Short bench & recruiting - Catching Up to Jimmy ???

[albanycuse]

Dude you have no idea what youre talking about, ill just leave it at that.

 

[BlackSquirrels]

That's not true.

The 2009-2010 team wasn't nearly as congested from the perspective of a recruit.

The '09-10 season started the year with:

1 returning Sr starter who was not first round material (Arinze),
1 returning SR moving from role player to starter (Andy) who was not first round material,
1 returning JR moving from role player to starter (Rick) who was not first round material,
1 JR transfer player who was 1st round material, and a bunch of role players and mildly-recruited freshman with no experience:
with a total of zero McD all-americans, zero Wooden preseason candidates, and zero five star recruits, zero Chris Paul/Durant camp stars, etc.

That sort of talent is not going to scare away anyone: and it didn't. FAB, Dion, CJ, and Keita all signed up. The '10-11 team was pretty loaded, especially up front, so RAK's commit was a bit of a surprise, but MCW is going to play so there was nothing to scare him away.

We define obvious immediate paths to playing time differently. Guys who were in the program before 09-10 like Kris Joseph, James Southerland, Brandon Triche, Dashonte Riley and Mookie Jones may not have been five-stars, but if you're a prospect looking at SU, would you count on all of those guys not developing into solid players by the time you arrive? Maybe, but I wouldn't.

To me, guys in the Fab-Dion-CJ-Keita class could have counted on one huge opening in the front court and a small opening at guard. Perhaps you judge it differently (which is fine.)

 

[Garbs]

Of the 6 in the backline who is the odd man out then???
It won't be Southerland hes the second oldest of the 6, and will get minutes as a Jr upperclassmen because we will need him as a senior. Consensus here is Xmas is going to play but he Defenetly won't bench Keita.

The only way we go less then 9 deep is MCW, Mookie, and Cooney don't play come big east and we have a injury on top of it. I could see guys sitting out 3-4 games maybe like Southerland last year, but they are still part of the rotation.

defenetly

 

[SWC75]

defenetly

We went nine deep last eyar, (Melo, Keita, Jackson, Joseph, Fair, Southerland, Jardine, Triche and Waiters). We've got 8 of those guys back this year. Christmas will have to play immediately or we got with the two centers or with two small forwards. Cater-Williams, Cooney and Mookie won't see much time. Clealry we'll go 9 deep again. It's pretty obvious.

 

[pfister1]

We went nine deep last eyar, (Melo, Keita, Jackson, Joseph, Fair, Southerland, Jardine, Triche and Waiters). We've got 8 of those guys back this year. Christmas will have to play immediately or we got with the two centers or with two small forwards. Cater-Williams, Cooney and Mookie won't see much time. Clealry we'll go 9 deep again. It's pretty obvious.

I am a little conflicted in my thoughts on how MCW and Cooney will be handled. I don't believe JB is reluctant to play a deep bench so much as he is married to the idea that certain guys on a roster are his horses, can be trusted and should play the majority of the minutes. I think this necessarily leads to a short bench. After all if you have 3 starters who garner 32+ minutes each game, there are only so many minutes left to award to the guys sitting on the bench. Last year those guys were RJ, KJ and Scoop.

Scoop, Brandon and KJ are players that I would expect might get that kind of run this season. They are all upper classmen, returning starters and have been in the program multiple years. If they get those kind of minutes there aren't that many minutes left to allot among Dion, MCW and Cooney. That said, MCW is a McDonald's AA guard...when was the last time we had a McD's guard come in who didn't play? Presumably Dion will play also as the kid is talented and it doesn't seem as though he is one that is content to sit and bide his time until others move on. I simply don't see where Cooney's minutes will come from no matter how badly we may need outside shooting. I also don't think our outside shooting from Triche, Scoop and KJ is so bad that it will require Cooney's insertion. While they don't necessarily shoot as well as a Rautins or Devo they hit a serviceable percentage of their outside shots and will presumably improve at least marginally this season.

Clearly there will be lots of opportunity to win minutes in the front court. We have no established starter at either PF or C. While I think there are front runners, I don't think we have a situation where we have a returner who played well enough to be "guaranteed" the spot. What is more, the guys playing those positions all have some questions marks; can Fab stay on the court, can Keita add some offense, can Rak make the adjustment from High school speed to Major D1 speed and does he have any offensive ability, can Fair bang with bigger bodies, can James show some consistency??

