I got to say I am really disappointed in Mark's decision or his family decision. What happen to the guy that was saying how was coming to uplift the program and playing for the state school was important to him. He had all kind of chances for minutes from BU but just did not play good enough to deserve more minutes. What happen to working harder to become better and earning more playing time. To think he would had more opportunity at the other schools is a joke, poor play does not get you more playing time. I never thought he was a quitter but that is what he is.
Mark Smith transferring from Illinois
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Maybe all those accolades from Underwood came as a result of Smith's performance against his teammates in practice
It did.
And that's a reminder to be skeptical of all practice reports.
If you had to divvy up the underlying causes of the failed MS experience, I would say 40 percent Smith, 20 percent BU and 40 perecent the interaction of BU and MS (i.e) “did not fit the system”
Thoughts?
I also think that if BU is as smart as we all hope he is, he will turn down the volume, say from 11 to 8.5
t7nich
- Central IL
Classy for both parties involved. Wish him all the best.
Where will Thad Matta end up? That could be an option
I am sure he and his family will lose sleep over your disappointment in his decision, however, remember the kid is 19 and WE ALL at 19 made decisions that were not the best ones we ever made. We all get chances, reprieves, opportunities given to us and allowed to us....don't be too hard on this kid. I actually respect him for his initial want to make us better and now his choice to look elsewhere, because he may realize it just isn't for him to grow/get better/etc.
Leave the volume alone. If they are too weak to handle it, they are too weak to handle it. Life is not all sunshine and rainbows.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
This. There are no participation trophies in NCAA hoops. Tough it out or move along.
It's a different world now and I don't know how effective a coach can be with the "volume" on high. At least not all the time.
Seems like a nice kid and I wish him the best.
As high as the expectations were and even some one and done predictions, his actual ball IQ was very low. Hopefully he learned a lot this year especially on the defensive end. That was hard to watch. There were too many times where he just ran around following his guy with a hand on his back like he'd never been taught how to play. Had no idea how to position himself to see his man and the ball. These are very basic basketball things.
I think his offensive game will adjust with confidence. If he would have hit some shots early, maybe this year would have been different. It had to be demoralizing to realize you are so far behind on both ends of the floor.
I think he'll be fine and maybe a redshirt year is exactly what he needed.
As high as the expectations were and even some one and done predictions, his actual ball IQ was very low. Hopefully he learned a lot this year especially on the defensive end. That was hard to watch. There were too many times where he just ran around following his guy with a hand on his back like he'd never been taught how to play. Had no idea how to position himself to see his man and the ball. These are very basic basketball things.
I think his offensive game will adjust with confidence. If he would have hit some shots early, maybe this year would have been different. It had to be demoralizing to realize you are so far behind on both ends of the floor.
I think he'll be fine and maybe a redshirt year is exactly what he needed.
Seems like a fairly drastic decision when you consider it will be 18 MONTHS before he will play again at the Division I level. If you are not happy about your situation you can dig in and try to improve it. However, changing schools will insert an 18 month void in his career. I find it hard to believe that he does not have some plan already lined up or in mind. To just bail and say I will see what happens either means you have a plan OR you were really unhappy with your current situation.
Deleted member 8632
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Guest
BU is not going to change his "volume" because a player decides to transfer. Some players understand it's the coach wanting/desiring to get the most out of them. And some players will want to take their ball and go home. We just went through 5 years of a "players coach". I welcome the high volume.
I can't think of one consistently successful coach now that coaches that way.
The Edwardsville column I believe quoted him as saying I haven't REALLY spoken to anyone as of yet, or along those lines...slip of the tongue or just a confused comment in light of all going on?
???? Confucious say?
If he didn't think he could earn more playing time based on abilities, would he not be fearful of being over recruited? Thus that would have some credence in his decision making?
I have to laugh at the overreaction to MS transferring.
Optics... what a silly thing to worry about. The NCAA is in the middle of a corruption investigation and we’re worried about how bad it looks for a player to leave.
I applaud MS and the coaching staff for being honest in that he didn’t fit the system. How do the “optics” look if we keep guys that don’t fit and we keep missing the tourney. What about MS getting a chance to play at his highest potential?
I’m gonna miss the kid, and I really hope he finds his footing because he seems like a great guy.
Stuff the optics, and hope for a bright future for both parties.
Optics... what a silly thing to worry about. The NCAA is in the middle of a corruption investigation and we’re worried about how bad it looks for a player to leave.
I applaud MS and the coaching staff for being honest in that he didn’t fit the system. How do the “optics” look if we keep guys that don’t fit and we keep missing the tourney. What about MS getting a chance to play at his highest potential?
I’m gonna miss the kid, and I really hope he finds his footing because he seems like a great guy.
Stuff the optics, and hope for a bright future for both parties.
Ayo is inked, and he wouldn't flee because Mark transfers anyway. If anything, this gives him more tick.
Went to the B1G tournament at MSG and will say although I don't mind the volume of his coaching I was disappointed in his actions towards our players "mistakes". He was openly frustrated to the point of not believing what he was watching. I had seen that on TV but more obvious in person. Unfortunately, not surprising one or some of the players are frustrated to the point of leaving. Hope they can all get back on the same page as I do believe BU can get us back in the national picture.
Also, Izzo coaches at a very high volume (whines about nearly every call by refs not going in favor of MSU as does their crowd).
Dren1
- Glenview, IL
Wait, what? Ayo has signed a LOI, so it is not merely a matter of him changing his mind. I also doubt Ayo would want to go elsewhere without having played a single minute of college ball.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I feel badly for Smith and how poorly his season went, but you don't have to be more than a casual fan to see that he does not appear to have the tools to play well at this level. It is kind of interesting to see that after the season ended, a lot of people posted how encouraged they are about the future of the program, and some listed the expected improvement of Smith going forward as one of the reasons to be optimistic. And now today an equal number posting how this transfer doesn't matter since Smith couldn't play. Wonder what will happen...
He should have been openly frustrated because defensively our team overall played as if they had grade school skills. Remember all the Michigan St. backdoor dunks on Mark Smith? Having no idea where the guy you are guarding is on the floor is something that a D1 player should not ever have happen to him. Our guys from Smith to Kipper to Black to Finke were clueless defensively. It wasn't just that they played poorly but their IQ as shown by their defensive play was at floor level.
I feel Smith should have stuck it out and become a very solid player for us. The kid has the right to do what he thinks is best for him, but transferring out after a year where he got a ton of PT despite being up and down (more down than up) all season seems like he threw up the white flag. He has lots to work on and will have to improve that wherever he goes. Needs quicker shot, needs to work on pull-up jumper and needs the confidence to finish in traffic. Those will be issues at the mid-major level, too. Sorry to see him shy away from the challenge of getting better and competing.
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