Keep the Faith

[jmag21]

There were a ton of people climbing on to this bandwagon early in the season, and a ton of people were unrealistically loudly trumpeting their expectations of a big ten championship/deep run. Now, people are talking about firing Tubby, claiming this team can't possibly finish above .500 in the conference, and seeing no future for the team. Let's just go over a few things:

- Tubby took a program in disarray and has returned us to at least respectability. We've won 20 games, and made the NCAA tourney two years in a row. I'd be very surprised if we don't do the same this year.

- Tubby has done all this despite some horrific difficulties that are (I believe) mostly outside of his control. He got the best recruit in Minnesota, who turned out to be a headcase. Paul Carter, who would help this team IMMENSELY this year because of his defensive versatility had to transfer because of his sister. Devoe turned out to be a head(shop)case. And yet we're still doing reasonably well, despite playing in the best conference in the nation this year.

- Tubby has two great recruits coming in next year (at least).

- Once a practice facility is built, Tubby will be able to do even more in terms of recruiting.

- This team has traditionally improved dramatically by the end of the year. We have a ton of freshmen. I'd expect our young guys to continue to grow as we move on. Again, last year, we heard the doom and gloomers, and we got some unexpected contributions to allow us to have an entertaining end to the year.



Basically what I'm saying is simple. Don't give up on this team, don't give up on these kids. I see the makings of a very good basketball team. So I'm going to enjoy this season, and I fully expect the Gophers to still be a top-five Big Ten team with the possibility of getting to the sweet sixteen. Keep the faith.

 

[scools12]

There were a ton of people climbing on to this bandwagon early in the season, and a ton of people were unrealistically loudly trumpeting their expectations of a big ten championship/deep run. Now, people are talking about firing Tubby, claiming this team can't possibly finish above .500 in the conference, and seeing no future for the team. Let's just go over a few things:

- Tubby took a program in disarray and has returned us to at least respectability. We've won 20 games, and made the NCAA tourney two years in a row. I'd be very surprised if we don't do the same this year.

- Tubby has done all this despite some horrific difficulties that are (I believe) mostly outside of his control. He got the best recruit in Minnesota, who turned out to be a headcase. Paul Carter, who would help this team IMMENSELY this year because of his defensive versatility had to transfer because of his sister. Devoe turned out to be a head(shop)case. And yet we're still doing reasonably well, despite playing in the best conference in the nation this year.

- Tubby has two great recruits coming in next year (at least).

- Once a practice facility is built, Tubby will be able to do even more in terms of recruiting.

- This team has traditionally improved dramatically by the end of the year. We have a ton of freshmen. I'd expect our young guys to continue to grow as we move on. Again, last year, we heard the doom and gloomers, and we got some unexpected contributions to allow us to have an entertaining end to the year.



Basically what I'm saying is simple. Don't give up on this team, don't give up on these kids. I see the makings of a very good basketball team. So I'm going to enjoy this season, and I fully expect the Gophers to still be a top-five Big Ten team with the possibility of getting to the sweet sixteen. Keep the faith.

this should have read "If a practice facility is built..."

 

[jmag21]

this should have read "If a practice facility is built..."

It will be, in my opinion. Although I'm basing this on the hope that the new President will realize what Maturi doesn't, which is that revenue sports are an investment, not a luxury.

 

[Art Vandelay]

FWIW, Paul Carter did not HAVE to transfer. He chose to on his own. The more that leaks out about certain personalities in the locker room the past couple of seasons, the more it seems like Carter's transferring wasn't completely about his sister - it was a convenient coincidence. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing gesture but it's not like Minnesota is thousands of miles away from Chicago.

 

[Reserve]

I follow Paul on twitter Art. Here's something fairly recent:

At the hospital with the lil sis and the fam clownin God is good!

Several other updates regarding his sister, his sister's Christmas, what she got, how much he misses the Gophers, still stays in tcuch with all of the team.

Good call Art. Good call.

 

[GoGoGophers]

The more that leaks out about certain personalities in the locker room the past couple of seasons, the more it seems like Carter's transferring wasn't completely about his sister - it was a convenient coincidence. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing gesture but it's not like Minnesota is thousands of miles away from Chicago.

Why am I not surprised that you posted this complete bullsh!t. Only to you is the sister of a Gopher player having cancer a convenient reason to transfer.

I'm sure it won't matter to you, but the following is from an article that was posted here in November re: the convenience of her cancer:

"This is the reason I wanted to come to UIC. It was so my family and my sister could get to go and to come and see me play."
.
.
.
Despite the personal trials, Paul managed to average 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds for the Gophers, who made the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed. After the Gophers lost in the first round to Xavier and the family received the news that the cancer was not responding to treatment, Paul knew he had to transfer back to the Chicago area so he could be with Bria as she went through her treatments.

Now they can see each other whenever they want. Paul has been with her as she learns how to walk with her prosthetic leg. He will watch her walk into high school for the first time next week. Bria missed the first few months of the school year as she finished up her chemotherapy treatments.

Hey, d!ck...could he have done all those things from 6+ hours away in Minneapolis? Can you possibly be a bigger troll/tool on this forum. You've now reached the level of despicable. Congrats.

 

[Holy Man]

Art, you fulfill the role of cynic and gadfly on this board, but this is really as low as I have ever seen you go. Very bad form.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Despicable? Really?

I'm just thinking out loud what many others are also thinking and afraid to say. Also, if you re-read my post I said it not have been completely about his sister. In no way, shape, or form do I demean cancer because there isn't a single person who hasn't been affected by it in some way - whether it be personally or a loved one. That's not my point. I'm just suggesting there may have been other reasons and his sister being ill was the breaking point. With everything that has gone on the past couple of seasons in Dinkytown, you can't eliminate that as possibility...

 

[Blizzard]

Despicable? Really?

I'm just thinking out loud what many others are also thinking and afraid to say

I've seen some amazingly shi-tty things on this board Art but I have to admit this one takes the proverbial cake.

Are you seriously out of your mind? After all the support the team and coaches and the U showed to Carter and his sister you're trying to back up your point by suggesting that's this is what we were all thinking but were afraid to say?

Gee whiz there pal - You've got the pulse of the Gopher fan base now.

 

[Monty519]

Really, I do believe it was completely about his sister. It may be my opinion, but I think there is a ZERO percent change Paul Carter transfers from Minnesota prior to his senior season if it weren't for his sister being ill. 100% of basketball players from all colleges have "issues", so yes, is it possible he didn't like everything that happened here? Of course, duh. But I feel very confident in saying his transfer had all to do with his sister, and nothing to do with anything else. Again, this is my opinion just viewing things from the outside. I won't eliminate the extremely slim possibility you could be right, but honestly, a "convenient coincidence"? Seriously? I think it's sad to even go there with it. Carter has given zero indication this was anything more than being about his sister. Fact is, he went from rarely being able to see her to now being able to see her almost daily.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Despicable? Really?

I'm just thinking out loud what many others are also thinking and afraid to say. Also, if you re-read my post I said it not have been completely about his sister. In no way, shape, or form do I demean cancer because there isn't a single person who hasn't been affected by it in some way - whether it be personally or a loved one. That's not my point. I'm just suggesting there may have been other reasons and his sister being ill was the breaking point. With everything that has gone on the past couple of seasons in Dinkytown, you can't eliminate that as possibility...

If you said it like that, then people wouldn't have a problem with it. But you didn't

the more it seems like Carter's transferring wasn't completely about his sister - it was a convenient coincidence.

That makes it sound like you're saying he used his sister as an excuse to transfer.

Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing gesture but it's not like Minnesota is thousands of miles away from Chicago.

That's ridiculous and you know it. He's an athlete and for a long time from late fall to early spring, he is very busy. Even if his sister was only 200 miles away, how often would he get to be with her? Hardly ever. It's not like he's going to drive 200 miles after practice, then drive the 200 miles back later that night.

 

[KSBGopher]

Despicable? Really?

I'm just thinking out loud what many others are also thinking and afraid to say. Also, if you re-read my post I said it not have been completely about his sister. In no way, shape, or form do I demean cancer because there isn't a single person who hasn't been affected by it in some way - whether it be personally or a loved one. That's not my point. I'm just suggesting there may have been other reasons and his sister being ill was the breaking point. With everything that has gone on the past couple of seasons in Dinkytown, you can't eliminate that as possibility...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...o3hDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

 

[Go4]

art is who we thought he was. a class ass clown and jerk. thanks for reminding us.

 

[Mulligan]

FWIW, Paul Carter did not HAVE to transfer. He chose to on his own. The more that leaks out about certain personalities in the locker room the past couple of seasons, the more it seems like Carter's transferring wasn't completely about his sister - it was a convenient coincidence. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing gesture but it's not like Minnesota is thousands of miles away from Chicago.

Even from you. Wow!

 

[Reserve]

Maybe if enough people report the post the Mod's will actually ban Art?

I think he's stepped far beyond the line of decency.

 

[Born a Gopher]

art is who we thought he was. a class ass clown and jerk. thanks for reminding us.

...and a Badger troll....but not unexpected for a Badger troll with 3,000 posts on a Gopher board, whose only purpose here is to mock the Gophers every chance he gets. Art saw this as just another opportunity to take a cheap shot at any cost.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Crossed a line

Art, you crossed a line this time, even for my tastes. Do you really get enjoyment out of being a 100% cynic 100% of the time? Can life be enjoyable living that way?

By all accounts, Paul Carter seems to be an honorable, family-driven young man. Is that really such a horrible thing in this day & age? I'd much rather have a few more Paul Carters on the Gopher team than a couple of the drama queens/kings we've had the last couple seasons.

 

[Born a Gopher]

Art, you crossed a line this time, even for my tastes. Do you really get enjoyment out of being a 100% cynic 100% of the time? Can life be enjoyable living that way?

Of course it's not enjoyable to be that cynical.

Art's enjoyment stems from being a Wisconsin troll who takes pleasure in mocking all things Minnesota while pretending to be a gopher fan. His "cynic" routine is nothing more than a long running act.