Should be interesting.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

I am a little conflicted in my thoughts on how MCW and Cooney will be handled. I don't believe JB is reluctant to play a deep bench so much as he is married to the idea that certain guys on a roster are his horses, can be trusted and should play the majority of the minutes. I think this necessarily leads to a short bench. After all if you have 3 starters who garner 32+ minutes each game, there are only so many minutes left to award to the guys sitting on the bench. Last year those guys were RJ, KJ and Scoop.

Scoop, Brandon and KJ are players that I would expect might get that kind of run this season. They are all upper classmen, returning starters and have been in the program multiple years. If they get those kind of minutes there aren't that many minutes left to allot among Dion, MCW and Cooney. That said, MCW is a McDonald's AA guard...when was the last time we had a McD's guard come in who didn't play? Presumably Dion will play also as the kid is talented and it doesn't seem as though he is one that is content to sit and bide his time until others move on. I simply don't see where Cooney's minutes will come from no matter how badly we may need outside shooting. I also don't think our outside shooting from Triche, Scoop and KJ is so bad that it will require Cooney's insertion. While they don't necessarily shoot as well as a Rautins or Devo they hit a serviceable percentage of their outside shots and will presumably improve at least marginally this season.

Clearly there will be lots of opportunity to win minutes in the front court. We have no established starter at either PF or C. While I think there are front runners, I don't think we have a situation where we have a returner who played well enough to be "guaranteed" the spot. What is more, the guys playing those positions all have some questions marks; can Fab stay on the court, can Keita add some offense, can Rak make the adjustment from High school speed to Major D1 speed and does he have any offensive ability, can Fair bang with bigger bodies, can James show some consistency??

Should be interesting.

I'm not sure Boeheim will ride Triche as hard as Scoop and Joseph because of the backcourt talent coming in, in addition to Waiters. If Waiters can stay out of his own way, I think he'll be a highly efficient player for 15 or so minutes per game. Carter-Williams should be able to do the same, depending on how he adjusts, but I agree that Cooney's role will be much more limited. If Boeheim was a bigger believer in redshirting players without it being necessitated by injury, I think that's what we'd see with Cooney.

As for the frontcourt, I'm not sure about Keita developing offense. People like to compare him to Ongenaet because he's a defense-first guy and I see that, but even Ongenaet was more useful on offense than Keita, and Ongenaet got benched for Rick not that far into his senior season. I don't think Rakeem will be anything more than a 4th or 5th option this season, but according to scouts, his offense is a little underrated because he's such a good shot-blocker, so I think he'll be better than Keita.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I simply don't see where Cooney's minutes will come from no matter how badly we may need outside shooting. I also don't think our outside shooting from Triche, Scoop and KJ is so bad that it will require Cooney's insertion.

Yup. I know people are bullish on him, but I just don't see him on the floor this season. Great insurance policy though.

Clearly there will be lots of opportunity to win minutes in the front court. We have no established starter at either PF or C. While I think there are front runners, I don't think we have a situation where we have a returner who played well enough to be "guaranteed" the spot.

I actually think Keita is a lock for a lot of time. Melo's improvement and how ready Rak is to ball are less sure things to me. I think Keita is going to be by far our best rebounder next season - 8 or so a game average.

 

[CaliCuse]

I doubt the short bench is catching up to recruting.

SU has recruited highly touted classes the last two years despite having relatively experienced rosters. Now ask yourself which of the below scenarios is more likely.

1. After many years, recruits are just now starting to realize that Boeheim plays a seven-man rotation and selecting other schools.

2. Boeheim and his staff have narrowed their focus for the class of 2012 to a select few guys and may end up striking out with those guys for various reasons.

IMO #2 seems much more likely.

I casn't help but thinking thatoeheim's limit on player rotation is a cause and effect of his March failures. We consistently lose to less talented but better coached teams in the tournament. I personally don't regard him as a truly worthy HOF coach. His winning numbers have been inflated with early career cup cakes every season he scheduled small programs to beef up Syracuse's record. I give him credit for being clever and the Orangemen fans for being gulible

 

[Frozen]

I casn't help but thinking thatoeheim's limit on player rotation is a cause and effect of his March failures. We consistently lose to less talented but better coached teams in the tournament. I personally don't regard him as a truly worthy HOF coach. His winning numbers have been inflated with early career cup cakes every season he scheduled small programs to beef up Syracuse's record. I give him credit for being clever and the Orangemen fans for being gulible

Supposedly JB only plays cupcakes yet every year SU finishes with a high RPI and SOS. FYI, everybody plays cupcakes. But JB does so smartly. Playing Iona, Long Beach State, Hofstra and schools like that is much better than playing the High Points, NJITs and Utah Valley States of the world.

