I just want to again point out how proud I am of the Beloit team and its fans. I think all of you did a great job and I am anxious to see you get back to State again next season. Congratulations, Purple Knights!

I got home from work a bit ago and decided to watch the tape of last nights Beloit game. Now I really can't believe the comments on here about the players. IMO it shows young men (16 - 18 years old) totally excited about being at State...and maybe a few acting a bit goofy...but "thuggish"? Again, Monroe and Xavier would be just as "guilty" as Beloit, if we believe some of these people on here.

Very well put BeloitAlum! The Beloit fans were extremely respectful at the game. Unlike Bayport, who turned their backs during introductions, Beloit students gave each team member of the opposing team two claps. It was a sign of respectability and school spirit Beloit should be proud of.

I was just going to say the same thing.

OMG...the thug patrol will be out now...did anyone else just see the Monroe and Xavier teams being introduced? I think I saw some "thuggish gang signals". Most of the Xavier players had the same hand gesture...what does that mean?? Seriously...get a life people!

momof4: which introductions did you find disgusting? When they introduced the bench players and had a close up of each player or when they introduced the starters and they ran from the bench through the row of cheerleaders to the center of the floor and jumped around and slapped hands? If your disgusted by the later then you don't watch basketball because that is basically what every high school, college, or NBA team does during intros.

momof4...then why come on here if you won't say what your husband said about their behavior? What did they do?? Again, IMO...a very narrow view.

I do not read the paper...just the online version...and I did not see that on here...was it?

All in all, it was a good game in a great atmosphere. Beloit did well against a very good Bay Port team. The fans, band, cheerleaders all did a great job representing their community, all in a positive way!

Beloitalum: Apparently you don't read the paper every day. If you did, you might have seen the front sports page story on the Knights trip to state, along with a column on LaMont Weaver's shot 40 years ago in Wednesday's paper.

Again, you have failed to tell us EXACTLY what you saw during the intro that was offensive.

my husband works for the prison system and i wont tell you what he said about their behavior.

The "thug" comparison by some of you on here is terrible. You have to remember...the kids you are refering to (the ones that got introduced before the starters) are the kids that spend much of their time on the bench...like whistleblower said, it is their one time to be the center of attention on the big stage. Most of these young men did not get on the floor, as Beloit does not sub very deep. momof4...I did not see any gang signs...would you even know one if you saw one? Don't take a special day away from these kids just because they don't fit into your definition of what is appropriate. (And that seems pretty narrow IMO)

momof4: do you honestly think that the student who flipped off the camera will be the only one to do it all weekend long? Kids see themselves on camera and do things they think will be funny. That doesn't excuse them but to make it sound like all of the Beloit kids are disrespectful because one did this is crazy. Watch another tournament game and you will probably see it happen again.....not excusable, but it happens.

ok, how stereotypical can we be here? "Hand movement and attitude" and relating their actions to a gang documentary? Wow.....I was there, saw the intros - there were no gang symbols or other offensive hand gestures. I'm still trying to figure out what the "attitude" was and how that turns into a gang documentary. I guess during intros players are suppose to stare straight ahead....don't smile because that could be misunderstood as a gang sign for the "happy gang", don't mouth the words "love you mom" because then you could belong to the "loving child gang". Unbelievable.

momof4: I didn't see any kid "flipping off" the camera. Maybe that was when I blinked.

I am not a lip reader, however the hand signing and attitude reminded me of a gang documentary

momof4: what exactly did you see during the intro that was offensive or disgusting. Like whistlblower said: saying hi to mom or winking is offensive? One player held up the Knights on the front of his warmup...is that offensive. Like I said, someone please tell me EXACTLY what was offensive.

I was very excited when I learned that a local team was playing last night when i sat down to watch b-ball. So before watching the game i was for sure going for Beloit, until i saw the intros. Showing personality? i and my husband were both disgusted by their behavior.

sarahb- so when i saw a beloit student flipping off the camera during the game, u would call that good behavior?

what a disappointment

getinvolved: yes, some very good questions for everyone to ponder in their use of terms. In and of itself, the term "thug" doesn't suggest any particular race but it has obviously struck a nerve with several people. Whether the use of the term "thug" was meant in a racist form or by the term of definition itself, I cannot say. Community image is very important and Beloit has, in my 40+ years on this earth, always gotten a bad rap in general. After some pondering, I took atwoodave's comments to mean that perhaps they were saddened by behavior that could be mistaken for "thug" behavior by other communities. I want Beloit to have the positive image it deserves because there are many good people there: on the team, off the team, and in the community. Perhaps atwoodave's writing somehow lost their true intention and thoughts. I'd much prefer to see the positive.

atwoodave...you're an idiot! I guess you missed the first two guys that were introduced. Mr. Sims mouthed the words, "Love you Mom!" What a thug, huh? The next kid said pretty much the same thing. The next kid winked! I guess these kids are way too much for society. God forbid they have a little fun on the biggest stage of their life to this point. I was at the game, actually all of the games, and every team had kids doing different things on camera during the introductions. The Beloit kids did nothing more than be a little creative and have fun. Explain to me what their actions were that were so bad you call them thugs.

