April 11, 2018 | Issue 1

ORACLE

P.3- ACMA awards P.6- HTV saves animals P.9- Fortnight: Battle Royale

P.12- Jordan on his fav. sport

HSUORACLE.COM

The Reddie Column has campus buzzing. oracle@hsu.edu

HSU Oracle

VOLUME 113 ISSUE 23

@hsuoracle

APRIL 11

Read more on page 2.

2

REDDIE NEWS

Editor in Chief — Pete Tubbs opinions editor — Ashley Smith Graphics/ Ads designer — Jacob Glasgow Online editor — Aaron O’Quin Copy editor — Jade Wolfe Sports editor — Jordan Williams Photo Editor — Joshua Bradley Opinions editor — Jae-Kur Lockhart Jr. Photo Editor — Paris Dugan Photo chief— Larry Massey LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Write us at ORACLE@HSU.EDU if you have any questions, comments, or if you just want to rant about something. Hell, if it doesn’t suck, we might publish it in next week’s issue. Just do us a favor and keep it between 400-600 words. Just like your Tumblr, we ignore anonymous submissions.

ORACLE ONLINE

Our online home has lots of cool bonus stuff.

Go check it out at hsuoracle.com.

ADS

Email us at rmgsalesteam@outlook.com to get in touch with our ads manager.

COVER

Check out the anonymous Twitter that’s probably tweeting about you. Graphic by Jacob Glasgow.

An example of one of the tweets from the Reddie Column.

The Reddie Column Story by Hailee Taylor Student Reporter

On March 22nd, three anonymous Henderson students came together and created the Twitter handle, @ReddieColumn. The Reddie Column is a place for HSU students to post anonymously about events happening on campus, or to gossip about their peers and organizations on campus. The page’s popularity grew fast.

“Honestly [the popularity] was very surprising, because this was just something we started for fun” said one of the creators of the page.

In an anonymous interview, one of the creators spoke on the reasoning behind the initial creation of the account.

“We wanted to start this page because we wanted to hear what the students had to say. Other universities have the same thing but

this is strictly for fun and humor.

We understand that when we get a direct message that it can possibly tear another person down.”

One problem that platforms like these can sometimes have is the power of the anonymity. People tend to get more aggressive and hurtful with their words when they can hide behind a computer screen, however, the Reddie Column has been pretty fair about filtering out the more hateful direct messages-or DMs-that they receive.

“Believe it or not, we get at least 10 DMs a day. The three of us usually vote on whether we should use it or not. If it’s funny, of course, but the negative ones we’ve been getting are a different story.”

Although most of the tweets posted get good feedback, or laughs, there have been a few misunderstandings about what has been posted, and the creators of

the Reddie Column have had too straighten a few things out.

“We don’t want to demean an organization [or individual] but we will call people out if they start sending hateful comments like we have received before. Anything that is in quotations are things that we have been sent. If it’s not in quotes, those are our words.”

The creators of the Reddie Column have chosen to remain anonymous as they continue to be the voice of Henderson State students and have no plans of revealing their identities anytime soon.

“We have kept [our identities] between us. Maybe one day we will reveal ourselves, but until then… keep the DMs coming!”

April 11, 2018

3

Just some of the awards that Star, Oracle, and HTV took home last week at the ACMA competition. Photo by Ashley Smith.

Media outlets claim turf

Henderson wins big at ACMA

Story by Ayanna Williams Student Reporter

On the morning of April 6, universities and colleges from all over Arkansas gathered in the Garrison Activity Center to take part in this year’s Arkansas College Media Convention.

Throughout the day, students took part in activities, as well as anticipated the results of this year’s competition.

Junior mass media major and chief editor of the Oracle Pete Tubbs was one of these students.

“I was absolutely nervous about the submissions,” Tubbs stated. “ We barely got them in before deadline, and I was concerned that Henderson would be showed up by other schools on their own campus.”

Regardless of the anxiety coming with the turning in of submissions,

Henderson’s Oracle and STAR yearbook ended up receiving eight rewards combined in a number of categories, which came as a relief to Tubbs.