 

[pfister1]

I casn't help but thinking thatoeheim's limit on player rotation is a cause and effect of his March failures. We consistently lose to less talented but better coached teams in the tournament. I personally don't regard him as a truly worthy HOF coach. His winning numbers have been inflated with early career cup cakes every season he scheduled small programs to beef up Syracuse's record. I give him credit for being clever and the Orangemen fans for being gulible

Wonder why no one else had chosen to use this recipe??? Fooling everyone into thinking you're a HOF caliber coach would seem to be a sufficiently lofty career achievement, that you would think that some of his bretheren might try baking their cupcakes the same way.

Or maybe he just really is a HOF caliber coach, just not the most successful one of the bunch.

 

[Frozen]

Wonder why no one else had chosen to use this recipe??? Fooling everyone into thinking you're a HOF caliber coach would seem to be a sufficiently lofty career achievement, that you would think that some of his bretheren might try baking their cupcakes the same way.

Or maybe he just really is a HOF caliber coach, just not the most successful one of the bunch.

Bingo. Couldn't agree more. Teams lose in March. It happens. Just because SU hasn't made the Sweet 16 in a little while doesn't mean JB is "losing it" or some such nonsense. Getting to the Sweet 16, much like pimpin', ain't easy.

 

[CaliCuse]

Wonder why no one else had chosen to use this recipe??? Fooling everyone into thinking you're a HOF caliber coach would seem to be a sufficiently lofty career achievement, that you would think that some of his bretheren might try baking their cupcakes the same way.

Or maybe he just really is a HOF caliber coach, just not the most successful one of the bunch.

OK thats like the glass "half-full saying to which my response is . Thats OK If I have the bottom half. Its not hindsight to say what he can improve on in his career thats becoming and end soon. A better use of his players is something he can do now and bring additional success for himself and the program And us of course. I'm looking forward to seeing the team back on the floor. can't wait to see the big improvement in Fab and Moose physically and in their game. There are quite a few others that fit into that expectation suspense. You know the names as well if not better then me.

 

[orange79]

OK thats like the glass "half-full saying to which my response is . Thats OK If I have the bottom half. Its not hindsight to say what he can improve on in his career thats becoming and end soon. A better use of his players is something he can do now and bring additional success for himself and the program And us of course. I'm looking forward to seeing the team back on the floor. can't wait to see the big improvement in Fab and Moose physically and in their game. There are quite a few others that fit into that expectation suspense. You know the names as well if not better then me.

:bang:

 

[orangefan13]

Not to be rude but why be so hard on Jim? He makes the best with what he has, and wins games alone with his coaching. Is it his fault Paul Harris wasn't 6'8? Is it his fault that devendorfs defense isn't great? Is it his fault that Fab Melo is raw? Is it his fault that AO had bad knees? Is it is his fault that the 96 team with One late second round pick almost beat the best college basketball team ever with 8 NBA players and may have if Wallce didn't foul out? Is it his fault that Sherman and Kristoff caught the flu during the NCAA tournament? Is it his fault that MSU just cuaght on fire against our syracuse team that was 16 up on them. Is it his fault that David Robinson had a game of his life against us? Is it his fault that a Freshmen Derrick Coleman missed freethrows? Is it his fault that Hakim Warrick had 10 turnovers his senior year, and Gerry and Nichols combined for like 2-12 from three point land against Vermont of all teams? Is it his fault that Nichols missed that layup against Witchita State and Devendorf turned it over like 4 times against Louisville on the road? Is it JB's fault that he called that timeout that saved the Uconn game for us a few years back?

Is it his fault he got coach of the year had a team that worked hard together and the next season got nominated for a father of the year award (our coach that everyone calls old and grumpy)? Is it his fault that he coaches the kids and even in game every oportunity he can?
I suppose Calipari recruiting away from his players during a NCAA game and recruiting ten states away before a conference away game and then having the nerve to yell at his players while his team loses is better? I suppose someone like Calhoun cutting a player for drummond isntead of having the scholly open to begin with when they have been favorites for him the last 3 years is more honorable.
Some are yes some are no but you have to realize so much of it is recruiting. Look at Uconn. Ray Allen, Ben Gordon and Okafor together. Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, and Oriaki who stood their own inside defensively . When they had Thabeet inside to guard the rim. When they had Caron Butler. I guess they were just good coached teams though. Wes and Rautins had a ok game against Butler but Rick,Scoop, and Joseph playing awfull on the offensive end was JB's fault(sarcasm). Should we say Fab being raw, Christmas being 6'8, should be copared to Okafor, Thabeet,Patrick Ewing, and Alonzo Mournings good coaching? Because it wasn't there athleticism that made them what they were? I guess Warrick Seikly Etan and Rick Jackson weren't coached all that well and were just good athletes.

