but his data also has a large gap for the years that he didnt play between the Lightning and the Leafs. Kyle Clifford and Anze Kopitar have strong goaltending in Los Angeles, but theyve had strong goaltending in the past, so it sure seems that theyre extra fortunate this year. The Colorado trio of John Mitchell, Cody McLeod and Maxime Talbot is certainly reaping the rewards of Semyon Varlamovs play. Its those fortuitous percentages that leave them with positive plus-minus numbers despite subpar puck possession stats. Where the value comes in seeing these numbers is in terms of perception. Nikita Nikitin or Marco Scandella may not be held in terribly high regard, but these numbers show that there is some luck involved in their respective plus ratings this season, the type that would be due to regress in time. LOW ON-ICE SAVE PERCENTAGE Pavel Datsyuk, C, Detroit 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.33 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 89.26 Difference: -3.07 Eric Nystrom, LW, Nashville 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.38 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 89.29 Difference: -3.09 Michal Rozsival, D, Chicago 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.51 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 89.40 Difference: -3.11 Frans Nielsen, C, N.Y. Islanders 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 91.85 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 88.64 Difference: -3.21 Michael Grabner, LW, N.Y. Islanders 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 91.57 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 88.25 Difference: -3.32 Dustin Byfuglien, RW, Winnipeg 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.03 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 88.66 Difference: -3.37 Dmitry Kulikov, D, Florida 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.89 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 89.49 Difference: -3.40 Mike Cammalleri, LW, Calgary 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.06 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 88.59 Difference: -3.47 Ryane Clowe, LW, New Jersey 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.21 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 88.72 Difference: -3.49 Keith Ballard, D, Minnesota 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 93.41 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 89.88 Difference: -3.53 Taylor Pyatt, LW, Pittsburgh 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 93.83 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 90.07 Difference: -3.76 T.J. Galiardi, LW, Calgary 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.00 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 88.18 Difference: -3.82 Patrik Elias, LW, New Jersey 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 91.58 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 87.67 Difference: -3.91 Lee Stempniak, RW, Pittsburgh 2007-2013 On-ice SV%: 92.74 2013-14 On-ice SV%: 88.38 Difference: -4.36 On the other end of the save percentage spectrum, is it a collection of players that are clueless around their own end? Not especially. Theres an all-time great two-way forward, Pavel Datsyuk, and a puck-rushing defenceman-turned-forward Dustin Byfuglien that might be considered at opposite ends of the defensive spectrum by some, but it really appears to be a random list that includes both offensive and defensive players. Are they players who have had some shaky goaltending behind them this year? Yes. Stempniak, Galiardi and Cammalleri have been victims of Calgarys subpar puck-stoppers, while Elias and Clowe take some lumps with New Jerseys goaltending. This group consists of the players that have been unlucky relative to previous seasons and, aside from Pyatt and Stempniak, who joined Pittsburgh in-season, the rest are all on teams that rank in the bottom third of save percentage this season. The takeaway, then, is not to worry so much about Stempniak being minus-21 in 52 games with the Flames because, with better goaltending alone, he would be due to improve, and hes quickly plus-5 in his first 15 games with Pittsburgh. Patrik Elias may be a minus player, but he continues to be a strong possession player whose numbers would appear more favourable with the randomness of better goaltending when hes on the ice. Thats the story to be revealed by some of these numbers, that some players are getting good breaks this year, others arent and, in the relatively small sample of a single season of hockey, these things happen. Over time, those numbers tend to even out, so the players that have been fortunate this year, may be hard-pressed to duplicate their success, while those that have been getting a bit of a raw deal could be expected to have better days ahead. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '