Pioneer Press article on Henry Ellenson- comments on Wally's lack of PT

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Some posts at the beginning of the thread were of the "We don't need or want him anyways" variety. Pitino would take Henry in a heartbeat. As far as Wally, I really hope he finds success on the court. Quite the student athlete to play two sports at a major college.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
Some posts at the beginning of the thread were of the "We don't need or want him anyways" variety. Pitino would take Henry in a heartbeat. As far as Wally, I really hope he finds success on the court. Quite the student athlete to play two sports at a major college.
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I think that's in reference to the fact that many believe we will get the big kid from Grand Rapids. We absolutely do need Ellenson if we cannot get our homegrown big guy.
 

My $0.02 on this (because I'm sure you were all on the edge of your seat waiting for this)

If the reason the Ellenson's don't like Pitino and the U is truly because Wally doesn't play enough, I have a huge problem with that for a few reasons.

1) to those saying "what parent wouldn't be upset!?!?" Mine wouldn't. They'd tell me to bust my butt and earn the playing time. That no coach is going to just hand it out if you don't deserve it. I am not ready to call them a demon or anything. I am sure they are very nice people. But. No matter how much you love your kid, he doesn't deserve to just be handed playing time because he is so special and wonderful. And it is not the parents' place to run to the media if that is also the case. If Wally has a concern he can talk to Pitino or his boss and he is free to transfer at the end of the year.

2) my gut feeling (no proof of this) is that Wally is under some sort of internal suspension possibly relating to the earlier altercation. Even Mav plays and now Buggs does occasionally. To me that sort of kills the "he just sucks" argument. I think Pitino has other reasons for not playing him. Whether it is attitude, behavior, etc. Pitino at one point said Buggs wasn't following the training/diet program. I'd guess that was a part of why he didn't play before too. Could be a similar case with Wally.

3) I think the Wally personal bashing is due in part to his demeanor on the bench. You watch Buggs and he is always excited even when he never plays. He jumps up and cheers and smiles. Wally just doesn't. I don't think that's a valid reason to go after him though, but I can understand it. A lot of guys just don't have that mentality and are quieter and more reserved. Doesn't make him a bad teammate or mean he doesn't care or anything.

All that said, I wouldn't be surprised if he transferred. However, I am not ready to write him off. And while I disagree with his family's perceived opinion that he just deserves playing time no matter what, but I am not ready to vilify them. I think they are being a bit petty about this whole thing. I would still guess they are perfectly fine and nice people.
 

And I agree Henry is underrated. Kid is a special talent. That said, I doubt he was ever coming here. Even prior to Wally not playing.
 

scher215 said:
Pitino at one point said Buggs wasn't following the training/diet program. I'd guess that was a part of why he didn't play before too. Could be a similar case with Wally.
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I think this, at the very least, plays a small role in the reason he doesn't play. It hasn't been a secret that Pitino values strength and conditioning, and I remember Wally publicly saying one of the hardest parts about playing two sports is that they have two completely different ideal body types. Pitino wants him to get stronger, but apparently that isn't good for track. He doesn't look like he's gotten any bigger/stronger since high school, so it seems pretty clear that he isn't doing the same strength program as the rest of the players. Him refusing to do that probably frustrates the coaching staff and kind of puts him in the dog house.
 


GophersOnTheRise said:
I think this, at the very least, plays a small role in the reason he doesn't play. It hasn't been a secret that Pitino values strength and conditioning, and I remember Wally publicly saying one of the hardest parts about playing two sports is that they have two completely different ideal body types. Pitino wants him to get stronger, but apparently that isn't good for track. He doesn't look like he's gotten any bigger/stronger since high school, so it seems pretty clear that he isn't doing the same strength program as the rest of the players. Him refusing to do that probably frustrates the coaching staff and kind of puts him in the dog house.
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It's hard to compete in two sports when the strength and conditioning requirements to play at a high level in those sports are much different.
 

Gopherguy0723 said:
It's hard to compete in two sports when the strength and conditioning requirements to play at a high level in those sports are much different.
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Exactly. It's a tough and unfortunate situation for Wally because if I'm the track coach and he is bulking up (i.e., not doing the track strength program), I'm not going to be happy. Likewise, if I'm Pitino and he's not doing the basketball strength program, I'm not going to be happy. He can't please both coaches at once and that is the unfortunate reality.
 