JB and the coaches do what they can with what they have. They develop players, create work ethic, respect, and make boys men. Thats what JB does oh so well. He works with what he has.

JB is a big reason we have a 2-3 zone something different that we can stamp our name on and the largest college basketball arena. What is everthing about records and ratings? If so then go to the NBA take Kobe Magic Kareem Shaq, and whoever else off the lakers and see how great their ratings are
Funny how people are so in love with Marrone when he has won what a Pinstripe bowl in our home state( A HOME GAME) but JB is just old and grumpy. JB stands up for Gmac ok hes a alright guy Marrone stands up for Paulus and hes a god. Makes me feel sick.

 

[CaliCuse]

Not to be rude but why be so hard on Jim? He makes the best with what he has, and wins games alone with his coaching. Is it his fault Paul Harris wasn't 6'8? Is it his fault that devendorfs defense isn't great? Is it his fault that Fab Melo is raw? Is it his fault that AO had bad knees? Is it is his fault that the 96 team with One late second round pick almost beat the best college basketball team ever with 8 NBA players and may have if Wallce didn't foul out? Is it his fault that Sherman and Kristoff caught the flu during the NCAA tournament? Is it his fault that MSU just cuaght on fire against our syracuse team that was 16 up on them. Is it his fault that David Robinson had a game of his life against us? Is it his fault that a Freshmen Derrick Coleman missed freethrows? Is it his fault that Hakim Warrick had 10 turnovers his senior year, and Gerry and Nichols combined for like 2-12 from three point land against Vermont of all teams? Is it his fault that Nichols missed that layup against Witchita State and Devendorf turned it over like 4 times against Louisville on the road? Is it JB's fault that he called that timeout that saved the Uconn game for us a few years back?

Is it his fault he got coach of the year had a team that worked hard together and the next season got nominated for a father of the year award (our coach that everyone calls old and grumpy)? Is it his fault that he coaches the kids and even in game every oportunity he can?
I suppose Calipari recruiting away from his players during a NCAA game and recruiting ten states away before a conference away game and then having the nerve to yell at his players while his team loses is better? I suppose someone like Calhoun cutting a player for drummond isntead of having the scholly open to begin with when they have been favorites for him the last 3 years is more honorable.
Some are yes some are no but you have to realize so much of it is recruiting. Look at Uconn. Ray Allen, Ben Gordon and Okafor together. Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, and Oriaki who stood their own inside defensively . When they had Thabeet inside to guard the rim. When they had Caron Butler. I guess they were just good coached teams though. Wes and Rautins had a ok game against Butler but Rick,Scoop, and Joseph playing awfull on the offensive end was JB's fault(sarcasm). Should we say Fab being raw, Christmas being 6'8, should be copared to Okafor, Thabeet,Patrick Ewing, and Alonzo Mournings good coaching? Because it wasn't there athleticism that made them what they were? I guess Warrick Seikly Etan and Rick Jackson weren't coached all that well and were just good athletes.

JB and the coaches do what they can with what they have. They develop players, create work ethic, respect, and make boys men. Thats what JB does oh so well. He works with what he has.

JB is a big reason we have a 2-3 zone something different that we can stamp our name on and the largest college basketball arena. What is everthing about records and ratings? If so then go to the NBA take Kobe Magic Kareem Shaq, and whoever else off the lakers and see how great their ratings are
Funny how people are so in love with Marrone when he has won what a Pinstripe bowl in our home state( A HOME GAME) but JB is just old and grumpy. JB stands up for Gmac ok hes a alright guy Marrone stands up for Paulus and hes a god. Makes me feel sick.

NO most of those situations aren't his "fault" ,however the fact that is rarely prepared to reach down to his bench and put in someone who has been "prepared for some of these contingencies is his fault. It the responsibility of every one incharge of a department or division in business to have someone with ability to fill in if an emergeny occurs and they need to take over responsibilities of the division/department head as I did and of course after my career ending stroke I had trained my replacement to step in and not cripple the company. Its simple management 101.