“I honestly didn’t know if we were going to beat the other schools in anything, but I think we put in enough hard work to deserve them!”

Tubbs shows his appreciation for the staff who worked hard on the submissions. “...I couldn’t be more proud of

the immense dedication that both the STAR and Oracle have put toward their respective work this year,” Tubbs stated.

Henderson has definitely made it’s mark during this year’s competition, and now the publications department can breathe a sigh of relief as their year of hard work comes to and end. “I think we established a presence,” Tubbs stated. “Now I’m relieved that we have something to show for the 17/18 year.”

4

Jesse Roberts: business and pleasure A student success story

Story by Tierra McCraney Student Reporter

For some, the love of learning never ends. Formal education has different stopping points for different people, and a good majority stop at the bachelor's degree point. Jesse Roberts, HSU alumna with a degree in accounting, decided not to make it her last stop.

She continued her education as a graduate student studying business and administration and continues today.

Roberts chose her alma mater for grad school because it is close to her home in Hope. Another reason for Jesse Roberts is now working on her the Reddie: the opportunity to have CPA. Photo courtesy of Jesse Roberts. tuition paid for through a position as

a graduate assistant at the multi-media learning center.

A master's degree is a bit more demanding than your bachelor's, with less hours being considered full time in most degree plans. People like Roberts decided the extra push was worth it to open up more doors in the future.

With a master’s Roberts would have more choices, while also earning the extra hours needed for her CPA (certified public accounting) license.

“I have learned so many different skills while in grad school,” Roberts said. “I have learned how to work with others and how to analyze cases which have helped me in everyday

situations.”

Roberts said the most challenging part of being in graduate school is balancing school and work. To make it a little easier, counting on others can be a big help.

“Find a friend in each class that can help you or people that have taken the class before,” Roberts stated.

After graduate school, Roberts plans on moving to the Fort Worth area to find a job at a private company where she would have the opportunity to travel around the world. Good luck Jesse Roberts, Henderson believes in you.

Dating in Arkadelphia A guide to romance and leisure Story by Walker Walthall Student Reporter

With the spring semester coming to a close, it could be your last chance to take that person you have had a crush on for the entire semester out on a date. Dates can be hard to plan, because not only do you want to have a good time, but you also want to do something memorable. Here are a few date ideas that will guarantee that your date will remember you.

Arkadelphia does not have a lot to do, but one thing it does have is beautiful natural scenery. With the temperatures rising it would be a great idea to take advantage of this scenery and take your date on a picnic. Whether it is at

The Bluff or Lake Degray a picnic provides an open but intimate environment for you and your date to get to know each other.

If you have a little extra cash renting some hammocks from the rec center could make the date a little more fun.

With Peter and the Starcatcher coming up this weekend a great opportunity has fallen right into the laps of any romantics. Dinner, then a show is a classic date formula that has worked for many years. Call ahead and reserve your tickets to make sure that you and your date get good seats, and then afterwards take them out to ice cream.

This is a great idea for people that are nervous about running out of

things to talk about, because after the show you can always bring up what you did and didn’t like about it.

Caddo Valley has an abnormally large flea market. Instead of looking at it as a place of old stuff nobody wants, look at it as an opportunity. You and your date could explore the flea market for however long you like, but after you have looked over everything the real fun begins.

Set a spending limit, so say 10 dollars, and then you and your date each find something for the other person in the flea market and buy it for them.

This will not only make for a fun time, but it will also give you and your date something to remember the date by.

Now again Arkadelphia does not have a lot to do, but if you are willing

to make the trip to Hot Springs there are fun things to do there as well.

An escape room is always a fun date. You and your date have to work together to escape this room, giving you both a sense of togetherness.

There are plenty of escape rooms in Hot Springs to choose from, so finding one available when you want your date to be, will be easy.

Downtown Hot Springs in itself is an adventure. So if you and your date want to, exploring the downtown area could take up a good part of the day.

