Parsing The WAC: The fickleness of fandom

Friday, May 23, 2008

The fickleness of fandom

Chris Murray is back yet again with another college/pro basketball blog entry. Here's a very well-rounded column fully illustrating the fickleness of fandom.

It's curious how nothing is being written about Marcelus Kemp anywhere, making it appear the former Wolf Pack shooter/scorer won't be hearing his name called in the upcoming NBA draft.

If true, such will demonstrate just how big a leap it is from college to the pros.

Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
May 22, 2008

McGee's interesting relationship with Pack fans

Pamela McGee resigned as Sacramento High's girls basketball coach to spend more time with her son, JaVale, as he prepares to make the transition from a collegiate player to a professional. Ms. McGee has been in the news off and on since JaVale came to Reno to play for the Wolf Pack in 2006. She has earned a reputation as being outspoken and no-nonsense. She also has been quite confident in her son's ability. She gave JaVale the nickname "The Big Secret," said he had a skill set superior to 70 percent of current NBA players and added that he was the most skilled 7-footer in the world. She also compared JaVale to Tyson Chandler, Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki.

In addition, she has been blamed by many Wolf Pack fans for forcing JaVale to bypass his last two seasons in college to cash in in the pros right now. For what it's worth, when I interviewed JaVale a day before his official press conference to announce his NBA future, he said that Pamela did not force him to enter the NBA, adding that the decision was ultimately his. Conversely, I have heard from sources close to the Wolf Pack program that Pamela had quite a bit more say in the decision. I bring all this up because throughout the season an interesting trend seemed to develop in regard to JaVale. The Wolf Pack fans developed a love-hate relationship with the talented sophomore last season...

Go here for the remainder.

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Testimonials

craw’s corner

08/25/2011: Want to also thank Kevin, who writes what I consider to be next to my blog, (just kidding), the best college basketball blog in the country and trust me, I read them all, http://parsingthewac.blogspot.com, it is always fresh and always important info, plus Kevin has often referenced my blog and it is not forgotten and greatly appreciated. Too many bloggers think their you know what does not stink and are not willing to recognize other people. So thank you Kevin and keep up the awesome work.

A Closer Look at Latech Hoops>

02/25/2009: Nevada paper rates WAC players: "Once again I must give credit where it is due – I pulled these articles off of Parsing the WAC,...an almost daily updated blog run by Kevin McCarthy. It is the authority on all things WAC men’s basketball. If there is a feature or game story put out about one of the schools in the league he will have a link to it (and a corresponding editorial comment). It is one of the first places I go on the Internet each day. We are very lucky to have a fan in this a midmajor league willing to put the time and energy in bring all this great information to all of us. Thanks Kevin."

Silver and Blue Sports

02/17/09 12:24 AM: re: Tyrone Hanson...Stuck in Seattle said: "Hey, Nevada Proud. Chris Murrey snatched up your Hanson scoop without so much as a hat tip, but Parsing the WAC has put your name up in lights...Kevin McCarthy...Parsing the WAC...he was probably the one guy awake in the “Ethics of Journalism” class...or maybe he decided to skip class the day the “There is no ethics in Jouranalism” lecture was given...either way he’s a credible guy."
02/17/09 1:49 AM: "Kevin M. is a good buddy of mine, and a class act all the way. I’m really proud of him for doing the things he’s done, because SJSU has been real hard to work with from a media standpoint despite what his recruiting coverage work could offer the hoops program."

02/12/09 10:58 AM: In the WAC, defense is king: "Kevin McCarthy has an insightful look at team defense in the WAC over at Parsing the WAC, and conference results so far are playing out his prediction: the team that gets the most stops, gets the most wins...Taking a game-by-game look at the Vandals’ conference season proves Kevin’s point. In all four of Idaho’s WAC wins, the team held opponents under .400 shooting."

The Bulldog Bounce

02/06/09 10:26 PM: High praise for incoming hoops recruits..."Ran across some nice nuggets of info on the Parsing the WAC blog, which I must say is a very active and informative one. Kevin McCarthy talks Fresno State quite a bit in it, which is cool with me...So let’s get to the point...McCarthy talked ’Dogs recruiting with Carl Foster, who’s been around a few of the soon-to-be Fresno State players, and he had some pretty impressive things to say."

11/04/08 1:10PM: "Parsing the WAC is a great blog for news on West Coast Hoops. Thanks to Kevin McCarthy, who does a fine job there himself. If you are a fan of a WAC school or just want to keep up with players with local interest like Adrian Oliver at SJS, the Seattle kids at Nevada, or NW schools like BSU and Idaho, this is the place to be."

BleedCrimson.net

12/05/08: The Daily Aggie: "The weekly check-ins are co-authored by us and Kevin McCarthy from the outstanding WAC blog Parsing The WAC."

Reno Gazette Journal

11/01/08: LOUISIANA TECH UPDATE: "Kevin McCarthy over at Parsing the WAC, an excellent source of WAC basketball news, was contacted by somebody familiar with the recent departure of four Louisiana Tech basketball players (which we touched on last week). For those who don't know, Drew Washington, Dwayne Lathan, Orrim Tims and Brandon Mims were dismissed after meeting with coach Kerry Rupp two weeks ago. Lathan said he was blindsided by the decision. McCarthy’s source, who remained anonymous, said there was more to the story than met the eye."