I would love a player like John Mooney on our team

[kingtidge]

I can’t recall us ever getting a player like him. ND, on the other hand, always seems to produce guys like him every year.

Poor man's Harrangoofy...

But agreed, big guy with good footwork and finishing around the rim and can drive or shoot anywhere around the key... Yes, please.

We had our 7-2 center miss a non-moving, unguarded layup directly below the basket today. He did also make one layup, so it was more than most games. We have issues at center, to put it mildly...

Not sure how we have recruited the C position so poorly... It's like we're driving the boat around at full clip with the anchor down.

 

[capeorange]

Rak wasn’t coached by Bernie. Hopkins coached Rak. Bernie hasn’t been here since 2011.

Rak was on the team in 2011 Rakeem Christmas
Bernie Fine was accused in Nov. 2011 after the season started. Rak was our last center coached by Bernie and he was recruited before Hop took over as the bigs coach. My point was that we haven't had any truly serviceable centers since Bernie was fired and I was wondering if Bernie had any input in who we recruited for centers.

 

[kingtidge]

Rak was on the team in 2011 Rakeem Christmas
Bernie Fine was accused in Nov. 2011 after the season started. Rak was our last center coached by Bernie and he was recruited before Hop took over as the bigs coach. My point was that we haven't had any truly serviceable centers since Bernie was fired and I was wondering if Bernie had any input in who we recruited for centers.

I've wondered the same... But we always seem to beef up on projects... Sometimes they pan out, often times they don't. Onuaku was one project that built a solid career here... He was pretty poor as a freshman and a beast by senior year.

After Rak and the Fab Melo debacle, it's certainly been a position we can't seem to recruit and/or develop properly, that's for sure.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

You either have to have some offensive skill or be a wide body who takes up space in the zone and makes life annoying (Craig forth) .. what we have now are centers who can barely walk and chew gum at the same time

 

[JeremyCuse]

Every 4 years they seem to have the same carbon copied center. It's ridiculous.

Dont forget the cavalcade of white SGs and Forwards you have never heard of who are unconscious from deep.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I know Taurean Thompson was weird and had an annoying Mom and was often a space cadet on defense, but he was a legitimately skilled big man. Chewy and Sidibe always look like they're confused once they receive the ball in their hands.

Your point about them looking confused is 1000% right. Chukwu seems to at least know what he wants to do but spazs out. Sidibe looks like we just plucked him out of the crowd or Destiny, absolutely lost on the offensive end.

 

[two3zone]

We had him--Moustapha Diagne.

Unfortunately, the NCAA screwed him over and he ended up at Western Kentucky.

By the way, how good would our team be with that kid being a senior, at 6 8 240 lbs?

the same guy who doesn't even play for a conference USA team? He sucks too.

 

[HOFCeluck]

If Mooney was on SU he'd foul out in 5 minutes every game. He elbowed his defender EVERY time he touched the ball...Syracuse players don't get away with that like the "blue bloods" do.

But I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of this thread - give this team even a B- center - and they are probably still undefeated - and would've likely blown Notre Dame out by 30.

Lol blue bloods like Norte Dame?

 

[RF2044]

the same guy who doesn't even play for a conference USA team? He sucks too.

Stop.

He could play. His vagabond path has hindered his development.

 

[Eric15]

Dont forget the cavalcade of white SGs

It’s crazy to think that Ben Hansbrough was Big East POY over Kemba.

 

[two3zone]

Stop.

He could play. His vagabond path has hindered his development.

Or he just isn't and wasn't that good. With our track record recruiting and scouting centers as well as developing them you're giving a lot of credit where it really isn't warranted.

Hes done nothing nowhere that shows he would have been effective here.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Rak was on the team in 2011 Rakeem Christmas
Bernie Fine was accused in Nov. 2011 after the season started. Rak was our last center coached by Bernie and he was recruited before Hop took over as the bigs coach. My point was that we haven't had any truly serviceable centers since Bernie was fired and I was wondering if Bernie had any input in who we recruited for centers.

Fine hadn’t recruited since 2000.

 

[capeorange]

Fine hadn’t recruited since 2000.

I asked if he had any input in who we recruited.

 

[RF2044]

Or he just isn't and wasn't that good. With our track record recruiting and scouting centers as well as developing them you're giving a lot of credit where it really isn't warranted.

Hes done nothing nowhere that shows he would have been effective here.

