Staff is Doing a Great Job with Recruiting......

[newmexicuse]

They seem to be on top of identifying and getting commitments from the kids they want early on. Of course, the 5 star kahuna types are different, but those aside, who was the last kid that we really wanted and lost out on ???

I do not pretend to be a recruiting guru, but there have been many times in the distant past when I disagreed with the staff. I was just checking back on recent classes, and the last kid the staff took that I totally disagreed with was Sean Williams back in 2007, but even Sean has been a godsend to many cats that were stuck in trees.

In that time, the only kids taken that ended up being serious disappointments were Mookie and Riley, both of whom I also would have taken at those points in time. All the others have panned out to a greater or lesser degree up through this point in time.

Great job !!

 

[stuckinbig11]

Kids need to grab the offers before they are all gone.

 

[Frozen]

They seem to be on top of identifying and getting commitments from the kids they want early on. Of course, the 5 star kahuna types are different, but those aside, who was the last kid that we really wanted and lost out on ???

I do not pretend to be a recruiting guru, but there have been many times in the distant past when I disagreed with the staff. I was just checking back on recent classes, and the last kid the staff took that I totally disagreed with was Sean Williams back in 2007, but even Sean has been a godsend to many cats that were stuck in trees.

In that time, the only kids taken that ended up being serious disappointments were Mookie and Riley, both of whom I also would have taken at those points in time. All the others have panned out to a greater or lesser degree up through this point in time.

Great job !!

I think the program is going to be in great hands when Hop takes over.

 

[orange79]

I think the program is going to be in great hands when Hop takes over.

I think so too, but the question is can he transition from the recruiter to the closer...

 

[Frozen]

I think so too, but the question is can he transition from the recruiter to the closer...

I'm more than comfortable with him in that role.

 

[arbitragegls]

patience...it is going to be a while...JB thinking about coaching his sons.

 

[orange79]

patience...it is going to be a while...JB thinking about coaching his sons.

Just what Hop wanted to hear

"Mike - it's finally your team. Oh, and here's your gold retirement watch."

 

[IthacaMatt]

I think so too, but the question is can he transition from the recruiter to the closer...

I don't think that will be a problem. I think the issue is whether Mike can (a) game coach, and (b) whether he can be the "bad cop" when he has to be tough with the players.

 

[cuseinseattle]

I'm concerned about the game coaching and subing of players in and out. He has never done any of that and even though he gets critized for not doing it well I have always thought Boeheim was really good at that. I'm not as concerned about the bad cop thing since I think he will be fine with good assistants to be good cops (Gerry/Adrian).

 

[Room 914]

I'm concerned about the game coaching and subing of players in and out. He has never done any of that and even though he gets critized for not doing it well I have always thought Boeheim was really good at that. I'm not as concerned about the bad cop thing since I think he will be fine with good assistants to be good cops (Gerry/Adrian).

I mean if he hasn't learned how to do it from Boeheim by now or working on team USA.

We're probably in trouble.

I hope he makes us go tough man to man. That's all I ask for.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I mean if he hasn't learned how to do it from Boeheim by now or working on team USA.

We're probably in trouble.

I hope he makes us go tough man to man. That's all I ask for.

If Hop goes M2M he should be fired. SU has a firm identity as this unique zone team. It has recruited players that now fit that concept, long and lean on the wings.

If Hop goes M2M I hope they give G Mac a chance pretty quickly. One of the great things about the SU climb is now the tremendous fan support. If Hop goes M2M, then has a sub 20 win season, how does that resemble the old SU. You would have some out of towner putting in a new system and not doing as well. That is how you quickly lose a huge part of the transplanted Upstaters as your fan base. Kind of a blueprint for how to end the great run SU is on.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

If Hop goes M2M he should be fired. SU has a firm identity as this unique zone team. It has recruited players that now fit that concept, long and lean on the wings.

If Hop goes M2M I hope they give G Mac a chance pretty quickly. One of the great things about the SU climb is now the tremendous fan support. If Hop goes M2M, then has a sub 20 win season, how does that resemble the old SU. You would have some out of towner putting in a new system and not doing as well. That is how you quickly lose a huge part of the transplanted Upstaters as your fan base. Kind of a blueprint for how to end the great run SU is on.

I would like to see full court pressure. With our depth, we should be wearing teams down.

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

 

[Flacusian]

It's official... the season isn't even a week old and the zone vs. m2m meme has reared it's ugly head!

