[WinthropGrad]

How healthy is your team this season? I know you guys are having a tough time of it so far this season. What do you attribute it to? I normally follow conference teams more closely but I have been a bit too busy here lately.

Nice site by the way. I am excited to see so many Big South Schools with fan sites. This is great!

[TDDance234]

We don't have the talent at the 1 or 5 to compete.

Evan Risher has completely lost any kind of confidence he built on a strong freshman campaign last year. He's made poor decisions and hasn't had a lot of buckets fall. Russell Monroe, our 7'0 center is playing like a deer in headlights. He's not a traditional back to the basket kind of player, he's more of a foul-line extended jump shooter. He has no idea how to work the post - he just stands there with his hand in the air making no effort to get deeper position or come towards the ball.

On the other hand, this team has some very good young players. Rell Porter has made a HUGE jump from last season and is playing his butt off. He's a little undersized for the four and not quick enough for the 3, so, he's more of a tweener. As this team goes, Larry Blair goes. If he gets injured, look out.

Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully, the Big South will grow soon and we'll get some exposure!

[Sly Fox]

We were hit hard by players leaving the team. So we are basically playing with a bunch of new faces right now to complement Larry Blair. We have a enough talent to win some games but we're definitely struggling right now.

[WinthropGrad]

Thanks for the breakdown. Hey, what ever happened to Jeremy Monceaux? I lived in Birmingham when he was in high school. The kid could shoot from anywhere in the gym. I was impressed when he committed to LU, but I haven't heard anything about him in 2 years.

[LUconn]

A common question. He got hurt, I think he may have had a medical redshirt his sophmore year? Anyway, he transferred after that. Most of us have a feeling that Alabama's all time leading scorer's stats might have been inflated since he played small Christian schools. It's been discussed that he might be with a D2 team or he might be trying to walk on at bama. I don't think anybody knows for sure where he is.

[Hold My Own]

I saw him a while back and he had gained big time weight and that plus his knee trouble's slowed him down to a fast walk

[grm]

Jeremy had courage, and was willing to take big shots and try to make big plays. Things did happen, like injuries and other guys coming into the program. I don't know where he is either, but could probably find out. It may sound trite, but D-1 is no picnic, unless you are very, very, good. A little like being the 30th best heavyweight boxer in the world - you're very good by all standards, but you're definitely going to take some hits. Jeremy is a real nice guy, and I am sure that everyone in the program wishes him only the best.

[LUconn]

Jeremy had courage, and was willing to take big shots and try to make big plays.

I will give him that. Back in the year 1 A.D. (arrival of Dunton) we had the #2 seed in the tourney had just watched UNCA down the #1 seed Winthrop. All we had to do was beat Radfurd and it was off to play a weak UNCA squad. Well Peanut went off in the 2nd half for Radfurd and had us down by 1 and with the last shot. I'm still not sure what happened on that last play. It might have been an isolation play for Jeremy but somehow I doubt it. Anyway, he took it straight up the middle didn't have the shot so he passed it. I dont remember to who but they missed and Jeremy got the rebound and with no time left he takes the shot through about 2 people about 5 feet away from the basket and clanked it off the front of the rim. The defense was pretty tight and he was only a freshman, but he really should have won that game. And how do we not give Gabe Martin the last shot? He was money. I have no doubt if we win that game we'd have been to the tournament 2 years in a row. That would have been great for recruiting.

[Ed Dantes]

I think I also remember Sarchet getting a shot at the basket in the final melee. I remember, it was right in front of me.

I was so stunned... I honestly thought that we were destined to win that game. It took me a few days to recover from that.

[grm]

I also think Sarchet got a shot off. It would have been nice if Gabe had had the chance to win the game, but things happen on the court. I was impressed with Jeremy M's mentality (toughness & confidence). I wish the shot had gone in. I also was privileged to be very close to that play. If memory serves me correctly (and I'm sure it does in this case), Liberty was the visiting team, and therefore their bench was at the opposite end of their usual place in the Vines. I should have run out and tipped it in.

[jcmanson]

I remember that game quite vividly. It was my freshman year, and after watching Winthrop lose I was sure we were destined to win. After the loss, I went out to eat with the fam, and the restaraunt was packed with Highlanders. They couldn't help but rub it in. That hurt! Oh well. I remember thinking the following week, WE WILL WIN THE BIG SOUTH NEXT YEAR! And what happened!

[WinthropEagleFan]

Wish I stayed to watch that game that night, but I was so ticked off after the WU/UNCA game, that I decided to save my money and not stay overnight in Lynchburg, so I drove straight back to Rock Hill...but I was able to get the RU/LU game on the radio all the way until I got into Greensboro when the signal faded during the last minute of the game...

The atmosphere in the Vines Center that night was crazy, especially when the Liberty fans started coming in during the 2nd half of the WU/UNCA game, with just about all of them cheering for the Bulldogs...I imagine with the place packed for the 2nd game that it stayed pretty crazy in there all night.

[jcmanson]

The atmosphere that night was pretty intese. However, if you had been at the 2004 Big South Championship game it would not even compare! I was there in the student section on the front row. I remember several times when we would all be jumping up and down, and I would not be able to get any air because there were so many people in such a small place. It was awesome! Hopefully with more success the Vines Center will be like that often.

[Agent2Be]

I know what you mean about the Vines rocking. My frame of reference is bhe Big South Tourney in '96. That was the famous Jerry crowd surfing moment. Great times. I swear that place was louder than Three Rivers Stadium that same year the Steelers went to Super Bowl XXX. The Vines is home court advantage. It would be awesome to get back to that!

[TIMSCAR20]

Guys I was at that semi final game too and I am pretty sure it was Ryan Mantlo and not Jermy Monceaux that took that shot. Anyway, it was a great atmosphere. The WU/UNCA game was great too. I was staying in a hotel downtown that weekend because we lived up in the DC area (Leesburg) at the time and I was not doing FTN work back then. Our room was right next door to Gregg Marshall's! I got to hear their entire video session and game plan through the door. When we went back to the hotel that night it was like someone had died! Winthrop fans were all in the lobby just sitting around in shock and consoling Marshall saying that it would be ok. It was kind of strange how hard they took it but it was a nice run for them that ended on two really crazy shots, one in regulation and the other in OT.

[WinthropEagleFan]

Guys I was at that semi final game too and I am pretty sure it was Ryan Mantlo and not Jermy Monceaux that took that shot. Anyway, it was a great atmosphere. The WU/UNCA game was great too. I was staying in a hotel downtown that weekend because we lived up in the DC area (Leesburg) at the time and I was not doing FTN work back then. Our room was right next door to Gregg Marshall's! I got to hear their entire video session and game plan through the door. When we went back to the hotel that night it was like someone had died! Winthrop fans were all in the lobby just sitting around in shock and consoling Marshall saying that it would be ok. It was kind of strange how hard they took it but it was a nice run for them that ended on two really crazy shots, one in regulation and the other in OT.

You have to remember, at that time, Winthrop hadn't lost in the Big South tourney since Marshall had been there (4 straight titles), and that year's team had finished 3 games ahead of everyone else in the regular season standings...It's still not a good idea to bring up the name "Alex Kragel" up in front of WU basketball fans (though that was a clutch shot to win it for the Bulldogs, I will give him that).