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So what? The best way to avoid a "disaster" is to hire the best candidate that you can, instead of settling for someone based upon non-performance related criteria. Nothing in life is guaranteed -- but hiring unqualified / under-qualified candidates into important roles is about as sure of a...

I have a theory that a majority of posters, undoubtedly all of whom love basketball, don't watch many games outside of when Syracuse plays. Because anyone who does sees teams who perform at a much higher level of execution on both sides of the ball, every single night college basketball is...

Sure sounds that way.

Literally, I can't think of a worst case scenario given the position our program is in.

And structure. And discipline. And discernible systems on both sides of the ball. And player development. Other than that...

I believe that is correct.

Couldn't agree more. Hire a competent coach, and things will swiftly get back on track. Step one is an improved product on the court. The rest will follow.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Or maybe he wasn't coached properly, which is why he hasn't actualized his potential.

Coincidentally, I was having this same discussion with my father this past week. How over an extended period of time, we don't seem to have much player development outside of a handful of cases. Edwards was the recent example that we both came up with. But who before that? I know I must be...

Amen.

That would be great. Kyle is the team's MIP, in my opinion.

The talent on this team is not the problem, nor the thing holding the team back. Outside of Freeman, I tend to agree about their NBA upside (and that includes Anthony). But so what? There are literally dozens of teams, across all conferences and levels, that field NCAA caliber teams with no...

That's why I don't think resources are the impediment some are making it out to be. I think head coaches who know their worth and are confident they can do the job look at the empty dome, look at the tradition, and think I can turn that around quickly -- and then the money will flow.

"He bleeds orange..."

It's pretty close. And a lot closer than the 5 million number that was being thrown around a few weeks ago, to rationalize why we might need to go "cheap" with the head coach hire.

Nicely stated. The best way to avoid being held back by the limitations of a head coach is not to throw money at the problem, but rather to have a coach who doesn't have said limitations. Hire the best coach we can,, period. Don't try to run back the same failed experiment we just endured...

Same, across the board.

See .. I don't think he's very much like Fran Brown at all. Fran was actively coaching at a perennial national championship contender. Mike Hopkins has been out of collegiate coaching for several years, after being fired from his last job. The analogy is a stretch.

Might not be "better" so much as avoiding a negative situation that could drag him down.

Great post You and me both.

Agreed. The Goodwill has been expended by the University. When red got hired, it was" well, if things don't work out, we'll go 2 years and then move on." Psychologically, I think a big portion of the fanbase has moved on at this point, and the only thing that will reverse the disinterest is an...

That's cool. Like you, I'm tired of the mediocrity. I just had an unexpected medical situation unfold in the last weeks, that thankfully resolved favorably, but could have gone in a different direction. Life is short, I want to see Syracuse basketball be good again. I'm tired of...

I don't really care about this hypothetical. I think. Mike Hopkins got exposed, and the Peter Principle hit him squarely on the head, demonstrating that his top level is assistant coach. No amount of money is going to change that limited upside. We are currently witnessing a team that was...

Agreed. I'm not sure that some people watched enough Washington games to appreciate how abysmal it was, on both sides of the ball.

It depends for me on what hodgson could bring in by way of comparison, if he is indeed the other top competitor for the job. Because I squarely believe that nil donations will come in if The coach demonstrates that they can right the ship, and the product on the court improves. We've already...

I'm relieved to hear your report.

It's a bad idea because he was an abject failure the last 3 years of his tenure at the University of Washington. I'm very happy that he landed on his feet in an assisting coaching capacity in the NBA, but let's be real. No other college team is angling to land Mike Hopkins right now. When he...

This isn't a direct reaction to you bulldog, but more about the sentiment you're describing. The program has been in a steady decline for a period of 8 plus years. If the rationalized objective at this stage, with the program teetering on the precipice of plummeting into ruin, is to be able to...

Agreed. Time for a fresh start. Not for trying to recapture nostalgia from 2015.

Perfectly stated.

You can never trust people from Ohio.

Two notes on Medved. Interestingly, he was a guy with former ties to the Minnesota basketball program [team manager], and they may have prioritized that "more" than they should have in terms of the assessment process. Sound familiar? Secondly, they had a steep rebuild -- so maybe he isn't...

You can never have enough guys who can play. Not everyone starts.

I believe you are right. But who knows with the NCAA. Although it seems more common in football, guys sometimes get 7, 8, or more years on appeal. Crazy.

Every sport. There are great examples of phenomenal coordinators in the NFL with multi-team track record of high level success who just stink as head coaches. And then because they are universally respected and so good at their OC / DC job, they get hired back into those roles, thrive, and...

You and I are often on the same page, but not on this. Hop is bad -- really bad. And it isn't "hating" to point that out, just because he's an alum. His maximum level has proven to be assistant coach. He excels in that role. As a head coach, not so much. Truly, anybody suggesting he would...

Why is that a "con?" Great players / coaches across all sports are often driven, competitive, and petty. Some are nice people, others are not. Even our beloved JB was kind of a weirdo in some ways. That's the nature of greatness for many [not all] in sports. Unless there are bigger...

That's fine, IMO. Playing Betsey more means somebody would have to sit. Kyle? Hell no. Freeman? Best overall potential on team, but maybe. Kingz? Nah -- too important as a shooter / scorer. JJ? Here you go. JJ can still start, but I think his minutes go down to like 15 mpg. When he's...

They are right. It was a disastrous hire, but a predictable outcome given what led to the hire.

Agreed. I can't even remember the last time we had a team improve significantly over the course of a season. Been a long time.

Worth kicking the tires for OL / DT / DE

Can somebody contact our new Athletic Director, Adam Weistman, to ask what the hell he was thinking when he negotiated that contract?

That's one strategy. Not the only one. And the problem with that strategy is that we're a small, private school with a realtively small alumi-base, compared to most P4 schools. So trying to play the "arms race" might not be sustainable long-term. A better strategy might to be to bring in a...

A great example of this IMHO was when we lost a close game to Virginia Tech, where we had the least for a significant portion of the game until they out-executed us over the last 10 minutes, beating us comfortably. Their coach is no superstar. But I have zero doubt that if we played a second...

I used to plan my entire day around Syracuse games. And there was a time when an SU loss in basketball, football, and lax would ruin my entire week. I am so desensitized now, those days are long in the past.

I can't believe I'm going to type this out after decades of believing otherwise, but Etan Thomas is apparently a complete moron.

That approach might work for a small mom-and-pop shop, but it isn't a viable approach for a Fortune 500. Therein lies the difference.

There was no scenario in the actual business world where it made sense to hire Red in the first place.

Just about a month ago exactly, we lost to BC. Outside of the last two games (Cal and SMU), it's been mostly a rough month.