Wednesday, February 21, 2018

This Week in Wrenball: 10 Years Later

There was a modest amount of Tweetnoise this week related to the notion that W&M coach Tony Shaver's run at W&M might be coming to an end. Something called @CoachingChanges (which, honestly, is probably a Russian bot) suggested that new W&M AD Samantha Huge's ambition might lead her to dismiss the only coach to ever get the Tribe within one game of the NCAA Tournament during the CAA era.

Things got a bit, if not heated, then maybe confusing, as Tribe fans, conference rivals, and impartial media types weighed in unanimously to suggest such a firing would be absurd, bordering on criminal.

Why yes, I am number one.
But as I thought about CoachingChanges' perspective, I could at least understand. Shaver's been at W&M for 15 years with zero NCAA Tournament appearances. In any other context, that'd be a death knell - would've been years ago, to be honest. But W&M is sui generis in terms of its hooping history.

From 1985 to 2007, W&M went 3-22 in CAA Tournament play. In the 18 seasons before Shaver took over in 2003, the Tribe finished .500 or better twice. Twice. In his 15 seasons, W&M has done it eight times, including the last five in a row (we're guaranteed to do so this year). He's won 20 games four times, a mark W&M reached five times in the 96 years before he arrived. After three mediocre campaigns to begin his W&M career, Shaver's squads have gone 11-10 in CAA Tournament play, making four league finals.

Those numbers only tell part of the story. Pre-Shaver, W&M was a whipped fanbase, devoid of hope, of belief, of anything but morbid fascination with a serious of no-chance rosters wearing our colors.

And then, like a bolt out of the blue, that happened. W&M rode a string of three buzzer-beating victories to the 2008 CAA Tournament final against George Mason. And while we lost that game, it changed everything. As G:TB wrote at the time:

"But as we noted in this space just yesterday, the loss does nothing to diminish the joy this unlikely group of kids brought to W&M’s generally subdued alumni. For the briefest of moments we were allowed to pretend we belonged, to plan trips to the Boise or Sacramento or Tacoma subregionals, to shout ourselves hoarse watching a game that actually mattered, and to dream. Generations of us had never even allowed ourselves to dream. When we talk about this team, that’s the thing we’ll remember – not that they finally fell short, but that they let us dream, hope, and care. And at some level, that’s the magic of college basketball, that an obscure school from a mid-major conference can make otherwise mature (it’s in the eye of the beholder, people) adults let loose the bonds of logic and rationality and really, deeply believe in the most unlikely outcomes."

This year's Tribe squad closes out the regular season with home games against UNCW and the College of Charleston. W&M is currently 16-11, 9-7 in CAA play. We're all but assured of playing Towson in the 4/5 game in the first round of the conference tournament, and we don't match up well with them. If we escape that gauntlet, top-seeded Charleston probably awaits. It's going to be a tough road.

But we've still got the nation's best shooting team, an offense that's capable of going plaid and beating anyone. And we've got a coach who knows how to win games when throats get tight and kids get nervous. In a league like the CAA, anything really can happen, even for William & Mary

And so we dream, hope, and care. That's what Tony Shaver has given us. And even though we've been so close and not yet crossed over the rainbow bridge, dreams and hopes and cares are enough. We didn't have that before.

29 comments:

  1. The rainbow bridge to Asgard?

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  2. The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

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  3. Gene Hackman was really great in that movie. Loved the chase scene.

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  4. Biggest problem is Shaver’s bum agent.

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  5. The NRA spokesperson rejected the notion of raising the age at which you can buy rifles and shotguns to 21 by mentioning the risk that would put on an “adult single mother” who wanted to defend herself from “evil” people with the best rifle for self-defense.

    Rifles for self defense? Boy do I not know anything about guns.

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  6. It takes a special type of dickwad to mock the kids from Parkland.

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  7. do NOT delve into our country's gun laws. you realize the inmates are running th easylum.

    also, second mention of this rainbow bridge thing today-- and my dog might be dying-- so i looked it up. it's a shitty piece of writing, but it's obviously wormed its way into the public consciousness. i prefer the errol morris documentary "gates of heaven."

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  8. marcus thornton, cleveland cavalier. boom.

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  9. Marco Rubio is in a really awkward spot at this town hall.

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  10. NRA spokesgal is kinda purty.

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  11. Indeed, Rob.

    CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a 10-day contract with Canton Charge guard Marcus Thornton, a source confirmed to cleveland.com Wednesday night.

    The Cavaliers had a two-week window following the trade deadline to sign a 14th player, needing to make the move before Thursday's matchup against the...
    Washington Wizards.

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  12. Yeah, no soul and dead on the inside for sure. But not ugly!

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  13. Duke is up 24 with 3 minutes left and Coach K still has Grayson Allen on the court. Douche move. Not surprising in the least, but still douchey.

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  14. The top half of her face doesn't move.

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  15. Thornton also on TeamUSA Basketball: https://twitter.com/M3Thornton/status/966461341203537920

    Or did that happen a while ago?

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  16. Yoodge day here. I assume Dave is working on his concealed carry permit application.

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  17. Picked up Zeppelin III today on vinyl. In Whitney's honor.

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  18. Years ago I signed my step kid up for lacrosse to get her involved in a sports as she hadn’t really taken to soccer/softball, etc. She’s pretty good at it. My reward for this act of parental kindness is 4 years of sitting through girls high school lacrosse games. Year two began tonight. I’m happy she enjoys it and is good but fuck these games are long...and boring.

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  19. i hope someone has some #content for tomorrow

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  20. I read Mr KQ’s comment right as I flipped over to Almost Famous and “Tangerine” came on. Kooky.

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  21. Z....the Concourse at Amelia is always well reviewed. Depending on weekend events, there could be a trip up there in our future. Perhaps a mini summit to introduce future GTB’rs to one another. Someone here needs to start working on a succession plan after all.

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  22. Coaching my son’s baseball team which is his first season of regular pitch. It is a complete reset after seasons of sling pitch preceded by tee ball. It is an entirely new game. A slow, painful, void of all action contest in patience.

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  23. zson starts his first official season of pitched ball this year too. I say official because last year the coaches started pitching about 1/3 of the way through the season. It is indeed a slow and painful thing to watch.

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