My apologies to those I offended with my negative connotation of Coach Hop

[GooseMutt]

I made a lame comparison to him being Ed McMahon and potentially not being capable of replacing Coach Boeheim. Sorry I appeared so negative- just worried about losing Boeheim. Coach Hop is an incredible asset, person, and didn't deserve my remarks. I truly bleed Orange and am an alum. Hope you guys accept my apology and it won't happen again.


Goose

 

[Ringostar57]

Where would Robin be without Batman? He would be just fine.....no pun intended. Robin does a lot of the hard work. Question is where would Batman be without Robin?

 

[Delmar]

Welcome aboard.

 

[cuseinchina]

I didn't see your comments but I don't see what's wrong in thinking that maybe Hop is like Riker - a really good 2nd in command. We'll never know til the time comes but the brief glimpses of evidence we have of coaching in games... I really hope it's a smooth transition and we don't skip a beat. I don't feel though that decision makers should risk squandering the reputation of the program because the guy leaving wants it to be handed off a certain way - if people really think he's the guy for the job that's great. But when it comes to big jobs like this, you are never owed anything. How many great COO's end up running other companies because the board brings in someone from outside when they are hired? Happens all the time, sometimes for the best sometimes not. tough not to trust JB and think he will put legacy above loyalty in his recommendations, so I look forward to seeing what Hop can do. but count me as hopeful but slightly skeptical.

 

[osullfam]

I am optimistic, but regardless I LOVE having a coaching staff of alumni. They bleed Orange

 

[MSOrange]

I made a lame comparison to him being Ed McMahon and potentially not being capable of replacing Coach Boeheim. Sorry I appeared so negative- just worried about losing Boeheim. Coach Hop is an incredible asset, person, and didn't deserve my remarks. I truly bleed Orange and am an alum. Hope you guys accept my apology and it won't happen again.


Goose

There's nothing wrong with expressing concern with what will happen once JB leaves and Hop takes over. Many others have done the same on here. I think where you may have lost some people was how you ended the post with We're dead!!! That seemed a bit strong to me.

But that being said, continue to keep posting. Good to have another passionate fan on here.

 

[CuseCactus]

It's cool Goose. I share your worries about Hop. Ed McMahon may not have been the best analogy, but I get it. SU Hoops needs someone with head coaching experience - who's won elsewhere. We aren't a stepping stone program. And we can't afford to have someone learning on the job as a new head coach.

When Roy left Kansas, they hired Bill Self. That kind of analogy works for me re Syracuse hoops.

The analogy that doesn't work for me is Bill Guthridge replacing Dean Smith at North Carolina. I see that happening here with Boeheim/Hop.

 

[OttoMets]

You aren't offbase to temper your fandom with a healthy bit of skepticism.

History doesn't offer a ton of examples of great success for successors to long-tenured Hall of Famers. There's no bigger Hopkins supporter than I, but he's going to have a very difficult job matching (or even approaching) Boeheim's success. It'd be made more difficult if he's in the position of coaching a team full of freshmen, so I hope he either takes over next year after a couple of our potential early-entrants (Battle, Lydon) stay, or Boeheim hangs on for another year or two as they rebuild the roster with some developmental upperclassmen.

The more I think about Hopkins inheriting a team with Thompson, Moyer, and Howard, the more 2008 flashbacks I get. Hopkins is capable, but there's a hell of a lot more that goes into coaching than capability. He's going to need a little luck and the right roster composition to get off on the right foot.

 

[OttoMets]

It's cool Goose. I share your worries about Hop. Ed McMahon may not have been the best analogy, but I get it. SU Hoops needs someone with head coaching experience - who's won elsewhere. We aren't a stepping stone program. And we can't afford to have someone learning on the job as a new head coach.

When Roy left Kansas, they hired Bill Self. That kind of analogy works for me re Syracuse hoops.

The analogy that doesn't work for me is Bill Guthridge replacing Dean Smith at North Carolina. I see that happening here with Boeheim/Hop.

Yeah, it's easy to think of all the Guthridges and Mike Davises and Brian Mahoneys; I can't think of a single name of a great coach who followed a great coach.

Most people don't understand how difficult it is to sustain excellence.

 

[CuseCactus]

Etheridge replacing Thompson. Whoever replaced Lute at Arizona. Joey Meyer replacing Ray Meyer. Bartow replacing Wooden. It's a very, very long list.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I've been a vocal critic of JB and some of his strategies and stubborn habits I will not miss. I think Hop has a lot of great qualities but I, too, have a little bit of trepidation as to whether he can be the guy to lead us. Main concerns are game management... what kind of bench coach will be... what kind of staff will he build up... can gerry get the job done on the recruiting trail. But, if nothing else, local pressers should become safe for women and children to watch.

 

[721Comstock]

Etheridge replacing Thompson. Whoever replaced Lute at Arizona. Joey Meyer replacing Ray Meyer. Bartow replacing Wooden. It's a very, very long list.

Tom Izzo says hi.

He was promoted after NC-winning HC Jud Heathcote retired.
That worked out kinda ok.

 

[721Comstock]

Yeah, it's easy to think of all the Guthridges and Mike Davises and Brian Mahoneys;
I can't think of a single name of a great coach who followed a great coach.

Most people don't understand how difficult it is to sustain excellence.

See: my post about Tom Izzo.

And... a bit closer to home...
some guy named Jim Boeheim got promoted after his predecessor left for a 'better' gig following a Final Four run.