 

[br801]

If Hop goes M2M he should be fired. SU has a firm identity as this unique zone team. It has recruited players that now fit that concept, long and lean on the wings.

If Hop goes M2M I hope they give G Mac a chance pretty quickly. One of the great things about the SU climb is now the tremendous fan support. If Hop goes M2M, then has a sub 20 win season, how does that resemble the old SU. You would have some out of towner putting in a new system and not doing as well. That is how you quickly lose a huge part of the transplanted Upstaters as your fan base. Kind of a blueprint for how to end the great run SU is on.

When he finally takes over, I want Hop to be Hop, and I will be shocked (and disappointed) if he aspires to be merely a JB clone. If he chooses to mix up his defenses more than JB has in recent years, so be it. Let's not forget that JB's emphasis on the zone evolved over time. Why would you be so rigid as to demand Hop not deviate from the present day Boeheim model?

No matter what approach he takes, Hop will ultimately be judged by wins and losses and tournament performance. If he falls short in those catagories, he will lose a segment of the fan base no matter what defense he has his teams playing. The great majority of SU fans want to see a winning team that plays an exciting brand of offense. The fans that demand the wins be achieved using specific strategies and always happen with a certain level of dominance are in the minority (and probably posting on this board).

 

[CusefanATL]

Of course, the 5 star kahuna types are different, but those aside, who was the last kid that we really wanted and lost out on ???

why would we REALLY want a 3 or a 4 star so much that the fans would be upset if we didnt get them?

the answer would have been the same had we not gotten southerland, fair, baye keita, obokoh or bj johnson...

 

[Room 914]

If Hop goes M2M he should be fired. SU has a firm identity as this unique zone team. It has recruited players that now fit that concept, long and lean on the wings.

If Hop goes M2M I hope they give G Mac a chance pretty quickly. One of the great things about the SU climb is now the tremendous fan support. If Hop goes M2M, then has a sub 20 win season, how does that resemble the old SU. You would have some out of towner putting in a new system and not doing as well. That is how you quickly lose a huge part of the transplanted Upstaters as your fan base. Kind of a blueprint for how to end the great run SU is on.

Not true at all. Only improve the run we are on. The best college basketball teams for the past two decades recruit great athletes and play man to man. We play the zone as well as anyone, but there is a reason more teams don't do it.

When you recruit as well as we are, and get the caliber of athletes we've been getting why don't we match up and play man?

I'm more of a fan of it if you have the athletes and it seems other college coaches would agree.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

When he finally takes over, I want Hop to be Hop, and I will be shocked (and disappointed) if he aspires to be merely a JB clone. If he chooses to mix up his defenses more than JB has in recent years, so be it. Let's not forget that JB's emphasis on the zone evolved over time. Why would you be so rigid as to demand Hop not deviate from the present day Boeheim model?

No matter what approach he takes, Hop will ultimately be judged by wins and losses and tournament performance. If he falls short in those catagories, he will lose a segment of the fan base no matter what defense he has his teams playing. The great majority of SU fans want to see a winning team that plays an exciting brand of offense. The fans that demand the wins be achieved using specific strategies and always happen with a certain level of dominance are in the minority (and probably posting on this board).

The wins and losses criteria can be a gray area. If Hop comes in after JB and unleashes his tough M2M defense and gets two 21-16 NIT seasons, a lot of people will be unhappy. It could lead to quick coaching changes and program instability. This is the nightmare scenario that can have the SU brand fall apart (please watch the present day death spiral of UConn for a live demonstration).

I think Hop could weather the storm better by playing a style that has some connection to the past. The large fan base that has been accumulated has very little invested in Hop, what is an acceptable win/loss record is debateable. If he wants to make it his own - press and sub like a maniac, but don't ditch the zone.

I think a lot of people will feel betrayed by Hop if he employs the M2M. He has had years to learn the zone from the master. It could have the feel that he is dismissing the tradition in an arrogant statement that he can do it better. Good luck to him with that strategy because anything less than 30 per will seem like a letdown.

 

[br801]

The wins and losses criteria can be a gray area. If Hop comes in after JB and unleashes his tough M2M defense and gets two 21-16 NIT seasons, a lot of people will be unhappy. It could lead to quick coaching changes and program instability. This is the nightmare scenario that can have the SU brand fall apart (please watch the present day death spiral of UConn for a live demonstration).