Touring the bathhouse, feeling the hot spring, going inside The Arlington, taking a 4-D adventure, and a lot of other things together could make for a fun cheap date.

April 11, 2018

DELPH & BEYOND

A paddle for your crimes

Should corporal punishment be a thing of the past?

Story by Easton Cowart Student Reporter

There are many things that we want to forget about high school, like the horrible slop they serve in cafeterias, or your horrible emo phase. However, an unsettling practice still occurs in Arkansas schools that is forgotten to many: corporal punishment.

Yes, corporal punishment, the act of a grown man or woman delivering physical pain on a student via paddle or hand in some instances, as a means of discipline. Many states prohibit the use of corporal punishment by teachers and administrators, but under our state’s School Discipline Act, teachers and administrators may use corporal punishment on students if their district authorizes it. No other guidelines exist.

“I mean I took it like a man, but it was a little weird since I was so old,” Layton Crow, a recipient of corporal punishment, said. “There’s no hard feelings though.”

Layton chose to receive a paddling, when given the choice between swats, and Saturday detention in his senior year of high school. Three brisk, firm swings and it was over.

Even if the state is not aware of it, there are other choices to corporal punishment. Alternative punishments can include in school suspension, parental meetings with faculty or alternative school programs.

Although this practice may seem bizarre, it is implemented in schools across the state. Those who support this practice cite that one of the most universal motivations is fear, and this threat can make children behave better

than any written rule or verbal technique could. Those who oppose say that physical confrontation with anyone is unwarranted in most cases, let alone a teacher performing it on a student.

This rule comes some unsettling moral qualms. For example, under current legislation it is legal for students with disabilities or behavioral issues to be given physical punishment, because not doing so would be considered discrimination. Another issue is female students receiving paddlings from male instructors, as it may seem inappropriate to some.

Even if the practice seems problematic, ultimately it is the school and district’s job to decide whether to incorporate corporal punishment into their disciplinary measures. Though spanking is becoming a less favorable consequence in the public’s eye, many people believe it should only be implemented at home.

“I don’t think that it is right for anyone other than myself to spank my child,” Kara Amato, a junior mass media major, said. This perspective has been expressed in many shows such as Desperate Housewives, Modern Family and many others.

While you’re enjoying the many freedoms of the real world and college alike consider that a few years ago you could have been hit by one of your teachers if you misbehaved too much.

Rest assured knowing that never again will the threat of being spanked without consent loom over your head, and while enjoying think about it for your future kids. Is that a consequence you are willing to let them face?

Is corporal punishment a good idea? Photo courtesy of MCT Campus.

5

6

HTV, Twitch and the animals HTV live stream this weekend

Story by Zac Walthall Student Reporter

A relatively new form of media, live streaming is an entertainment method that has recently exploded onto the scene.

Because of its mass appeal to the younger generations, many YouTube channels have cropped up around the idea of streaming video games, which lead to the creation of popular streaming service Twitch.

In an attempt to cash in on this new craze in media, members of the Henderson State University Mass Media department has planned to hold their own stream to raise money for charity.

I spoke with Leighton Hall, a senior mass media major, who is in charge of the project. “The goal of mass media to teach students how media works and new ways media is evolving.” The group running the stream is composed of mainly of students and teachers that are derived from the parent department, using their knowledge of emerging technologies in order to run the stream as efficiently as possible. Several mem-

bers have taken the helm, setting up their game systems and testing compatibility with the screen-grabbing equipment before the day of the stream.

This comes almost a year after their first one, which Hall says drummed up a good deal of interest.

The society that the mass media department will donating to is the Arkadelphia Humane Society, a no kill, non-profit shelter that requires a good deal of funds to operate correctly. Hall hopes that the live stream will bring in a good deal of donations, which will then be used to contribute to the Humane Society’s various expenses, ranging from food costs, vaccinations, and both spaying and neutering.

You can find more information about their mission and donate at humanesocietyclarkcounty.org.

The mass media department invites all to partake and enjoy the stream, which can be viewed on Saturday, April 14, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m..

