Keifer Sykes ESPN.com Article

[valpo84]

Good, positive article on Keifer Sykes from ESPN.com. As I tweeted last January: "Keifer Sykes is really elevating his game. pardon the pun. #HLMBB"

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12129685/green-bay-keifer-sykes-playing-just-father-taught-him

[covufan]

Ok, I need a little help.  Where is this East Side of Chicago?

[Kyle321n]

Ok, I need a little help.  Where is this East Side of Chicago?

I found a map of it:

[covufan]

Ok, I need a little help.  Where is this East Side of Chicago?

I found a map of it: [
img width=695 height=900]https://climateillinois.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/michigan-basin-map-crop.jpg[/img]

Swimming with the fishes?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

another star coming out of the Mac Irvin Fire!  didn't know that. 

great player, great kid.

[Kyle321n]

Ok, I need a little help.  Where is this East Side of Chicago?

I found a map of it: [
img width=695 height=900]https://climateillinois.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/michigan-basin-map-crop.jpg[/img]

Swimming with the fishes?

I totally screwed up the picture insert, but I've fixed it now!

[historyman]

Ok, I need a little help.  Where is this East Side of Chicago?

Normally it's anything east of the Dan Ryan Expressway. Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Indian Village, Burnham Park, Woodlawn, Calumet Heights, etc. Most people would call it the south side. There is more population in that area than there is in Porter County.

[talksalot]

and this just appeared on Facebook from the HL office...

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/green-bays-keifer-sykes-named-finalist-for-bob-cousy-award

[Valpofan00]

and this just appeared on Facebook from the HL office...

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/green-bays-keifer-sykes-named-finalist-for-bob-cousy-award

I don't know how people think he's so good!? He's so overrated he scores 20 ish points and he plays 30ish minutes a game! He can't shoot he just has hops. I guess that makes you an amazing player these days.

[bbtds]

I personally hope Van Fleet or Ferrell win it.

I remember going to Park Tudor School for a conference game between Lutheran and PTS. We sat about 4 rows from the court and this pudgy faced kid is flying down the court with the ball beating everyone on the floor. I looked up and he makes the basket and again beats everybody back down the floor. Yogi scored something like 35 in that game as a sophomore and it was the first time I had seen Park Tudor really compete in the conference. Ed Shilling, who had a stint at Wright St previously and worked for John Calipari, was the PTS coach at the time, was grinning ear to ear. BTW, Shilling went on to work for Steve Alford at UCLA. PTS went on to win 3 out of 4 state championships in Ferrell's time, I believe.

[classof2014]

I do wonder if Sykes will be drafted. His stock has to be falling and quickly. He is a really good college basketball player but there is no way he can make it in the pros. He's simply not good enough. He is able to put up 30 against the weaker HL teams but when he plays Valpo and CSU he struggled to score.

He's very athletic but he's not a good enough shooter to make it in the NBA. He scores by getting to the rim. He's a subpar shooter, not terrible but not good. He plays with a lot of energy and passion. He always has the green light to drive it into the lane and has the ability to dunk at only 5' 10" or whatever height he is. That's why people like him so much. He's short and can dunk. Against larger teams he has trouble scoring, last time I checked the NBA has many very large players.

It would be a mistake to draft Sykes. He's a good college basketball player but he can't make it in the NBA. He'd get eaten alive.

[agibson]

A very nice profile on Sykes, his four-year-old son, and other players who are dads.  I guess I'll stick it in this thread

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/feature/25092069/paternal-fraternity

Very moving.  And, I don't normally expect CBS Sports to give me vocabulary lessons!

Another GB player is discussed, two Baylor players, and many others.  With coaches' estimates that 50-75% of teams have players who are fathers.

A lot of discussion of players coming out of poverty, players and their young families _in_ poverty, etc.  Makes me think again about NCAA amateurism rules.  Discussion of Sykes really not wanting to play in Europe, so that he see his son more often. 

We've mostly stayed away from Vashil's family circumstances, and I certainly don't want to  argue about them.  But, I thought it was interesting that on a recent broadcast, maybe it was one of the American Sports media broadcasts, or whatever that new outfit is, or maybe it was ESPNU and the @CSU game (i.e. _not_ Todd), they discussed the family freely.  And, Vashil's proudly posting (very cute!) photos on Instagram. 

[historyman]

Is there a reason the board is denying me access to the thread?

http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2117.msg54404;topicseen#new

[agibson]

Is there a reason the board is denying me access to the thread?

http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2117.msg54404;topicseen#new

Which thread is 2117?  Any connection to this thread?

http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2046
for example, works fine for me.

Your link doesn't work for me, either.

[historyman]

Is there a reason the board is denying me access to the thread? http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2117.msg54404;topicseen#new

Which thread is 2117?  Any connection to this thread? http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2046 for example, works fine for me. Your link doesn't work for me, either.

It works now. It happened just once but I got a freaky feeling that I was being punished for some reason. When I clicked on the thread it sent me to that message that said the thread was off limits to me.

[VU75]

Another nice piece by David Haugh in the Trib today.  Green Bay SID must be working overtime.

[agibson]

There seems to be a thing recently about players-as-fathers.  Almost like it was June instead of March.

[FWalum]

I have to say this, as someone who works with local and county health departments developing their Vital Records systems and data, the young unmarried mothers of these children should be the focus of this story. If these young men continue their commitment to their children, then these unmarried mothers might have reasonably bright futures.  Unfortunately the vast majority of young unmarried mothers will never, or just barely, exist above the poverty line. The importance of "individual rights" fueled by a permissive society and positively reported by the media, has emasculated men and made women, because of their individual right to choose and their perceived responsibility for birth control,  almost entirely responsible for the care and upbringing of children born into these fractured families. All areas of society are impacted negatively by this one simple truth. It is a travesty.  I pray that these young men continue to become "real men" affected positively by the good role models and teaching of their coaches and remain committed to their children and families.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

i'm not sure how i managed to like that twice, but i'm glad.

somewhere the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan is nodding sadly.