[J. R. VanHoose]

Too slow, thats why u ended up at Marshall. Thats whats wrong w/ big guys from this area. Big fish in little ponds here.. Leave the mountains and you were a little fish in a big pond. Not knocking your accomplishments, you were good, just to slow for the big show LOL.. I had a cousin that was the same way in football. just a step to slow.

I agree, I am too slow. If you ask anyone about my game one thing you will never hear is that I am fast. But in my defense I do get the job done. As far as the "big show" who needs it. I had my dose of professional basketball in the NBDL and I am currently playing in the IBL and doing pretty well for myself (what is funny about this is the fact that some NBA teams have contacted me with some interest in possibly participating in their training camps in August). I know Marshall isn't exactly on the level of UK, or U of L, but it is still D-1 and I still got to play alot. That is all that I wanted to do, play. How was I supposed to get any better if I didn't get to play. I got to play against great competition (Wally Sczerbiak, Brandon Hunter, Chris Kaman, etc.). I wasn't really concerned with the pond scenerio, but I wasn't exactly a little fish in a big pond at Marshall. The problem with kids from this area is that they get recruited by schools that have a name and they think they can play there. They don't look at the system, availability of playing time, coaches, players, etc. in the system. All of these factors usually end up keeping these kids on the bench in a place where they feel like they don't belong (then they usually come home). Some people mistake this for the pond thing you were talking about. But I loved my time at Marshall and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, one day I hope to return to Huntington to live and be back around my friends there!!!!