Those interested can find it on the Henderson Television Twitch channel.

HTV is on campus in Arkansas Hall. Graphic courtesy of HTV.

Henderson Television’s live stream for the benefit of the Humane Society of Clark County will be Saturday, April 14. Photo courtesy of HSCC.

April 11, 2018

ARTS & MUSIC

7

“Broken”: melancholy captured Story by Cassidy Witherspoon Student Reporter

Lindsey Bruce, a senior art education major, has suffered heart break many times in her life.

The first, and one of the most impactful, was at only five years old. Her mother died of melanoma, which a form of skin cancer.

The second and equally impactful heartbreak happened only a year ago.

Her best friend was murdered.

Both times that she faced this heart break, photography became her outlet.

Photographs she takes today still mirror the feelings that she felt. They express her anxiety and her sadness.

Not only do her photographs portray a strong emotional feeling, they also are compositionally intriguing.

Her pictures have strong lighting, contrast and texture.

Bruce got started on photography in high school where she was on the year book team.

Her show “Broken” is printed in black and white.

“A black ribbon is the symbol for skin cancer,” Bruce said, “I wanted to incorporate my mom into my art so that is why I printed my show in black and white.”

After graduating, Bruce hopes to become a high school photography teacher in northwest Arkansas.

She also wants to continue her photography and possibly delve into nature photography.

Bruce hopes that her photography helps people to not feel alone when they are going through tough times.

Photograph featured in Lindsey Bruce’s show. Andrew McBride in front of his spectators. Photo by Randy Johnson.

McBride and Adams, junior musicians

Andrew McBride in front of his spectators. Photo by Randy Johnson, Student Reporter

I experienced wonder the other night.

At a student recital of all places, but it still happened.

At 7:30 on Tuesday April 3rd in Hardwood Recital Hall in the Russell Fine Arts building, two juniors performed their junior recital in front of friends, family, and a student reporter.

The two juniors, Emelia Adams and Andrew McBride, both played instruments from the brass family with McBride playing euphonium and Adams on the French horn. Then, the two switched one after the other until intermission with McBride out first.

Now I’m sure it’s been talked about before but the sound in Hardwood is amazing as it allows for the sound to just fill the whole room up no matter where you are sitting and for brass players it did not sound overblown. The

sound was sort of comforting in a way with a warm texture to it. Whenever I hear euphonium or French horn it takes me back to a place of nostalgia because I focused on those two instruments for six years of my life and is always just so pleasant to hear, but enough about me remembering because I can actually hear my hip popping out of place and back to the players.

McBride and Adams both played and provided a wonderful experience for all in attendance and after the recital they were met in the lobby with love and praise from their peers. To both players, I wish both players good luckfor their next performance but I already know they are going to do great so why waste it on someone who doesn’t need it?

8

Dungeons and Dragons, oh my!

A captivating look inside a fantasy game

Story by Rae Dinger Student Reporter

If you are willing, I would like to you imagine something for me: you’re in a cave, sounds echoing off the walls and water dripping from the ceiling. Your sword is heavy on your belt, and as you turn a corner, a growl comes from further down the cave. Do you roll to investigate, or roll for stealth?

If you have Cydney Curtis, a senior elementary education major, in your party, she might just be able to help you out. With a passion for tabletop roleplaying games such as Dungeons and Dragons, she’ll be able to lead you through this treacherous cave without a scratch.

“I am very passionate about Dungeons and Dragons and other table top RPGs [roleplaying games],” Curtis began, “Dungeons and Dragons is played by having one person, the ‘game/ dungeon master’ who tells a story, and other players who act as characters in the story.”

A character’s encounters, successes, and failures are determined by the abilities and dice rolls.

The only things a player needs to get started are a pencil, paper, and some dice. Dungeons and Dragons also has an assortment of guides and adventurer modules to guide both players and dungeon masters in running a campaign.

“The books span over several different editions and my group typically plays the most recent 5th edition.”

Curtis said.

