KAEO: Chaz Williams

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:31 pm

Chaz hits the floor a lot and takes a ton of contact every game. I doubt he won't feel 100% the rest of the year. Even with that, he's a hell of a player

MikeEsq · Post by **MikeEsq** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:49 pm

Nice feature right now on Chaz on CBS Sports Network before the game.

Chris20 · Post by **Chris20** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:51 pm

I've had enough features on Chaz. Time to take care of business on the court, for 40 minutes.

Nothing at all against you or posting it, MikeEsq.....I've just seen enough fluff for the season. Same story, over and over. Let's play ball and Dance.

EBox · Post by **EBox** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:32 pm

MikeEsq wrote:Nice feature right now on Chaz on CBS Sports Network before the game.

Does anyone have a link to the feature that they showed? Or what they talked about?

MJatUM · Post by **MJatUM** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:50 pm

It was the classic: "Here's a guy who you haven't heard of and you'll love watching." Some other repeated lines: "One of the best senior guards in the country." "Heart and soul of the team."

Chris20 · Post by **Chris20** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:54 pm

Part of why I'm tired of them is that they are, indeed, the same feature over and over with a different voice-over. We have a short dude from Brooklyn who is really good and plays his arse off. We get it.

MJatUM · Post by **MJatUM** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:03 pm

^
Exactly.

MikeEsq · Post by **MikeEsq** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:14 pm

Not to dispute your take guys, but the feature also spent a lot of time at the beginning explaining how Chaz's father died when Chaz was young. His mother was one of the people interviewed, which was interesting to me.

I also liked at the end of the feature in the studio how Mateen Cleaves gave Chaz props and spoke out about how excuses are BS because he sees someone like Chaz and how he's overcome obstacles, and it shows that complaining about your lot in life is a loser's endeavor (paraphrasing here).

Not trying to argue, and I can be as cynical as anyone on the board, but it's kind of crazy that we wait 15 years for this type of national attention and then we're bored by the repetition or derivative nature by early February.

Just to foreshadow: if we make a run in March, there will probably be a lot of ink and TV time for Chaz and crew.

(Disclaimer: No, I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with CBS Sports Network, Inc.)

Chris20 · Post by **Chris20** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:26 pm

MikeEsq, you are right, we shouldn't be crapping on the publicity we've long wished we were good enough to receive, and it sounds like last night's feature may have dug a little deeper than the fluff we are accustomed to.

My frustration came more from our play of late, and a hope that the team is recognizing that it hasn't been quite as focused. Another "Chaz is Amazing" piece was the last thing I was looking for as we returned home to get our act together.

Another part of it, I have to admit, is Chaz.....I think he's been pretty inconsistent lately and a little too interested in the theatrics out there. I mentioned it last night ( in the chat, I think ), that he has seemed disinterested at times, has made a inordinate amount of pretty horrible plays, and has been flopping and diving and begging for calls at an alarming rate.

So you are right, I shouldn't be complaining about getting attention. It just came at the wrong time for me.

I love Chaz, seems like a great kid and has absolutely changed the fortunes of this program. I just think he's gotten a little caught up in it all this season, as he's found some of the success he's worked so hard for.

MJatUM · Post by **MJatUM** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:40 pm

I was more referencing the pre-game puff piece on Chaz... Didn't see the segment you're talking about Mike..

I think Chaz's story is really amazing and should be told to pretty much anyone that will listen.

To Chris'(s?) point, I think Chaz has been a bit much lately as well. He needs that swagger in his game to play his best, but some things about it (incessant screaming, flopping, crying for fouls etc... and the putting his hand up after the tip in last night to make sure he got the 2 points) have started to irk me..

It's just me being greedy and picking nits with one of the best players to play here of all time.. I will forever be grateful for Chaz turning the program around and I really will miss seeing him out there next season.

Chris20 · Post by **Chris20** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:42 pm

It's definitely picking nits. But the nits are multiplying of late. Chaz brought an incredible will to win to UMass. But the begging for calls and worrying about stats doesn't fit in with that.

MikeEsq · Post by **MikeEsq** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:43 pm

No problem Chris, I think we are in agreement on a couple of things. First, I think the sports media can at times be lazy and repeat the same old shopworn cliches, which isn't very fun for fans who are long-time supporters and are already clued in on their team.

Also, I totally agree with you that Chaz has been inconsistent at times and maybe either caught up in the attention or it's subconsciously affecting him. I can specifically point to one particular example: I think the Wooden Award midseason list was announced the day of the Richmond game, and Chaz shot 2 for 11 and back-rimmed the potential game-tying 3. Obviously, if that shot falls, my theory is a joke, but it didn't fall and he had one of his worst games of the season.

And of course we agree that for the team to fulfill the potential that we all think it has, Chaz has to go hard the entire game, look for his shot more early, stop flopping and getting rattled by non-calls, and be the leader that he mostly has been for three years. We all dig Chaz and know how much he means to the program.

EBox · Post by **EBox** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:00 pm

Let's face the facts that Chaz is a guy who measures maybe 5'8 on a good day and drives into 2 or 3 defenders in the paint - it does seem as of late most of those drives have resulted in a non-call. From the TV angles, its hard to know exactly but there seems to be a ton of contact that was definitely called earlier in the season.

Last night, Chaz got 0 fouls against him. Odds seem a little stacked against that with the number of drives he took, hard to really blame him for asking for the call, as many do.

As for the showmanship and swagger, we've been waiting for someone to do this for quite some time. This is what fills the seats, spurs on the alley oops, creates the fast break plays. Let the guy do his pistol/holster thing and put his hand up when the smallest guy on the court out rebounds a pack for the put back. No one seemed to have any problem when he had an outrageous block on a 7 footer a few games ago.

This game is supposed to be fun. Just wait until Chaz dunks in a game.

Blutrane93 · Post by **Blutrane93** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:04 pm

^Thought he was going to try at one point last night in the latter part of the 2nd half. He has a developing move in the halfcourt sets where he starts well in back of the 3-point line on the wing and receives a pass on the run with his momentum going towards the basket. Looks like someone shot him out of a cannon going into the lane.

MikeEsq · Post by **MikeEsq** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:05 pm

I thought it was going to be last night EBox, but hopefully he saves the dunk for the second half of Senior Day against St. Louis to punctuate a victory!