GophersOnTheRise said:
Exactly. It's a tough and unfortunate situation for Wally because if I'm the track coach and he is bulking up (i.e., not doing the track strength program), I'm not going to be happy. Likewise, if I'm Pitino and he's not doing the basketball strength program, I'm not going to be happy. He can't please both coaches at once and that is the unfortunate reality.
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If true, then you ask, "which sport is paying for you to be here"
 




burton34 said:
I haven't been vocal of my support for Wally, but I don't understand the amount of hate. Sure he seems like a sour puss on the bench, but a kid with 40+ inch vertical is rare. Heck Rodney Williams had less basketball ability than Wally and he scored over a thousand points as a gopher. Let's hope whatever the reason for Wally not playing gets quickly resolved because I'd love to see him as a contributor to this team.
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Really? Not that Williams was a world beater by any means, but to say he had less ability than Wally is a huge stretch, IMO...
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
Good point. If you aren't doing what the coach asks like the rest of the team, maybe you shouldn't be earning a scholarship for that sport.
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...which, I'm guessing, is a great deal of the issue here. There is a rare athlete who can contribute in more than one sport, but I don't see Bud Grant or Dave Winfield anywhere.
 




scher215 said:
3) I think the Wally personal bashing is due in part to his demeanor on the bench...A lot of guys just don't have that mentality and are quieter and more reserved. Doesn't make him a bad teammate or mean he doesn't care or anything.
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Ha... maybe Wally is our very own Tim Duncan.
 

scher215 said:
My $0.02 on this (because I'm sure you were all on the edge of your seat waiting for this)

If the reason the Ellenson's don't like Pitino and the U is truly because Wally doesn't play enough, I have a huge problem with that for a few reasons.

1) to those saying "what parent wouldn't be upset!?!?" Mine wouldn't. They'd tell me to bust my butt and earn the playing time. That no coach is going to just hand it out if you don't deserve it. I am not ready to call them a demon or anything. I am sure they are very nice people. But. No matter how much you love your kid, he doesn't deserve to just be handed playing time because he is so special and wonderful. And it is not the parents' place to run to the media if that is also the case. If Wally has a concern he can talk to Pitino or his boss and he is free to transfer at the end of the year.

2) my gut feeling (no proof of this) is that Wally is under some sort of internal suspension possibly relating to the earlier altercation. Even Mav plays and now Buggs does occasionally. To me that sort of kills the "he just sucks" argument. I think Pitino has other reasons for not playing him. Whether it is attitude, behavior, etc. Pitino at one point said Buggs wasn't following the training/diet program. I'd guess that was a part of why he didn't play before too. Could be a similar case with Wally.

3) I think the Wally personal bashing is due in part to his demeanor on the bench. You watch Buggs and he is always excited even when he never plays. He jumps up and cheers and smiles. Wally just doesn't. I don't think that's a valid reason to go after him though, but I can understand it. A lot of guys just don't have that mentality and are quieter and more reserved. Doesn't make him a bad teammate or mean he doesn't care or anything.

All that said, I wouldn't be surprised if he transferred. However, I am not ready to write him off. And while I disagree with his family's perceived opinion that he just deserves playing time no matter what, but I am not ready to vilify them. I think they are being a bit petty about this whole thing. I would still guess they are perfectly fine and nice people.
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Great point in number 1 and I completely agree with it.
 


Comparing he current Ellenson to Williams is a joke. The only thing they have in common is the leaping ability. Williams did have the ability to get on the floor and play scoring 1,000 points in his career. Ellenson hasnt shown that yet. Williams didnt have the career we had hoped but he still had a decent career.
 


fan of Ray Williams said:
Some posts at the beginning of the thread were of the "We don't need or want him anyways" variety. Pitino would take Henry in a heartbeat. As far as Wally, I really hope he finds success on the court. Quite the student athlete to play two sports at a major college.
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I actually doubt this. Just based on the fact Wally's dad went to the media about the argument between Wally and Pitino. I don't think Pitino would ever want another Ellenson on his team and I'm sure he'd love to see Wally transfer.
 


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