Art’s extremely devoted to his act, I'll give him that much, and he's devoted a lot of time to it, and he obviously watches a lot of sports on TV (including most gopher games), but he's Badger red as red can be and that's 100% truth.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Call me naive, but I believe Art is a Gopher fan. I don't think he's a Badger fan/troll in disguise. Just seems to me he's a "glass is always empty" thinker who takes pleasure in getting a rise out of us. This time, I bit.

 

[Born a Gopher]

Call me naive, but I believe Art is a Gopher fan. I don't think he's a Badger fan/troll in disguise. Just seems to me he's a "glass is always empty" thinker who like to get a rise out of us. This time, I bit.

I'm sure he takes great delight in having fooled you. Art shows you more respect (calls you Hodger, asks you questions) because he knows you're one of the few respected posters here who still defends him. It helps his credibility to keep you in his pocket.

Contrast that with how Art treats BleedGopher (who he likes to take shots at).

As I've said before, Art used to post on badgernation.com. It's your choice to believe me or not but it's 100% the truth.

 

[Drex96]

Question About Carter

I can't remember but didn't Carter have enough credits to graduate last season? Wasn't his transfer to Chicago more about final year of eligibility than completing his undergraduate degree?

Art's word choices may have been insensitive, but in killing the messenger (for other crimes) has the message been lost? Just wondering... at the risk of being labeled "Art's fairer haired cousin."

 

[Winnipegopher]

Art has been around Gopherhole forever. He is a Gopher "fan". Of course by fan, I mean the Gophers are the team/ school he follows. I just think he takes more pleasure out of losses than gains. Perverse yes, but that is who he is.

How can you prove he posted on Badgernation? I've seen several Lloyd Christmases and several Norman Dales. I suspect there are other Pewterschmidt's around other boards. If you take a name of a character from a TV show or movie, it is possible others will use the same moniker.

Years ago, Wren used to call him a Purdue fan for some reason. He is who he is, an agitator who likes to get people upset.

 

[GoGoGophers]

I can't remember but didn't Carter have enough credits to graduate last season? Wasn't his transfer to Chicago more about final year of eligibility than completing his undergraduate degree?

Art's word choices may have been insensitive, but in killing the messenger (for other crimes) has the message been lost? Just wondering... at the risk of being labeled "Art's fairer haired cousin."

There is no message here, other than anti-Gopher/Tubby rumor mongering and BS. Typical despicable Art.

Carter completed his degree (early, I might add). He would have played here this season and finished out his eligibility while taking graduate level classes, but he took took advantage of a relatively new NCAA rule to transfer to UIC so he could be with his younger sister as she battled cancer, had her leg amputated, and learned to walk with a prosthesis.

In other words, he presented a little man another opportunity to take a shot at the UM program and a Gopher player. As Art explained, we have all been thinking it and just too scared to say it. This whole cancer thing was just a ruse to cover up another player's hatred for Tubby and the U.

Whatta man Art is! So brave!

EDIT - Hats off to the Mods for suspending Artie for approximately 5 minutes earlier this afternoon. You showed some real b@lls there. I'm curious where the line is located, when what Art posted is still considered in bounds.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Winnipegopher]

Carter graduated early? Can this be verified? It seems hard to believe given he spent his freshman year at a JUCO. I think NCAA (legitmately) gave him a waiver because of his sister.

If Art is banned then will we see banning of the numerous people who talk about Devoe's dope smoking as fact? Why is it ok to talk negatively about one transferring player but not another?

Art's opinion is ridiculous but nowhere near worthy of banning.

 

[Born a Gopher]

Art has been around Gopherhole forever. He is a Gopher "fan". Of course by fan, I mean the Gophers are the team/ school he follows. I just think he takes more pleasure out of losses than gains.

Your definition of fan is comical. You just described a troll.

 

[Born a Gopher]

How can you prove he posted on Badgernation?

...except I recall on badgernation Art used many of the same unique phrases and one-liners he uses here. Like I said, you can believe it or not, but the shoe fits.

 

[Winnipegopher]

Your definition of fan is comical. You just described a troll.

Perhaps fan is not the right word just that the Gophers are the team he follows.

In my mind Art is not a fan of another team masquerading as a Gopher fan. I would bet pretty heavily on that but I have been wrong before.

 

[GoGoGophers]

Carter graduated early? Can this be verified? It seems hard to believe given he spent his freshman year at a JUCO. I think NCAA (legitmately) gave him a waiver because of his sister.

From the article I referenced earlier today (originally posted here in November):

"Pitt game means 'everything' to Illinois-Chicago's Carter
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Forward Paul Carter averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season with Minnesota.
Paul Carter could be completing his college basketball career under the bright lights of Big Ten Conference arenas at the University of Minnesota this season. He could be attempting to help the Gophers reach the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season and play before numerous NBA scouts on a nightly basis.

Instead, Carter is finishing his collegiate career in relative anonymity at the University of Illinois-Chicago of the Horizon League. And Carter would not have it any other way.

A 6-foot-8 forward, Carter graduated early from Minnesota and was granted an NCAA waiver to transfer to Illinois-Chicago so he could be closer to his 14-year old sister, who is undergoing treatment for cancer.

and here: http://www.uicflames.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/092810aaa.html