Eitel twins to ISU!

[sycamore fan]

You could all be right; he may not make it. Obviously, I'd like to see him succeed, but I have no idea how things will go. Many here seem like they'd prefer to see the program continue to falter so thay can sit back and say I told you so. It's pretty easy to make predictions for kids to fail, especially with our past history. Aside from the Menser and Bird eras, we haven't been too good.

Personally, I don't care much what anyone posts on the net sites. But...his mom gets a little bent out of shape now and then, and I try to hide the bashings from her. I do not post much anywhere at all, nor will I continue to do so here. I do get credit for lots of stuff, especially from our buddies in Parke County, but there isn't much else to do up here! That stuff goes with the job anyway.

I'm not overly bashful. I've never hidden from anyone or anything. When I post something, it's usually on my web site. If you want to know how I feel about something, ask.

My point was...I do have an issue when people make up complete fabrications and pass them along as the truth. The recruiting story was bull. That was my contention.

I know there are many ISU fans out there who are actually supportive and genuinely hope RJ succeeds. I also know there are also many who appreciate what he's been able to accomplish in high school. Right now RJ is on pace to be one of the top 40 scorers in the history of Inidiana High School basketball and he shoots well over 50% from the field. I get criticized because I run my offense through my best player. I contend that most coaches do the same thing, but that's not really important to me either.

I also told the newspaper that my son's hero was Larry Bird. It is. The paper decided to run with it. Why is that a bad thing? I'm affraid I may have influenced him by watching endless hours of Bird highlights and games throughout his youth, but....what else do we have to do in Parke County? I guess this was a bad thing.

Right now I just hope we (Rockville HS) continue to improve as a team and play harder than we did in the Classic. The Roundball Rumble was a step in the right direction but it was just a step.

After this year I hope that my son can have some sort of impact in helping Coach McKenna turn this program around. Most importantly, I hope he gets a good education at ISU.

Lastly, I know there is no winning an argument with folks on internet sites. I just had to pacify a certain lady and stick up for her son. I did that and gained points with the people that matter.

Good luck to the Sycamores.

 

[IndyTreeFan]

Three years of having a great, big TARGET on your back is coddling? Getting bumped, bruised, pushed, and tripped by opponents won't make you tough? Gee, reading this board might help - you guys are brutal!

I can't wait for RJ to suit up for us. And hell, I'm thrilled that he wants to have an impact like Larry Bird. It's about time somebody wanted a goal that big at Indiana State. We, as a school and as a fanbase, tend to be overly negative and small minded. We always try to pick apart what we've got. Now, we've got a kid coming here who obviously has a hell of a game, and he wants to be THE GUY. Good for you, RJ! A little dose of personal investment in the team's fortunes might rub off on some of the other guys!

So what if the kid is skinny? Bird, as a senior, was 6'9" and weighed 220. And he didn't play against slouches. RJ will grow. (The only thing I'd be worried about right now physically, if I were his dad, is that cute baby face! He'll have more girls than he knows what to do with at ISU!!!) But right now, with the attitude he's shown (I LOVE THE LARRY BIRD THING!!!), I'd take him over anyone on the current team. At least he cares, and isn't afraid to step up and show it.

Come on down, RJ Mahurin! Welcome to the team!!!

A personal side note to sycamore fan: I was going through a drawer full of old stuff at my parents' home a while back, and I found a scorecard from an IHSAA Regional that was signed by you, your brother (I think), and Kevin Thompson. You guys were a heck of a team! Too bad Kevin never got to suit up for ISU. He'd have made a tremendous difference.

 

[SycamoreStateofMind]

IndyTree good post... I think even the biggest critics can concur with your statements. I think a little of what people have said got taken out of context a tad. Not to mention I mad a "poor" post about how RJ ended up at Indiana State and I was wrong in how I perceived things. The kid obviously is not laking motivation and should steer clear of mesg. boards. They are worthless. Understand that the posting that goes on this mesg. board is no different from those of Duke, North Carolina or anywhere else in the country esp. when times are bad with the team playing awful basketball. But you raise some very good points and your post was very valuable.

 

[IndyTreeFan]

Lights Out,

You're entitled to your opinion, of course. However, to say that about his coach when you know his coach is reading your post is somewhat rude. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

That's just my opinion, of course...

 

[Strak]

What we all need to remember is these are 18 year old kids we're writing about. Let them be kids and develop before our eyes. RJ is a big kid with guard skills. He's going to be extremely hard to guard as a small forward at ISU. Think back to the last time we had a 6'8" or 6'9" small forward. It was 1979.

The Eitel twins are interchangeable as a 2 or 3 guard. They can both handle the ball, dribble-penetrate, cut through zones and set screens, or they can run off screens when faced with a man-to-man defense, and they can pass and shoot. One thing they do that most high school players do is they can play defense and understand offense starts on thedefensive end. With those two, RJ and Odum, I.S.U. has a local foundation which can be successful provided they do their work: they all need to get crazy in the weight room, and I.S.U. needs to run the proper offense and defense for them to be successful, not try to fit them into being something they're not. The offensive sets we run now are abhorent and predictable. One guy dribbles up top and four other guys on the court stand around watching the shot clock dwindle. Put a little motion in the offense, don't be afraid of the fast break, and run some screens and free up a shooter or two. Then crash the boards and run a harassing, trapping defense all the way down the court. Make it fun to play here, not mechanical. Basketball is 50% talent and 50% heart.

 

[SycamoreStateofMind]

No doubt! When was the last time you saw Indiana State score pts. out of the fast break??? 3 or 4 years??? Kidding but seriously what ever happened to putting guys out on the floor and letting them run a little bit!

 

[btisu22]

Wow, this is some pretty awesome news for the basketball team. Should help bolster the ticket sales with so many Valley recruits. I still haven't seen the Eitels play, so I don't know what they can do.
Also,
According to Todd Golden,
"Inside journalism ethical baseball you probably don’t care about, but I hope no other media outlets (cough … local TV) “learn” about this without giving proper credit."
Channel 10 just reported it with credit given to only themselves...Todd's gonna be mmmaaaaaadddddddd.

WRONG...they got it from me and not Todd. I got a text from a close Eitel friend and my wife works at 10. So no credit needed for Todd on this one.

 

[bent20]

WRONG...they got it from me and not Todd. I got a text from a close Eitel friend and my wife works at 10. So no credit needed for Todd on this one.

So did the TV station then talk to the twins like Golden did or did it just report it without telling viewers the source was the friend of a friend of a friend? Not meaning to be picky, but some TV stations don't have the greatest ethics and standards.