Quickly and finally, I have no idea why my e mail address was hidden.

I did not think I said, nor do I endeavor to imply, that I am the ONLY fan or that you are soley a critic. We all want to see Elmira succeed. I know you are a fan with concerns, I just do not think this is an appropriate place to air such issues.

If our goal is to create a better environment and a winning program, I suggest we deal with such issues from within. Speak to our coach or the athletic director.

If you discover my e mail address, give me a shout and we can go have a beer.

Other than that, I am done. My time on this ridiculous site is finished. I will not be posting again.

Enjoy.

A quick comment concerning the viewpoints on Elmira Women's Basketball.

The few true things stated are that this group is not succeeding as well as they should. They have lost games they should have won. The combinations are not what I, as a fan or as a program supporter, would like to see. And perhaps the coach bears some responsibility in these areas.

However, how dedicated are these athletes? How hard do they commit to greatness beyond the alotted practice time? How do they motivate one another? Are they a jealous group? Do they gossip about their teammates and bring down their team by doing so? Are the critics of the program, who appear to be parents, genuinely challenging their daughters to go above and beyond or do they allow the minimum effort and blame the rest on the coach? After all, Elmira is an expensive school that requires a lot from the students academically...

To me, it sounds like nonsense. If I had a daughter looking for a great place to play and learn, I would place her there in a heartbeat. I would have no second thoughts about it. but then again, I do have a daughter there and any lackluster performance from her, on or off the court, is primarily her responsibility.

I do not regret the decision to go with Elmira even though our daughter had many other choices coming out of high school. I am not wondering if she had only gone to that other school...

And I am not going to go on this site and discourage incoming freshman from commiting to this school or this program. We have talent, but there is some question as to the "heart"  of these athletes. To that I agree.

Where is their heart? Where is there absolute commitment to being the best athlete they can be?

I think that left the moment they could complain to their parents and their parents did not tell them to suck it up and play hard. (Perhaps they told them to suck it up and play hard BUT>>>, but also allowed the player to know that the parents really had no faith in the coach).

A player should embrace their role. Make your teammates better. Drag them to the gym on the off-day and practice weaknesses. If your shot isn't going in the hole, go shoot. If you keep passing the ball to a player with a different jersey, you should practice the plays with your teammates. Learn their quircks and tendencies. I have told my daughter that until she is willing to commit to this, her team will not be very good. PERIOD.

Be an athlete. A college athlete where maturity matters and mommy and daddy get out of the way.

Talent without effort, work ethic or heart, is like a smart guy who is lazy and has no common sense.

I KNOW THIS IS AMERICA AND YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO SPEAK YOUR MIND, BUT...

My daughter still has time left at Elmira. So please do me a favor. If you do not like the team, keep it to yourself. because before she is done, she will be wearing the Purple and Gold to the NCAA tournament. And Howley will be there to coach her. I am convinced we have the right coach, the right talent, but our mental make-up is not there.

Who do I see about that? If you say the coach, I would tend to disagree. Most of our girls were not recruited by Howley. So we created these kids not her. I say we ask our girls how often they get together to work out without the coach. How often do we shoot 100-200 shots in the gym after practice? How much extra effort are our daughters giving to the cause - and if the answer is little to none, I say we will then have the root of our problems identified.

Here is my last statement/prediction; This team is poised to play strong down the stretch. With some effort and a litte luck they can still get into the play-offs for the Elite 8. If we do that, watch out. Because we are the best 2 win team in America and stranger things have happened.

Believe! Work hard! Help each other! Do more than you are asked to do! Together Everyone Achieves More - TEAM.