Are you kidding me? I was there and saw the introductions and the players did not act like thugs? Is it wrong to show some personality during intros or should you stand there straight faced with no emotion? What did they do that was bad? I did not see "gang" signs or "thug" behavior that was bad. Someone please tell me exactly what you saw that was so bad? As far as using "thug" that is a little racist or at least sterotypical of what people think of Beloit. If these were Janesville Craig students or Bayport students would the writer have used "thug"? Probably not. Just goes to show that outsiders have no idea what Beloit is all about. People who have never been to Beloit make uneducated comments about the people and city. The players and fans were class acts. Beloit fans never had negative chants about Bayport and clapped while their players were introduced, unlike Bayport students who all turned their backs while Beloit players were introduced. Great job Knights - players and fans!

How is the use of the term "thug" racist? Last time I looked around, thugs come in all shapes, sizes, and colors (not to mention economic levels). Perhaps atwoodave may have chosen a different term but obviously they were not the only one who saw the behavior as inappropriate.

Back to the shot clock, I have seen a lot of teams that when they have a lead late in the game they just hold the ball with no intent to make a play at like 3:00 minutes. I understand slowing it down and setting up a play. Milwaukee Vincent is a great team, but they do this a lot also. Thats all. Again great job Beloit and Bay Port, that was a fun game.

My problem is with the gazette. Can't believe they didn't remove this comment as it is racist. My other problem is the coverage of Beloit in the gazette. Unless I missed it, the gazette reporters did not do a story before the game, like they did for Monroe, yet they jump on the chance to report "shipwreck our cruiseship". You would think the gazette would be supportive of a school in Rock county. but again...thats the gazette! Good game Beloit...you represented Beloit well!

On a side note: I was not saying that the Purple Knight players were behaving in a cocky or arrogant manner. Just trying to make a point about the choice of words used in other postings.

Good point, doglover. Thanks for noting that.

whoanellie: I didn't see the first few minutes of the game, but I did watch every second of the remainder. I did not see one bit of "thug" behavior, not even from the fan sections. Not sure what you are trying to say. I was especially impressed with the shooting ability of the Purple Knights' Sharod Stone ... and excited to learn that he is only a junior. I agree with wieong; going to remain true to our Big Eight and root for Madison Memorial now.

We love our Purple Knights. We actually thought they showed personality rather than being straight faced like a mug shot as other teams did. More important - these kids are great in the classroom and are truly enjoyable. I'd take them as my sons any day!

Unfortunately, I only got to see the 4th quarter last night and did not get to see the introductions. Therefore, I don't have first had knowledge of the exact "bahavior" of the players. My question is though, why have people chosen to use the word "thugs"? If this had been Janesville Craig or Parker exhibiting the exact same behaviors, would people had used the word "thug" or possibly something like "a bunch of cocky (or arrogant) teenagers"? Like I said, I didn't see it personally, but I think the word choice to describe their behavior might hinge a bit on race.

Billy: we didn't support either team, he was just watching. it was interesting to have Beloit in the games after such a long time. but it was a turn off to watch the team act like a bunch of thugs. Doesn't beloit have enough of a bad rating on its own? We just thought they could have acted more like gentlemen than thugs that beloit is noted for.

"atwoodave: my husband said the same thing when they were just introducing the team. Fortunatly it didn't have any bearing on the game and did them no good in the end. posturing is no substitute for playing good ball."

I'm curious how the team you and your husband support played at state yesterday?

Shot Clock? Bay Port built there lead by running Beloits butt out of the gym in the first half. They scored 71 points in a high school game which is equal to or greater than the total put up by 19 of 32 teams in the NCAA tournament yesterday with 8 more minutes in the game and a shot clock. Even when Bay Port slowed the game down in the fourth they rarely held the ball for more than 40 seconds usually finding an easy back door cut. Kudo's for Beloit for reaching Madison with a team no one had a shot to get ther with at the start of the season but Shot Clock?

atwoodave: my husband said the same thing when they were just introducing the team. Fortunatly it didn't have any bearing on the game and did them no good in the end. posturing is no substitute for playing good ball.

Sadly, the Beloit team came across as a bunch of thugs trying to play street ball in a disciplined sport. Their social posturing on camera was an embarrassment to the community. Show some class and some pride Purple Knights!

dado4

....but, it IS a discipline few HS teams can pull off this day-in-age with the frenzy to run scores up!

Congrats to Beloit for the tremendous season....let's now pull for Big-8 colleague MadTown Memorial and D-2 Monroe!

That was a fun game to watch! Hats off to BMHS for not giving up. On a side note high school needs a shot clock. Just when BMHS was pulling close Bay Port would just sit there and hold the ball. I know a lot of teams do it, but it isn't very sporting.