Exhibition 1: vs. MSOE November 1, 2010

[Deleted]

I watched the game online. The Klotsche center looked a lot like a mediocre Indiana high school gym.

[ghostofdylan]

And that, Freak, is being very kind.

By the way, I hear that your Red Raider clothing is back in the closet.

[PantherLou]

Random musings....

- Anthony Hill did not have a good game, but he was in the post on every possession. That's a plus. Now, he needs to be more cognizant of the double team, and anticipate it - becasue its going to happen a lot this year.

- Kaylon Williams obviously was not looking for his shot last night. I like that - better to work on getting others involved at this stage.

- Ja'rob McCallum was given every opportunity to show that he can be the backup PG. I don't think its gonna happen.

- Kelm impressed me by his attitude - getting on Hags for a bad pass, showing some real intensity and interest until the end, despite the blowout score.

- I loved when Kaylon yelled "WHY?" to Ant after he took an ill advised mid-range shot. We need on floor leaders, and it sure seems like Kaylon is that.

- Strongly disliked the Klotsche. Freak's right, it felt like a mid-level (or worse) high school gym. That crowd would have been terrible in the Cell, but the KC was no better. If we don't play there ever again, I'll be ok with that.

[Deleted]

I don't expect the casual fan to really start showing up until later in the month anyways. I did like the student section numbers, though more would be nice still. Saturday night I would hope we have more numbers than tonight.

[Deleted]

I am not sure what I will wear this year. My entire closet is just Red Raider clothing, 1 shirt, 1 pair of pants, and 1 tie.

[BBFran]

I have no problem with playing exhibition games against D3 teams at the KC. Doing those games in the Cell is a silly waste of space and money. Of course, my seats were better than Lou's.

All of this is a stopgap until we get a real arena anyway.

Also, no offense to them, but what casual fan is going to come to a game against MSOE?

Stop obsessing about attendance. The team is getting better and better every year, and the fans will follow. That's always the way it works.

[JG Panthers]

Nov 2, 2010 8:53:52 GMT -6 PantherLou said:

- I loved when Kaylon yelled "WHY?" to Ant after he took an ill advised mid-range shot. We need on floor leaders, and it sure seems like Kaylon is that.

I can't stop reading this line... Love it

[Pounce Needs Pals]

Nov 2, 2010 8:11:37 GMT -6 milwsport said:

Actually I'm surprised it was that high. It looked like around 1,000 to me. This certainly doesn't make the case for moving the games back to campus.

Like I said, it's not what you see. It goes by paid crowd in attendance counts for all sporting events.

[ghostofdylan]

Just a couple of quick coattail posts:

-- Kaylon is absolutely a Type A, take-charge personality. He was the first one onto the court and the last one to leave. During his recruitment, it's as though Rob gave him the keys to the team.

-- Did Kyle at any point in time seem like a freshman? He mixed it up down on the blocks and showed a deft stroke from the free-throw line. I really like his on-court demeanor.

-- I can see the conundrum with Evan Richard. He's instant offense. He could probably score double-digit points per game if he got the playing time. Problem is, where would he get it? He's the seventh guard on the roster.

-- I think Jerard Ajami is the primary backup at point guard. Ja' Rob is a shooting guard.

[jhart05]

Nov 2, 2010 9:34:22 GMT -6 ghostofdylan said:

-- Did Kyle at any point in time seem like a freshman? He mixed it up down on the blocks and showed a deft stroke from the free-throw line. I really like his on-court demeanor.

Yep. Bo Ryan is going to be kicking himself he didn't stay in the running for him.

[PantherLou]

Nov 2, 2010 9:02:37 GMT -6 BBFran said:

Of course, my seats were better than Lou's.

You and 90% of the people in the building had better seats than me. I'm none too pleased with the seating arrangement, I'll tell you that.

[PANTHERfan]

Indeed, section 106 took it in the chin in terms of seat location. Oh well. That aside, I'm none too thrilled about ever having to watch another game at the KC beyond exhibition. As noted below, it's fine for that, but little else...

Can't express just how excited I am to see this team develop throughout the year. There's clear talent, depth, and chemistry, up and down the bench. At times I had to ask myself, when will the bench get in this game, only to realize that they were.

Kelm, Willams, Evans, and Allen all look to be very solid additions. Look out Horizon.

[PantherLou]

When was the last time we blew out an exhibition opponent? I know...its a D3 team, but considering our close calls in the past, it was nice to have a game that was never in doubt.

[Rawls]

Agreed, Lou. The blow out is refreshing. As far as the K is concerned, it is what it is. If (and hopefully for the WMU game, when) the Panthers sell it out, it's a much different feel. Been there for a high school sectional a while ago and it's better than a typical high school gym easy. The alley-oop gave you a taste; and the fact that everyone could audibly hear Jimmy's verbal assault on the daywalker should give you an idea of how the acoustics can be a definite home court advantage. As a whole package, the Cell wins, no doubt. But for the two exhibitions and an otherwise forgettable noncon game, I like the K just fine.

[PantherU]

Nov 2, 2010 8:30:03 GMT -6 milwsport said:

While I didn't go last year's Exhibitions I did go the the Exhibition games the year before and I believe there were more people for those games at the Cell than I saw at the Klotsche last night.

For those wondering, our exhibition attendance at home since 2002-03:

2002-03:
1023
1603

2003-04:
2187
1855

2004-05:
1772
2586 (Lawrence)

2005-06:
4161 (Parkside)
3386 (Platteville)

2006-07:
3074 (Parkside loss)
2931 (Edgewood)

2007-08:
3210
3024

2008-09:
2539
2319

2009-10:
2041
2027

To me, I see a downward trend that I would attribute to the progression of time since our last NCAA Tournament appearance.

In fact, the increment drop matches that of the previous year. As for students, don't forget a lot of us have midterms this week.

I have a feeling that Saturday will have a bigger attendance, but I honestly am more interested in November 23rd.