Watching these opposing basketball teams in the conference, they all seem to have a fiery leader who can make clutch shots and will the team to victory. Last night it was clearly York, who wasn’t going to let Arizona lose. Who is that guy for the Beavers? As good and unique as Payton is, he’s a quiet leader/not fiery and can’t make FTs or 3 pointers, so he can’t really will a team to victory. Tinkle looks like the player most capable of that, but he’s growing into the role. The rest of the guys are reserved and don’t seem like great competitors. Olaf, Eubanks, Thompson…all very soft players. MD tries to be hard-nosed, but he’s not vocal nor can he finish at the rim, so that rules him out, too.

I noticed this in football, too — the Beavs seem to have guys who are not competitors and just wilt easily. A lot of that is the Riley stink, and maybe some of this is the CR stink. But in general, it would be wise to look for mental toughness/competitiveness and leadership on the recruiting trail. It’s lacking in the two major men’s programs.

And people ask why I hate Parker so much. Well this gets into that reasoning a bit. He seems to want to pat the team on the back for showing up and giving a little effort. It’s like giving someone 200 points for signing their name on the SAT. It’s a loser’s mindset. Parker is a huge loser; though, ironically when the Beavers lose he comes up with rationalizations to make it sit better, and above that, he mocks people who expect and demand more.