I've never been a Jason Whitlock fan. He has some good analyses, but his
opinion and mine never seem to line up.
Then again, I guess that's what the Kansas City Star
pays him for—his opinion.
The differences between Mr. Whitlock and myself were blatently obvious in his Tuesday column, "K-State Basketball Wallowing in Negativity."
I'm going point out some of the things I agree with Jason on, and why I think he's wrong on other points.
Why I agree with Jason Whitlock
1. He calls Frank Martin an "inexperienced coach who boils from start to finish."
Of course he's inexperienced—it's his first head coaching job. Stunning insight there Jason, but correct nonetheless.
And yes, he is rather animated at times on the sideline. It looks like he never has anything positive to say in the huddle, never pats players on the back, and just yells as his eyes burn through his players.
That's alright sometimes, but for a bunch of basketball players that are barely out of their teens, some positive reinforcement couldn't hurt.
2. He says, "You can't consistently win games while throwing a pity party."
I couldn't agree more, Jason. Bill Walker needs to quit pouting, hustle back on defense for once, and just play basketball.
He gets away with so many cheap fouls during games that it's ridiculous. You're not in the NBA yet, Bill. Go down and play some defense!
Why I disagree with Jason Whitlock
1. He says, "Kansas State’s nucleus, a group made up mostly of freshmen, needs to be filled with positive energy from Martin and fans. All the game-day, over-the-top negative energy/vulgarity directed at the refs, the opposition and (when it comes to Martin) K-State players not named Beasley and Walker is undermining the Wildcats’ growth."
Alright Jason, this is where I start to switch gears.
Yes, the entire team needs to feel the crowd and their coach behind them. I don't think that there is doubt that their fans love them. As for Frank, who can say? We certainly cannot, Mr. Whitlock.
Also, all I ever hear about is Beasley and Walker. When Jacob Pullen had a career game against Kansas, the media couldn't have cared less. But I guess that's all paranoia and complaints that they've been disrespected by the media, right?
K-State's "vulgar" fans make Bramlage one of the toughest places to play in the country; ask Bill Self or Brandon Rush—they'll tell you.
2. He thinks that "The Wildcats are being swallowed by the enmity, paranoia and feeling of victimization that permeates the K-State fan base and fuels first-year head coach Frank Martin’s coaching style."
Jason, take it easy big fella. Frank Martin is intense, but I saw Doc Sadler and Bill Self yell at their teams and referees more than Frank Martin.
Instead of taking shots at a team that you yourself said needs "positive energy" directed towards them, read your column from the perspective of a real basketball fan who is dressed in purple and white.
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7 months ago
You need to figure out what your point is. Are you saying Whitlock should be more objective? In that case, criticism is perfectly acceptable as long as it's based on facts. Or are you saying he should be subjective, but his biases are wrong? That seems to be where that last sentence is headed, that he should write his K-State columns for the K-State fans. Does that mean that a column about the Jayhawks should be read "from the perspective of a real basketball fan who is dressed in crimson and blue"? And what if he writes a column about both teams?
He's a sports columnist. He should be brash and opinionated and wear his biases on his sleeve. His job is to start the conversation, which he seems to have done admirably here, given that we're continuing it. As an aside, I doubt very many KU fans would agree that Whitlock is a KU fan. One tends to find biases wherever one looks for them.
7 months ago
Well I said in my first paragraph that his opinion is what the KC Star pays him for, so I agree that he should be brash and opinionated. I'm just saying that when he's objective, he needs to make sure he has his facts straight, like on his comments about K-State being 'paranoid' that the media disrespects them.
His subjective comments aren't wrong, I just don't agree with them. That's why I said '...and why I THINK he's wrong...'.
As for my last sentence, it was more of a jab at my favorite people in the world: KU fans than a comment aimed at Mr. Whitlock.
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