This blog entry is long overdue, but I decided to wait until after my annual ski trip to hand out the grades. So while the hoops season has given way to hardball in every MIAA locale except Warrensburg, I'll devote a few more words to the Western men's team before putting a wrap on the 2008-09 version of West by Northwest.

Resiliency was the buzz word to describe this Western team, which lost five games by a basket.

"We absorbed some really, really tough losses," coach Tom Smith said. "I think a lot of those (Western) teams that were successful and won those games and ended up with 23 or 24 wins, I don't know that those teams had the resiliency that this team had."

That gritty spirit propelled Western into the MIAA tournament title game and left the Griffons one shot short of a return to the national tournament. Obviously that late run elevated everyone's overall performance in my mind, leaving me with some pretty nice grades for a 14-16 team. Western played the South Central region's toughest schedule and still gave hoops fans in St. Joseph something to finally get excited about.

So without further ado, here are my 2008-09 grades for the Western men.

Coaching staff - B: Smith and company brought in a whole new group of players who, above all, never quit and dragged this program back to relevancy. Smith also installed a spread offense just in time for the MIAA tournament, a move that helped the Griffons nearly win the whole thing. And for the first time in a while, Western heads into the offseason with an undeniable sense of optimism.

The players:

A minus - Marcus Rhodes: The junior wing was Western's best scoring threat down the stretch, the Griffons' toughest player and the clear-cut leader for next year. There didn't seem to be a player in the MIAA who could consistently keep Rhodes from getting to the rim.

B plus - Leonard Parker: He was Western's floor leader and provided the spark and the swagger. One of the better passers Smith has had, Parker made the offense go and also didn't shy away from guarding opponents' best back-court player. He wasn't a great shooter but made up for it with determination.

B - James Bush, Lonnel Johnson, Martin Nolan, Ken Goodwin: Bush was a similar type of player to Parker, battling in the paint at 6-foot-3. He fell off a little bit late in the season but is a guy you can't help but admire. Johnson made huge strides after moving from point to shooting guard, hit some big shots and led the team in scoring. Nolan was a great change-of-pace point guard, coming off the bench. He looked like Western's fastest player and helped carry that second unit in scoring. Goodwin had to be the biggest surprise of the year. He went from a guy who couldn't shoot and just defended and rebounded the year before to a crunch-time scorer down the stretch. His attitude and leadership also helped keep this team from the pitfalls of the 2007-08 Griffons.

B minus - Marcus Jones: He didn't get many minutes but hit a remarkable 48 percent of his 3s coming off the bench. Jones also provided a spark in practice to push the starters, and his positive attitude pervaded through this team.

C - Dominique Thuston, Quentin Noblin: Thuston was the Griffons' most talented player but disappeared for long stretches, battled with foul trouble and too often settled for jump shots instead of attacking smaller defenders. Thuston could average 18-9 in the MIAA if he dedicated himself. Thus despite finishing 2008-09 with an average of 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds, he gets a below-average grade because of his potential and the brilliance he showed only in flashes this season. Noblin was a streaky 3-point shooter who needed to provide more of an inside presence.

C minus - Andrew Mead: The junior never did look comfortable playing Division II basketball. He had one brief flash early in the season when he blew past a defender, sliced through the post players and then laid the ball so hard off the backboard, it didn't hit rim. Mead has the talent, and I look for him to find his shooting touch and confidence next season. This year was sort of a transitional experience.

D plus - Brandon Beck: Western's 7-footer has a smooth shot but still doesn't look comfortable on the floor. Confidence that comes with more playing time might be a remedy for the Central grad.

F - Colby Smith: The freshman guard looked a little out of his element against the speed and pressure of MIAA backcourts, but that's not why he lands in this spot. Smith falls here because of his refusal to go into the game in the closing minutes of Western's regular-season loss to Southwest Baptist. Much like Beck, I think Colby needs more playing time to adjust and feel comfortable playing at this level. Refusing that time against one of the Top 10 teams in the country is inexcusable.

Incomplete - Luke Anderson: The junior forward only played 26 minutes. Hard to judge him on that.

Thanks to all of you who read the blog this season. We'll post periodic updates as MIAA news arises this spring and summer and then return full bore next August for fall practice. Also, a note to those of you in this part of the state, the News-Press will take on KQ2 in a charity basketball game Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Western. I'd invite any reader to provide a full critique of team News-Press. If it's coherent and not profane, we'll post it in the blog. Fair is fair (Hint: I don't like to block out).