No I'm not. I actually saw him play live in high school. Did you?

I saw what his capabilities were, compared to what they are now. It's no different than Winfred Walton not developing into what he could have been, or actualizing is potential, playing against inferior competition at Fresno State instead of again Syracuse players every day in practice and against Big East competition.

 

[two3zone]

No I'm not. I actually saw him play live in high school. Did you?

I saw what his capabilities were, compared to what they are now. It's no different than Winfred Walton not developing into what he could have been, or actualizing is potential, playing against inferior competition at Fresno State instead of again Syracuse players every day in practice and against Big East competition.

No offense but seeing him in high school, especially a center, it's very difficult to predict success. The best college coaches have trouble scouting centers, just because you saw him play doesn't really matter or mean anything to me.

Luckily in basketball and other sports there are statistics to measure a player's skill level and it seems pretty clear where MDs is, he wasn't even great for the juco he played for and hasnt done much since high school, some guys peek early and don't develop, he can be one of those guys.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I know it's easy to be distracted by the latest shiny thing but lest we forget Mike Brey has had the pick of goofy Caucasian bigs since 2000 and has two elite eight finishes to his credit.

 

[br801]

I know it's easy to be distracted by the latest shiny thing but lest we forget Mike Brey has had the pick of goofy Caucasian bigs since 2000 and has two elite eight finishes to his credit.

Blue blood programs gonna blue blood.

 

[realorange]

If you loved Mooney be very afraid of what Duke will do to our front line

Watch them against Clemson right now,

 

[orangepassion]

Sidibe looks like we just plucked him out of the crowd or Destiny, absolutely lost on the offensive end.

Sidibe showed offensive potential last year. We don't ever pass him the ball. For us to realize our potential, there needs to be a commitment to developing him. We're not going anywhere with Dolezaj at Center.

 

[AlaskaSU]

I've wondered the same... But we always seem to beef up on projects... Sometimes they pan out, often times they don't. Onuaku was one project that built a solid career here... He was pretty poor as a freshman and a beast by senior year.

After Rak and the Fab Melo debacle, it's certainly been a position we can't seem to recruit and/or develop properly, that's for sure.

Onuaku was a beast as a frosh in terms of rebounds per minute.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Sidibe showed offensive potential last year. We don't ever pass him the ball. For us to realize our potential, there needs to be a commitment to developing him. We're not going anywhere with Dolezaj at Center.

The problem is when we do pass to him or Chukwu they score about 25% of the time when wide open. I mean that lob to Chukwu and that subsequent pass to Sidibe were embarrassing to watch. These guys are struggling to catch a pass and finish a layup. It's hard to get them more involved in the offense when even a simple pass becomes an adventure

 

[AlaskaSU]

Sidibe showed offensive potential last year. We don't ever pass him the ball. For us to realize our potential, there needs to be a commitment to developing him. We're not going anywhere with Dolezaj at Center.

I'd settle for a center like last year's post season Chewy or last years post season Marek. Unfortunately, those players are gone and they took Frank with them. They must be hiding out on the pay side?

 

[SoBeCuse]

If Mooney was on SU he'd foul out in 5 minutes every game. He elbowed his defender EVERY time he touched the ball...Syracuse players don't get away with that like the "blue bloods" do.

But I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of this thread - give this team even a B- center - and they are probably still undefeated - and would've likely blown Notre Dame out by 30.

That’s simply not true re: Mooney. You can’t turn one or two possessions of a chicken wing and proclaim it’s happening every possession. The slightest bump and Sidibe/Marek/Chukwu pinball around from a guy like Mooney. He’s the kind of player who really makes our beanpoles look bad. He’s not great by any stretch nor could he play in JB’s zone but we see guys like him completely outclass our frontline. That’s how bad it is. He can seal those guys off and box out easily. The big from ODU did the same thing. Besides, our guys are told not to box out and they do not know how to bang and be physical. It’s almost a foreign thing.

 

[longislandcuse]

That’s false.

We are recruiting Stewart. We recruited the Golden kid. We had Taurean Thompson and Moyer who both could have developed into that type of player as they physically matured.

Yea... no. Neither of them are Centers.

I’ll concede Stewart, in the fact we’re actually recruiting him.

Also, I was joking around, so there’s that.

 

[bozophobe]

Forth and Chewy are both on my All-Elmer Fudd S.U. list (missed bunnies).