 

[orangefan13]

NO most of those situations aren't his "fault" ,however the fact that is rarely prepared to reach down to his bench and put in someone who has been "prepared for some of these contingencies is his fault. It the responsibility of every one incharge of a department or division in business to have someone with ability to fill in if an emergeny occurs and they need to take over responsibilities of the division/department head as I did and of course after my career ending stroke I had trained my replacement to step in and not cripple the company. Its simple management 101.

Not JB's fault Melo couldn't get the job done last year and Keita got injred. He did go to Dion and Southerlands against MU. Not JB's fault Riley couldn't do 1/3 of what AO could. His fault Scoop and KJO as sophmores made two of the best 6 men in the country on a senior team and helped make us a one seed. We had Devendorf winning games for us on Nichols Watkins and Roberts senior team, and he was pretty big for us as a freshmen. He did put Pace in against Kansas to handle the ball and put it in the basket, and Mcneil to run a monster press. He ran the offense through Louie, Nichols, and roberts the year after our title. Thats just in recent years.

Our seniors playing bad and hitting a wall is usually how we end our season. We don't run alot of set pieces for them. Never double pics or three guys on one side of the court. We expect them to do it in isolation more and when they play bad we lose. Thats just the way it is. Our better teams usually know how to spread a defense with good outside shooting. We almost always run the PG on the PF's side. We defently have our own Style which I love.

 

[KevMonstah]

I'm not going to comment on a lot of what is in this thread, but here's the thing about his NCAA tourney losses.

You RARELY see Syracuse lose a game in the NCAAs where they play great, and the other team plays just a tiny bit
better. The SU-Illinois game from years ago comes to mind. Both teams played phenomenal, both teams had tons
of talent, it's just Syracuse lost by two in the Elite Eight.

You do however, see things like "if they'd shot better" ... "if they'd made less turnovers" ... "if X had had a better
game" ... "if they'd played to their potential" ... "if they'd made better decisions" ... "if they'd done whatever". And
that really bothers me as a Syracuse fan, because it is such a disappointing way to end the year.

You don't generally go into the tournament thinking "Syracuse is going to be a tough out for somebody, and
someone is going to have to play great to beat them." Hoping yes, but not expecting. You generally go in
thinking "I hope they don't beat themselves."

Kev

 

[pfister1]

I'm not going to comment on a lot of what is in this thread, but here's the thing about his NCAA tourney losses.

You RARELY see Syracuse lose a game in the NCAAs where they play great, and the other team plays just a tiny bit
better. The SU-Illinois game from years ago comes to mind. Both teams played phenomenal, both teams had tons
of talent, it's just Syracuse lost by two in the Elite Eight.

You do however, see things like "if they'd shot better" ... "if they'd made less turnovers" ... "if X had had a better
game" ... "if they'd played to their potential" ... "if they'd made better decisions" ... "if they'd done whatever". And
that really bothers me as a Syracuse fan, because it is such a disappointing way to end the year.

You don't generally go into the tournament thinking "Syracuse is going to be a tough out for somebody, and
someone is going to have to play great to beat them." Hoping yes, but not expecting. You generally go in
thinking "I hope they don't beat themselves."

Kev

Isn't that the perspective of a fan? Do you think the fan of another program has that same perspective when they look at Syracuse?

 

[Niastri]

I think our board historian, SWC ran a study on this exact topic. Not counting the last two years (dreadful examples for our team), JB's teams have played quite well in the tourney, beating teams they were underdogs against on many more occasions than they had lost to teams they were favored against. I think his study was based on seeding and so was intrinsically flawed by the terrible decisions made by the comittee at times, but I suspect that we would find the same was true by Vegas line standard.

JB tends to have his players improve in the offseason, not so much in the season. This is one of the major reasons his teams win so many important early season games. His coaching is the same whether it is the first day of the season or the Final Four. JB never seems to play to lose today to win tomorrow. I wish he would rotate more in games he should win, but he doesn't.

It is a strength and a weakness. You always want your best players in the game to handle the game. You also want to train your weaker players. If you were a detective captain, you would let your rookie run the gang shooting who you don't care if its a case you solve. When you have the mayor's wife, you throw your most proven cops to figure it out.

JB doesn't differentiate between the situations, he never wants to risk losing. I imagine his players feel that too, and play tight some games.

To quote a few NFL coaches "You are what your record says you are." JB has a lot of wins on his record, including some very important ones.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I'm not going to comment on a lot of what is in this thread, but here's the thing about his NCAA tourney losses.

