[Sly Fox]

He was surrounded by DI talent last year when he played at Madison. So I wouldn't sweat that aspect.

The rustiness is the only real concern to me. Of course his staying injury-free and hopefully reigniting his passion for the game would certainly be strong positives to this unusual situation. Count me in the glass half-full contingent.

[olldflame]

Sounds like Elena Delle Donne. So much for making an immediate impact. He is gonna be awfully rusty next year on top of being a freshman. I hope he doesn't turn into a project. I guess if he didn't do this, he might not be playing for us next year so, I guess it worked.


I also like how salty his high school coach sounds.

Elena Delle Donne just dropped 53 points on JMU. I guess the rust is off.

[LUconn]

yeah I typed that poorly. 2 separate statements. Him needing to get away from the game for a year is the similar situation. Him being rusty was a 2nd thought.

[jcmanson]

I've heard it from several sources but it hasn't been posted on here. Baird is out this year with an injury.

[TDDance234]

I've heard it from several sources but it hasn't been posted on here. Baird is out this year with an injury.

Torn ACL.

[jcmanson]

I've heard it from several sources but it hasn't been posted on here. Baird is out this year with an injury.

Torn ACL.

Yep. Just figured I'd let someone else disclose the injury

[kuntryboimike]

That suuuuuucks. Redshirt then?

[LUconn]

The team can probably go without him, but will he ever be able to live up to his potential after 2 years out of competitive basketball? This really sucks for him.

[TDDance234]

Couldn't be any worse for him. For what it's worth, he was apparently playing well enough in practice to be considered a starter -- so, the year off didn't hurt him too much. However, two years is going to be pretty tough to bounce back from.

[jcmanson]

I think he's done. Best case scenario he's the next Tyler Baker.

[SuperJon]

The team can probably go without him, but will he ever be able to live up to his potential after 2 years out of competitive basketball? This really sucks for him.

He likely would've started or would've been one of the first guys off the bench so the one year off didn't hurt too bad. Two years though is a completely different story.

[LUconn]

I think he's done. Best case scenario he's the next Tyler Baker.

How on earth is that the best case scenario. There's a ton of different levels of severity of ACL tears. People come back from them all the time. These days, the comeback is mostly mentally trusting the ligament.

[jcmanson]

Just my opinion.

[SuperJon]

Manson made the decision when Baird took a year off of high school that he wasn't going to like the kid and that he wouldn't do well. He hasn't given him a chance since. That's why he's saying best case it's Tyler Baker after only one injury.

[jcmanson]

When I first heard we had a shot at this guy I was thrilled. But since his commitment, everything I’ve heard about him is negative – his attitude, work ethic, appreciation for this opportunity, etc.

[kuntryboimike]

When I first heard we had a shot at this guy I was thrilled. But since his commitment, everything I’ve heard about him is negative – his attitude, work ethic, appreciation for this opportunity, etc.

Seth Curry?

[jcmanson]

When I first heard we had a shot at this guy I was thrilled. But since his commitment, everything I’ve heard about him is negative – his attitude, work ethic, appreciation for this opportunity, etc.

Seth Curry?

No, not that bad yet.

[Hold My Own]

Up until a few weeks ago when I'd talk to people watching them every day I would say "So you expect SB to help out by the end of the year at all?" and their response was always "no, right away"

They have been very high on him all summer. I thought it would take some time to get the rust off but they were saying he was ready to produce now and would be an impact player, and like some have said be that 5th guy or maybe 6th


This is a blow for sure.

[kuntryboimike]

If he really has that natural ability it shouldn't take but a few months of going hard for him to get right back where he started

[TDDance234]

If he really has that natural ability it shouldn't take but a few months of going hard for him to get right back where he started

That would be true if he had been playing competitive basketball last year. No matter how much natural ability you have, not playing high-level basketball for 2 years certainly puts you at a major disadvantage.

[Sly Fox]

Stephen is a beast of a player as evidenced by the suitors who were chasing him even after he committed to us. This is indeed a huge blow. But if it is going to happen then now is better than midseason when he has blown a year of eligibility and would have less rehab time. He now has a full year to be back ready to play. With an ACL injury, that is a VERY good thing.

[olldflame]

It really irks me that people make charactor judgements on a kid they have never met, based on something they read from an article on the internet. Noone on this board really knows the full story behind why Steven decided not to play last year.

If he was playing as well as people say, it certainly hurts our depth this year. There is no reason to believe he can't make a complete recovery by next October. ACL surgery and rehab has come a long way from the days when it destroyed Gale Sayer's career.

[Hold My Own]

Olldflame you could add "or seen play" in that first line as well

[jcmanson]

It really irks me that people make charactor judgements on a kid they have never met, based on something they read from an article on the internet. Noone on this board really knows the full story behind why Steven decided not to play last year.

It's not based on something I read from an article on the internet. It's based off people who have met the guy and what he has said to them.

[olldflame]

OK, so it's based on second hand (if that) information from people who "met" him. That's totally different. You are now authorized to make charactor judgements.