Bill Koch: To Respectibility, and Beyond?

[ATPTourFan]

Another great piece this week from South County Independent's Bill Koch:
http://www.independentri.com/independen ... bc0d0.html

To Respectibility, and Beyond?

Posted: Friday, October 11, 2013 11:30 am | Updated: 12:53 pm, Fri Oct 11, 2013.
By Bill Koch Sports Editor

“I know what’s coming. I see four guys every day. I see young players developing. I see real talent coming in, young men we’ve evaluated that are going to be game-changers. I know we have two more opportunities to add critical pieces to change this thing. As hard as it is, and excuse me if I don’t always handle losing great – I’m just not used to it, certainly not at this level of losing – but this will never happen again. I know that.”
— Dan Hurley, Feb. 9, 2013, following a 67-61 loss to St. Bonaventure at the Ryan Center

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Was Dan Hurley correct?
A simple “yes” or “no” answer will dictate the fortunes of the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team during the 2013-14 season.

If you believe the best of the Rams were sitting in street clothes at the end of the bench (Gilvydas Biruta, Biggie Minnis, Ifeanyi Onyekaba, Jarelle Reischel) or in a high school classroom (Matthew Butler, Hassan Martin, E.C. Matthews) last season, then the prospects for dramatic improvement are bright. This infusion of seven players added to preseason Atlantic 10 All-Conference pick Xavier Munford and four other scholarship players will carry URI back to respectability – and maybe beyond.

Continue Reading at South County Independent...

[Essam]

Why is he hedging his bets. have faith in DH and his players!

[ATPTourFan]

Definitely. I guess he's trying to keep as impartial as he can while still recognizing that the team has tremendous upside potential beyond the 8th or 9th place predicted finish we have seen from some media outlets.

[Bill Koch]

I want to thank ATP for posting a link to this story and the great URI fans on this board for their support. Your participation on our first Twitter chat was much appreciated. Hoping to do it even bigger next time.

I won't be a frequent poster on this board -- I have other outlets like Twitter, Facebook and print to share my thoughts -- but I am an interested observer. I want to know what the fans think and what questions they have about the team. That's the main reason why we're doing the chats this season and it certainly helps me serve you better in my reporting. I appreciate knowing what's important to you when I have my access to the coaching staff and players.

Essam, what you refer to as 'hedging bets' is a matter of simple journalistic integrity. You root for the team. I cover the team. You're invested in whether or not they win games. I'm invested in telling you their story regardless of outcome. ATP is correct -- I have to remain as impartial as I can for the purpose of protecting my credibility.

Thanks to all for reading and for your support of the Independent.

[ATPTourFan]

Bill, you and SC Independent have secured the top ranking for coverage of URI Basketball.

[adam914]

Great to see that you are observing this board to get an idea of what us as fans are thinking. You do a fantastic job covering the team and are my favorite follow on Twitter for URI news. Keep up the good work...and thank you!

[reef]

fantastic article by Billy Koch