You RARELY see Syracuse lose a game in the NCAAs where they play great, and the other team plays just a tiny bit
better. The SU-Illinois game from years ago comes to mind. Both teams played phenomenal, both teams had tons
of talent, it's just Syracuse lost by two in the Elite Eight.

You do however, see things like "if they'd shot better" ... "if they'd made less turnovers" ... "if X had had a better
game" ... "if they'd played to their potential" ... "if they'd made better decisions" ... "if they'd done whatever". And
that really bothers me as a Syracuse fan, because it is such a disappointing way to end the year.

You don't generally go into the tournament thinking "Syracuse is going to be a tough out for somebody, and
someone is going to have to play great to beat them." Hoping yes, but not expecting. You generally go in
thinking "I hope they don't beat themselves."

Kev

I'm POSITIVE that if the internet existed in 1989 people would find things to bitch about after the Illinois game.

And your last paragraph is LOL bad. Everyone goes into the tourney thinking Syracuse is going to be a tough out, usually by virtue of the zone def.

 

[KevMonstah]

I don't think the cachet of beating Syracuse in the tournament is the same
as some other schools. Yes, they play zone, but it can be beaten by a team
that's on. Put it this way, if I'm from a midlevel school, where on a list of
teams they don't want to play is Syracuse? Not ahead of Duke, UNC,
Kansas, UConn, Mich St, Pitt, Kentucky, Louisville, probably Gonzaga, and,
at this moment, Butler. In general, because they will play very well, and
make it hard to beat them, while, in general, SU has not performed to its
best in the tournament. And it hasn't been the last two years. If I want to
make a quick comparison with some of those schools, when is the last time
SU played in the Elite 8 in consecutive years? Now, I love the team, and
I've been rooting for them since I met Rautins and say him play ... Leo, not
Andy ... but I get tired of losing to teams with inferior talent, tired of losing
because SU beats themselves, and tired of losing when a player gets hurt,
and SU cannot compensate, because they didn't develop depth.

Which brings us back to the original subject of this thread. SU has 10 guys
on scholarships for next year. I would think it's hard to commit and say
"I'm the 11th guy", before you even get there. Let's say SU has a great
year, and maybe some guys leave early. SU could get a late push for guys,
but there are still quality players blocking at every position. While I
doubt a recruit takes into account the memories of SU fans or the
perceptions of the coaches/fans of other schools - unless the program
has bottomed out - the top guys want to play immediately. That matters.

Kev

 

[Victory Lap]

To quote a few NFL coaches "You are what your record says you are." JB has a lot of wins on his record, including some very important ones.

Or to quote a prominent New Yorker: "Men lie, women lie, numbers don't."

 

[DoctorBombay]

I've criticized JB on his "short-bench" approach as much as the next guy. I, of course, wish his record was better in the Tourney vis-a-vis getting past the Sweet16.
But to still have internet nabobs of negativism going on about his "inflated record", or his coaching ability, or whether he's really HOF worthy, is a little ridiculous at this point.

He's not perfect, but for the love of pete, the man's record speaks for itself...or it should at this point!

Arguing & still bringing up some of those issues is so.....1995. :blah:

 

[orangefan13]

I don't think the cachet of beating Syracuse in the tournament is the same
as some other schools. Yes, they play zone, but it can be beaten by a team
that's on.
Kev

I like the overall thought that YES the zone can be beat. But so can M2M in the same light. But if you give us a zone with two guards who can really extend out and stops good dishing lanes for the penetrators (Thats where Pitt gives us a tough time in close games). A center in the middle who recovers and is really strong(never gets pushed around to give the offense another 3-4 feet to work) and wings who cover ground well, weakside block and go and get rebounds It Won't get beat all that much.

Even with Andy Rautins and Scoop how good was our backcourt defense two years ago really??? Andy is no NBA defensive stopper not even close look at all the kids who got drafted that are. And Scoop was 6'1 and still had a hard time on defense last year. Triche was awfully slow. And we were a top 10 defense that year. Thets be real here. We haven't had a defensive guard attend Syraucse in over 10 years.

M2M is often times a react to the offense defense. They run around not knowing where they are going to end up lots of the time and try to stay between the ball and the basket In some ways that sort of is a zone. Zone is 90 percent of the time act instead of react which MAKES IT SUPER BADA$$. There really is 5 responsibilites in a zone. In the same thought, M2M can get away with 3.5-4 easier.