Now, all this might seem complicated or confusing, but do not fret! There are plenty of tutorials of ways to get started, and if you can find them, there are people who are usually more than willing to drag someone into the fun of Dungeons and Dragons which can also be referred to as DnD. Cydney started her DnD career on a whim. “I was introduced to DnD my sophomore year of college when my now-husband asked me to join his weekly games,” Curtis said. “We have played with him leading the sessions for the past few years together, and I recently began leading a game of my own.”

In DnD, you can take your place as

either master or player, allowing for different experiences on both ends. Either way you choose, you’re guaranteed to have fun if you have the right people with you. “[DnD] has influenced my life in many ways. Most namely, it has introduced me to many of my close friends that I have here at college,” Cydney said, “I even married one of them. It’s more than us just simply playing a game together, we’re a family.

“Besides the people I’ve met, DnD has helped me on a personal level with social skills, including making me a better speaker, writer, problem solver, and collaborator. It also is great stress relief after a week of classes to take some time with your friends to go slay a dragon.”

DnD has had the stigma as being the game of “devil worshipers and black magic-doers”, and the last of the bastions of nerddom before reaching LARPing.

I then asked how she would recommend those interested in playing get started, as I’ve had personal experience with getting into DnD and the trials it

takes to find groups that are just right for me.

“There are a lot of different groups and forums on the internet that can help you find groups, learn the rules, and begin playing. Another place that is an immense help is a FLGS (friendly local game shop). We have one here in Arkadelphia called Atlas Gaming, which usually carries the basic guides, and a wide assortment of dice in addition to running regular games and providing space for new games.”

It’s these close friends you can make through DnD that can help you make your way through a cave, slay a dragon, or fight your way through the dark lands of the Abyss. For Cydney, the friends she’s made over the years through DnD have helped her tell stories that will always be remembered, from heart-wrenching character deaths to the times when someone rolls a natural one. If you’re still not convinced, do a little Googling. You might just find that you enjoy the fantasy that comes with playing DnD.

2 and 3 bedroom 2 bath mobile homes Central heating and air with appliances for rent Call: 870-246-5639

April 11, 2018

OPINIONS

9

Fortnite is one of the most popular games of the year. Photo courtesy of Epic Games.

Fortnite Battle Royale Opinion byJerry Crowe Student Reporter

Get on the bus and join a ginormous community of players in a cartoon and comic styled battle royale video game.

Epic Games, the creators of the Gear of War series and Unreal Tournament, created Fortnite Battle Royale following the booming popularity of online battle survival video games.

One hundred players drop from an air balloon carried school bus, but only one player or team can come out of this conflict. Armed with a pickaxe to gather supplies with the player parachutes onto this sizeable map in search of a gun to take on the competition.

With Fortnite there is ranked value on the loot one gathers so an orange sniper rifle will do more damage than a blue sniper rifle. The ranking goes from white (lowest), green, blue, purple, to orange (highest).

Consumables can make the difference between life and death or a good stealthy portable bush to take with you.

Gathering materials can help built to get to unreachable heights or escape a bullet storm from clashing players by building forts out of wood, brick, and metal. Clash with or against your friends and random people online in the free to play battle royale game.

If being free is not enough, Fortnite

Battle Royale matches are unpredictable at times and fun to play as the numbers dwindle down to the last one. Other than a victory, cosmetics and dances for the player are the only other things a player gets from leveling up.

Winning is fun with some rewards coming each season, but the true use of leveling up comes with the battle pass, which boosts XP (experience points) more than 50 times the average players and more rewards for the low price of $10.00.

Regardless of the battle pass Fortnite is pleasing to jump into and easy to learn as well as free to play, so nothing wrong with giving this game a try.

Duos and Squads were more enjoyable having friends to play with, but solo had some enjoyable moments getting a win or coming close only to taste defeat.

Every game was a lesson with different results and new players.

Fortnite Battle Royale is an entertaining addition to the online battle survival community, which is kept updated enough to improve on flaws, so I give this game a 4 out of 5.