 

[cuseinseattle]

Yeah, it's easy to think of all the Guthridges and Mike Davises and Brian Mahoneys; I can't think of a single name of a great coach who followed a great coach.

Most people don't understand how difficult it is to sustain excellence.

John Desko

 

[cuseinseattle]

I've been a vocal critic of JB and some of his strategies and stubborn habits I will not miss. I think Hop has a lot of great qualities but I, too, have a little bit of trepidation as to whether he can be the guy to lead us. Main concerns are game management... what kind of bench coach will be... what kind of staff will he build up... can gerry get the job done on the recruiting trail. But, if nothing else, local pressers should become safe for women and children to watch.

The pressers are the thing I'm going to miss the most. Especially if that weird giggling stuff Hop did is his style and not just nerves.

 

[cuseinseattle]

It will be hard for Hop. I don't think he will be anywhere close to the coach Boeheim is and I don't mean that as a slight to Hop. I think he is a good Coach and a good recruiter but going from the Uncle that everyone likes because he is the nice guy to the authoritarian dad is something not everyone can do. Last year my issues wasn't so much that we lost games when JB was gone. I expected that. It was how as soon as Boeheim came back it seemed all the players were like, Uh oh Dad is home time to behave and work our butts off. That is the sense I got at least. Maybe that is unfair because it wasn't his team as Boeheim said but that has to be a concern.

 

[OttoMets]

See: my post about Tom Izzo.

And... a bit closer to home...
some guy named Jim Boeheim got promoted after his predecessor left for a 'better' gig following a Final Four run.

Boy, I wouldn't think any of the orange-glasses fans on here would much appreciate a comparison between Boeheim and either Heathcote or Danforth.

Though I'll give you credit - I hadn't thought of Izzo. Doesn't fit perfectly (Heathcote's a .600 guy, no Boeheim; Hopkins would probably not be given the leash that Izzo was - if I recall correctly, they were lousy for his first few years), but it's an interesting potential comp.

 

[Briancuse]

I think we are all a little worried about losing Jb, I mean for most of us a JB coached team is all we know. I do believe that Hop can be a good coach, only time will tell.

 

[tee1222]

I made a lame comparison to him being Ed McMahon and potentially not being capable of replacing Coach Boeheim. Sorry I appeared so negative- just worried about losing Boeheim. Coach Hop is an incredible asset, person, and didn't deserve my remarks. I truly bleed Orange and am an alum. Hope you guys accept my apology and it won't happen again.


Goose

 

[br801]

I made a lame comparison to him being Ed McMahon and potentially not being capable of replacing Coach Boeheim. Sorry I appeared so negative- just worried about losing Boeheim. Coach Hop is an incredible asset, person, and didn't deserve my remarks. I truly bleed Orange and am an alum. Hope you guys accept my apology and it won't happen again.


Goose

The points you were making in that post were valid ones. However, it's often not so much what you say, but how you say it. Keep posting.

 

[721Comstock]

Boy, I wouldn't think any of the orange-glasses fans on here would much appreciate a comparison between Boeheim and either Heathcote or Danforth.

Though I'll give you credit - I hadn't thought of Izzo. Doesn't fit perfectly (Heathcote's a .600 guy, no Boeheim; Hopkins would probably not be given the leash that Izzo was - if I recall correctly, they were lousy for his first few years), but it's an interesting potential comp.

Heathcote and JB each have the exact same # of NC's as of this moment - one apiece.

And critics of both would claim that it was only because they had one transcendent talent (Magic, Melo) that they even got the one they do have.

I willingly concede that Izzo (and Boeheim) are pretty much the exceptions that prove the rule;
more often than not, the successor of a highly successful coach doesn't do nearly as well - in part, due to having to follow in the footsteps of a highly successful coach, which can lead to unrealistic early expectations.

 

[FrancoPizza]

The pressers are the thing I'm going to miss the most. Especially if that weird giggling stuff Hop did is his style.

I never watched his pressers. You mean something like this?

 

[OttoMets]

Heathcote and JB each have the exact same # of NC's as of this moment - one apiece.

And critics of both would claim that it was only because they had one transcendent talent (Magic, Melo) that they even got the one they do have.

I willingly concede that Izzo (and Boeheim) are pretty much the exceptions that prove the rule;
more often than not, the successor of a highly successful coach doesn't do nearly as well - in part, due to having to follow in the footsteps of a highly successful coach, which can lead to unrealistic early expectations.

Nail on the head there.

I fear the fanbase's enthusiasm and optimism will be Mike's undoing. He's not going to be a .745 coach, so it's going to be unreasonable when people want to run him out of town after a couple .600 seasons.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Well UNC/Duke/Louisville/Michicagn(maybe even UK) all are going to have to replace coaches over the next 5-7 years along with Syracuse. Chances are not all of their replacements are going to be bad. I don't think we are in a unique situation. I actually think we have a proposed better replacement than most of those other schools.

 

[dasher]

It's cool Goose. I share your worries about Hop. Ed McMahon may not have been the best analogy, but I get it. SU Hoops needs someone with head coaching experience - who's won elsewhere. We aren't a stepping stone program. And we can't afford to have someone learning on the job as a new head coach.

When Roy left Kansas, they hired Bill Self. That kind of analogy works for me re Syracuse hoops.

The analogy that doesn't work for me is Bill Guthridge replacing Dean Smith at North Carolina. I see that happening here with Boeheim/Hop.

When Roy Danforth left Syracuse, I was a student at Syracuse. A lot of people thought we should hire a coach with head coaching experience at that time as well. It worked out okay.