Did we really miss expectations?

[tbonezone]

right. chris is coming back ! well this was unforeseen. how in hell do we deal with this situation ?

 

[rrlbees]

I agree that the coaching staff has done yeoman's work in dragging this team to nine wins in conference this year. With the injuries and defections, I see only two guys playing now who I think are starters on a typical top-half ACC team and one, maybe two other guys who could be in the rotation on a top-half ACC team. Where I fault the coaches is in never really coming up with an option at the 2 behind Cooney. This is his fourth year in the program, and next year will be the first time we bring someone in behind him who we expect to be able to play the 2 and to shoot a jump shot (unless they thought Paterson would be a shooter, which would suggest a completely different problem). As it turns out, Gbinije, who wasn't expected to be able to shoot at all, is the closest thing we have brought in terms of a player who could play the 2 and shoot a jump shot. Our best teams have tended to have three guys play rotation minutes who can shoot a 3-pointer at least passably -- Melo, GMAC, Duany, or Wes, Rautins, and Triche.

If all hell hadn't broken loose, G would have been the back up 2.

 

[rrlbees]

right. chris is coming back ! well this was unforeseen. how in hell do we deal with this situation ?

Too many is better than not enough. Don't know why you are having difficulty understanding the unexpected loss of 3 starters and our top big sub. It's pretty simple and you won't find another school where that happened.

 

[tbonezone]

you keep tossing out that word unexpected. didn't surprise me (other than mccullough).
i guess the lesson here is be prepared for the unexpected. that's what you're paid for.

 

[rrlbees]

you keep tossing out that word unexpected. didn't surprise me (other than mccullough). i guess the lesson here is be prepared for the unexpected. that's what you're paid for.

Again, show me another where that happened. And when we were recruiting for this years class, I guarantee you you weren't thinking Ennis and Grant were going pro.

 

[tbonezone]

so last year you expected ennis and grant to just have marginal seasons and we play in the NIT ?

 

[rrlbees]

so last year you expected ennis and grant to just have marginal seasons and we play in the NIT ?

Huh?

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Again, show me another where that happened. And when we were recruiting for this years class, I guarantee you you weren't thinking Ennis and Grant were going pro.

I'm not sure anyone thought Ennis would go pro before last season, but I know Grant's potential was discussed long before last year's season started. And only because the NBA drafts on potential, not reality.

 

[tbonezone]

i'm saying that had ennis and grant not played well enuf to make sport center highlights and be drafted by the nba last year well then we probably miss the tourney. which is it ?

 

[rrlbees]

i'm saying that had ennis and grant not played well enuf to make sport center highlights and be drafted by the nba last year well then we probably miss the tourney. which is it ?

We didn't recruit for this year while they were making highlights. Doesn't work that way. Your straw man would have every team recruiting as if every player is a one and done.

 

[pearl31]

Your straw man wild have every team recruiting as if every player is a one and done.

or as if you recruit this week and get the player next week

 

[tbonezone]

key starters yes. you best have a plan B. that's the new reality.

 

[orangecuse]

Generally, I do not think the non Mickey D type kids (especially our program) are figured to be one or even two and doners...neither Ennis nor Grant were Mickey D's...

 

[rrlbees]

key starters yes. you best have a plan B.

You don't have a plan B for your entire starting lineup leaving unexpectedly. We aren't Kentucky where we promote and recruit everyone to be one and done.

 

[Orange Barrel]

i'm saying that had ennis and grant not played well enuf to make sport center highlights and be drafted by the nba last year well then we probably miss the tourney. which is it ?

Why is this an either/or prop? Lots of teams make the tournament every year without suffering NBA defections.

 

[jsshap]

Starters

Ennis
Cooney
Grant
McCullough
Christmas

Bench

Gbinije
Coleman
Roberson

Deep Bench

Joseph
Johnson
Patterson
Obokoh

Yes, was having the exact same discussion with some UVA fans today. Would have been interesting to see how that team fared in the ACC. I think it would have been top 10 at worst. Some of the responses in this thread are quite illogical. Of course its today's reality - 90% of players that believe they will go first round will go -- but to suggest SU dropped the ball but not having a backup plan when 4 of its top 7 players were unexpectedly gone is absurd. And they did have a backup plan...its called a top 4 (soon to be top 2) recruiting class on top of a ton of returning talent (on top of a sanction free 2015-16...).

 

[tbonezone]

we knew early 2014 that cooney, patterson, joseph (some G) would likely be our backcourt.
and we rolled with it. these are the guys who JB himself hand picked to run the offense.

 

[Scooch]

you keep tossing out that word unexpected. didn't surprise me (other than mccullough).
i guess the lesson here is be prepared for the unexpected. that's what you're paid for.

This post, and many like it, comes across as so entitled. Like Syracuse has some predestined right to be a top 15 team every single season.

People need to get a grip. It was a disappointing year by SU standards, largely due to a confluence of events that could not be overcome even with the utmost of preparation.

18 wins and .500 in conference! Heavens to Betsy, how will we survive?! Everyone race to the fainting couch!!!

 

[two3zone]

In answer to the question of the thread, no we didn't miss expectations, personally I think we hit them and would have exceeded then with a healthy McCullough.

It depends who you ask though, I think we hit them, but seeing some posts from the beginning of the year from other people we didn't come close to them.

 

[rrlbees]

we knew early 2014 that cooney, patterson, joseph (some G) would likely be our backcourt. and we rolled with it. these are the guys who JB himself hand picked to run the offense.

Past the recruiting window. And even if we know 2 years ago, that's one player, not 4.

 

[tbonezone]

ok duke lost 2 1st rounders jabari parker fr and hood soph. and starter sulaimon. boo hoo.
are you saying we shoulddn't be able to compete with duke ?

 

[Orange Barrel]

ok duke lost 2 1st rounders jabari parker fr and hood soph. and starter sulaimon. boo hoo.
are you saying we shoulddn't be able to comete with duke ?

About the only two teams that could survive what we lost are UK and Duke. We don't recruit like them.
We compete well with Duke or anybody else for that matter when we have everybody.

 

[JCDATHIRD]

They certainly were last minute in terms of being able to replace them. Certain kids you know are a good chance of one and done when you recruit them, including McCullough. Both these guys weren't even mentioned with the NBA until after the season started. And it's not about any one player. It's about the sheer quantity of 4.

Overall, point taken. But any SU fan, even a casual one, knew that Grant was not likely to be back for his junior year even before his sophmore year started. Even average joe's like myself and guys i work/hang out with had talked about it from day 1 of last season.

Ennis is a whole different story...

 

[JCDATHIRD]

it is also easier to hit some home runs to balance off the whiffs when u field a 13 man roster, not 9.

 

[tbonezone]

i guess i shouldn't feel too bad then when duke sweeps us again next year. given their inherent advantage and all . we can all get comfy in the back seat eating their crumbs from the upholstery.