Where is that man's arm in the first picture?

...wants to ensure playing time for Doyle/Donnal/Wilson, which might be hard to do if Max was still on the team and outplaying them in practice.  Why not have him back otherwise?

"It must've killed Woody Hayes to know he'd be remembered for throwing something, not running."

Irony is a dish best served cold.

I remember the "Harbaugh Hail Mary" game. That was the 1996 AFC Championship Game, I think ('95-'96 was also Harbaugh's best season as an NFL quarterback). The post on MGoVideo makes it seem like Aaron Bailey blew it on that play, but it would have been really tough for him to catch that ball in traffic. 

Fun fact: both the QB (Harbaugh) and the receiver (Bailey) on that play were former Pioneer High School students.

I had to Google around to figure out what the hell Brian was referring to but it was totally worth it. Read the Wikipedia article (LINK).

Thanks for ripping the scab right off that wound with that dropped hail mary.  9-year-old me had never been so devastated, and wouldn't be again until Bulls-Pacers '98.

A) That is the whitest hoops highlight video I've ever watched.  Kinda surprised the background music wasn't Michael W Smith.

B) Hibbits looks solid though.  Not a ton of athleticism, but good handles for a dude that big and looks like a solid stroke.  I'm surprised he doesn't have more offers than he has.

You wrote that there's going to be inevitable attrition, but when does that happen?

Examinations for the winter terms ended almost two weeks ago and the grades should be posted, so perhaps there are other academic casualties on the horizon.

There has been discussion about players not be able to continue due to medical conditions.  I believe Chris Fox is one name that gets mentioned most often.

But what is so inevitable about the attrition under Harbaugh?  It's clear that Hoke's recruiting classes largely stuck around even when they didn't have much success on the field.  But with a new coach in place, perhaps the bulk of the player's thinking is that they now have the guy in place who will get them winning on a consistent basis.  You know the old saying--"Those Who Stay Will Be Champions".

We'll see what happens because there are certainly depth chart issues at some positions, with the most prominent in my mind being quarterback.  But OTOH, this senior/fifth year class is so small (now 15 with all the graduate transfers and the departures) while the number of juniors on scholarship is 27.  So if you're an underclassmen and you see that there is going to be some major turnover in the coming two years just do to players graduating, etc., then it makes sense to stick around and tough it out.  This will go from a veteran team to a relatively young one between now and the beginning of the 2017 season.

There's one more thing to think about here.  David Brandon may be gone, but one message he gave to every player in the football team is that very few of them are going to be in the NFL and that their average time there is 3.7 years--less than the time they are in college.  So while some guys might be buried on the depth chart or they may not have the greatest relationship with the coaching staff, they do understand the worth of the degree (and of getting their M rings) in their post collegiate lives.

We'll see what happens, but I won't be surprised if there's actually very little attrition, i.e., transfers, for the next few years. 

From what I can tell in the videos Hibbetts looks like a much better all around bball player than Donnel did in HS.  Despite being a few inches shorter, he sure plays taller on the inside, handles the ball better and shots better.   I wonder if the coaches haven't told him something about a possible opening in the future.

Slightly different skill set, but skill-wise I think Hibbitts projects somewhere around Max and Donnal.  Donnal's outside shooting may kick him higher--at least I'm hoping.  That said, Hibbitts being a preferred walk-on shows that we are at least deeper recruiting-wise these days.  Hibbitts would likely have gotten a scholly a few years ago.

I have never dunked a basketball in my life, but am I the only person who just doesn't find dunks to be that impressive?

Like, it is basically something that should be expected based on a persons physical ability. If you are 6'5" with a 45 inch vert, I expect you to dunk. So no dunk you "throwdown" will ever come across as all that impressive, or exciting....it is just a dunk. You are 6'5'' and jump high. This should be normal.

I would compare it to throwing a baseball 90-95 mph. Yeah, it is great, but once you do it the first time, it is sort of expected from you. You dont see people at a ballgame getting all excited and jumping up and down over a 1st pitch fastball at 95.

Sure, if someone is throwing 103 mph, it is pretty cool...just like someone dunking from the free throw line is pretty cool. And dunk contests can be pretty cool (if there are...you know....athletes involved).

The video in the post above with the kid making a 3 pointer and then dunking the ball doesnt impress me at all....I would never be able to do it, but for any decent basketball player who dunks, it looks routine.