Play for free and lose nothing but time.

10

Graphic by Jacob Glasgow, Graphic/ Ads Designer.

South Park Republicans and Eric Cartman Opinion by Bunky Raines Student Reporter

In the time of Bill Clinton I called myself a Democrat. Bill is still my favorite president. I saw a guy from Ark that provided my kids with free health insurance (ARKids), smoked weed and harrassed interns and thought, “This is our f****n’ guy.”

I’m still rooting for the Dems. I’m down with the philosophy of taking care of the little man and being kind to others. However, it has been something like blasphemy to me to see kindness turned into a weapon to silence the right.

Identity politics came along and changed the game. Today’s youth has been taught to identify as one thing and hate what’s on the other side. I’m from a different generation.

I was still a teenager when South Park first aired. I had to sneak around to watch it. My very Republican mother

didn’t approve of the foul language and ridicule of her religion. I thought Stone and Parker were Democrats. I later came to see that the show rails against Dems and Reps alike.

Perhaps South Park has influenced my point of view. Making fun of people on both sides is a concept I agreed with whole-heartedly. I’ve always found the humor in everything, and the idea that everyone is equally ridiculous really resonated with me.

I was surprised when I recently read that these fellows were admittedly right-leaning. Almost as surprised as I was when I discovered that, after years of calling myself a Democrat, I was right-leaning, as well. It creeps up on you.

The term “South Park Republican” wascoined by Brian C. Anderson in his book, South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias.

A SPR is very similar to a libertarian

conservative. They’re all about freedom of choice.

One can get a grasp on the South Park philosophy by watching the show.

They make fun of the religious right and the self-righteous left, who both try to take the moral high ground and impose their ideologies upon others.

Stone and Parker don’t make any bones about letting their thoughts be known. “I hate conservatives, but I really f*****g hate liberals,” Stone said.

I think the South Park philosophy has has been a significant influence on me. Or maybe that’s just who I was to begin with and that’s why I like the show.

I’ve always had the capacity to see things from both sides. That was a gift from my father who taught me to question everything.

I like the middle ground. I’ll be quick to denounce those who disparage others based upon race, sexual preference or

gender.

However, I’ll also be quick to point out that straight, white males have a race, sexual preference and gender that should be equally respected.

As I said before, I’m still rooting for the Dems. I dislike the Reps and their “stole a thousand beggars’ change and gave it to the rich” policies.

I just need the liberals to get their emotional children under control before I can count myself among their number again.

I need them to stop shouting down conservative speakers in lecture halls and have a debate. I need them to look at the other side’s point of view and question their own.

When I look at the Democratic party and see love and kindness and true tolerance of other belief systems, that’s when I’ll be coming home.

GAMES

April 11, 2018 FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

CROSSWORD

SudokU

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Directions home 4 Slow 9 Key of Elgar’s “Symphony No. 1” 14 San Antonio Spurs’ 19932002 home 16 Employer of a lizard and a pig 17 Author of the 2011 memoir “My Father at 100” 18 Greek leader?

19 “I __ it!”

20 National League athlete 21 Equilibrium 22 Dale relative 24 Weapon in some supernatural movies 26 Thus far 27 Ship mover 29 Joseph of ice cream fame 30 One of the deadly sins 31 Event with a caller 34 Fruit on a veggie pizza 35 Justin case?

36 Undesirable descriptor for makeup 37 ___-A-Fella Records 38 Thus 40 “Correct, cap’n” 41 Currently airing 43 Hamilton notes 45 Fight like sticks figures?

47 Sch. with a Providence campus 49 __ Vogue 51 Thins, e.g.

52 Three-book Newton work 54 Paper for a letter?

55 Shun 56 Tried to contain 57 Zero out 58 1980s gaming release

By Erik Agard

DOWN 1 Annotate 2 Onward 3 Symposium groups 4 Big name in anonymity 5 Cheese town 6 Upscale tiers 7 Standard procedure 8 Japanese cabbage?

9 Quartz type 10 Afrobeat star __ Kuti 11 Mouths 12 Realize 13 Pleasantly warm 15 “Harry Potter” father figure 21 Parachute 23 Arabian Peninsula veil 25 “Hello” singer 28 City in central Switzerland 30 Alive 32 LeBron’s birth city 33 Turn away

9/16/17

Last week’s Friday’s Puzzleanswers Solved

©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

34 Schwinn component 35 Redwood City locale 36 Door-to-door offerings 39 First to fall in most strikes 41 Elizabeth who plays the Scarlet Witch in Marvel movies

11

9/16/17

42 Legal orders 44 Wrest 46 “Meh” 48 Concerning 50 Turndowns from the tartan-clad 52 Iberian land, to the IOC 53 Batter of balls?

12

SPORTS

The beauty of basketball

Change can be a wonderful thing

Story by Jordan Williams Sports Editor

Anyone who has played any sport for a long period of time knows there are certain nuances in the game that begin to come naturally. It’s what makes sports amazing to watch, because at a certain point the mind quits thinking and starts reacting. Hours upon hours of practice and training have allowed the players to play their game seamlessly, without hesitation, moving from one moment to the next almost as easily as they draw breath. It’s at that moments such as these that sports become more than just an athletic competition and become an art form.

The beauty that sports hold when it comes to how they are played and the skills athletes possess are the same reason that those who love them have hated the most recent turn they have taken when it comes to advancements in stats and data, or to put it simply advanced statistics.

Advanced statistics have begun to take hold when it comes to not only in how the sports are played but how the athletes are being taught to play them.

The fear is that as the younger generations are raised in this new generation of advanced metrics that they will quit relying on the fundamentals of the sport and come to rely on what the advanced metrics are telling them to do, they’ll begin to ignore and neglect the natural instincts they should be gaining from practicing the sport.

With advanced metrics on the rise the growing fear is that fundamentals will disappear from various sports and none is more of threat than succumbing to the damages than the rise of advanced metrics can bring than that of basketball. With the rise of the three pointers in this current era of the sport other aspects of the game are being left significantly less unpolished. But who could blame them, Steph Curry has back to back MVPs, one of them being unanimous, with his ability to shoot the three at an alarming and efficient rate.

Teams, on both the college and pro level, are being built around the ability to shoot the three over

all other abilities.

Things such as a mid-range game and post moves are becoming harder and harder to find not only on the pro and collegiate level, but in the ranks of younger players along with children having more emphasis put on their ability to shoot from distance than other more important skills.

It is this tendency that many believe will lead to a complete and utter dilution in skill when it comes of the game of basketball simply because players aren’t having these skills are being instilled in them at an early age.

To some this sounds absurd. From the outside looking in the game of basketball is in a better place than it has ever been. There are big men playing the game right now who have more skill than some guards, which is astonishing, and there are some guards who have become such great volume three point shooters that they are dominating the game like no one ever ounce thought was possible.

The problem with this is that all of these players are displaying the abilities of guards whose skill set relies on either finishing at the rim or shooting a three and nothing else. There are nearly seven foot giants who aren’t great rebounders, there are guards who can connect on threes from nearly five feet from behind the three point line but can’t manage to connect on a jump shot from fifteen feet.

Even worse is the lack of emphasis being put on proper defense with younger players being brought up by coaches who more often prioritize pace and space over any other sort of offensive sets leading to more and more lacking the defensive instincts or mindset to lock in and really stop opposing players Steph Curry has back-to-back mvp’s. Graphic courtesy from scoring.

Now there will always be stars when it comes to of MCT Campus.. any sport and basketball is most certainly not the polished skill and nothing else? Are we telling them exception. that they should mold their game to match the ever There will always be players who can seemingly growing world of advanced statistics or the should do it all when it comes to the game of basketball, players be taught to play the game as they always but what about those who aren’t? have for decades prior?

Are we simply telling these young players that if you’re not great it’s okay to try to excel and succeed in the game of basketball while only having one