I think Hop could weather the storm better by playing a style that has some connection to the past. The large fan base that has been accumulated has very little invested in Hop, what is an acceptable win/loss record is debateable. If he wants to make it his own - press and sub like a maniac, but don't ditch the zone.

I think a lot of people will feel betrayed by Hop if he employs the M2M. He has had years to learn the zone from the master. It could have the feel that he is dismissing the tradition in an arrogant statement that he can do it better. Good luck to him with that strategy because anything less than 30 per will seem like a letdown.

Where did I say I want Hop to abandon the zone? Personally, I hope it remains our primary defense because it presents problems for teams unaccustomed to seeing it and it helps trigger our transition game. I am not in the camp that believes great teams must play man to man because obviously that isn't the case. My original point was simply that Hop needs to find his own style as a coach and strategist, whatever that may be. But given his background, I think it's unlikely that he shelves the zone upon taking over for JB. If I had to guess, I'd say there's a much better chance Hop maintains our current level of excellence than there is of the program spiraling into one of your doomsday scenarios.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Not true at all. Only improve the run we are on. The best college basketball teams for the past two decades recruit great athletes and play man to man. We play the zone as well as anyone, but there is a reason more teams don't do it.

When you recruit as well as we are, and get the caliber of athletes we've been getting why don't we match up and play man?

I'm more of a fan of it if you have the athletes and it seems other college coaches would agree.

Improve the run that we are on? Really, that's all. All Hop will need to do is average a little over 30+ wins a season? It's exactly those type of ridiculous expectations that threaten the stability of the coaching.

As for the recruiting, yes we got Johnson and Obokoh, and that makes you want to go M2M? The recruits fit the current scheme. They are excellent program fits for an envisioned role a couple of years down the road. And that vision and fit is a perfect match for this zone.

As for the best college teams, wouldn't that discussion have to include SU? Certainly for the last 3 years. And I like to think the reason other teams don't do it is because they are not as skilled at it as SU. And I'm hoping Hop has learned how to employ it.

I like that SU has a uniqueness to it.

 

[Gabjon]

We literally play the best zone defensive in the world! Every other school HATES playing against it recruiting has never been better why should Hop change it? There is little room to go except down. In full disclosure the zone p*sses me off at times too but we literally get 5-6 dunks a game off of the zone.

 

[HOFCeluck]

The wins and losses criteria can be a gray area. If Hop comes in after JB and unleashes his tough M2M defense and gets two 21-16 NIT seasons, a lot of people will be unhappy. It could lead to quick coaching changes and program instability. This is the nightmare scenario that can have the SU brand fall apart (please watch the present day death spiral of UConn for a live demonstration).

I think Hop could weather the storm better by playing a style that has some connection to the past. The large fan base that has been accumulated has very little invested in Hop, what is an acceptable win/loss record is debateable. If he wants to make it his own - press and sub like a maniac, but don't ditch the zone.

I think a lot of people will feel betrayed by Hop if he employs the M2M. He has had years to learn the zone from the master. It could have the feel that he is dismissing the tradition in an arrogant statement that he can do it better. Good luck to him with that strategy because anything less than 30 per will seem like a letdown.

I hate to burst your bubble, but if Hopkins strings together a couple of 21-16 seasons, no one is going to give a if he's playing zone or not.

 

[MSOrange]

Improve the run that we are on? Really, that's all. All Hop will need to do is average a little over 30+ wins a season? It's exactly those type of ridiculous expectations that threaten the stability of the coaching.

As for the recruiting, yes we got Johnson and Obokoh, and that makes you want to go M2M? The recruits fit the current scheme. They are excellent program fits for an envisioned role a couple of years down the road. And that vision and fit is a perfect match for this zone.

As for the best college teams, wouldn't that discussion have to include SU? Certainly for the last 3 years. And I like to think the reason other teams don't do it is because they are not as skilled at it as SU. And I'm hoping Hop has learned how to employ it.

I like that SU has a uniqueness to it.

Hop needs to play whatever defense he feels most comfortable with and he thinks will help us win. We have plenty of uniqueness playing in the Carrier Dome in front of 30k. And docsu is right, if we go 21-16, most fans won't care what defense we are playing.

 

[orangecuse]

When he finally takes over, I want Hop to be Hop, and I will be shocked (and disappointed) if he aspires to be merely a JB clone. If he chooses to mix up his defenses more than JB has in recent years, so be it. Let's not forget that JB's emphasis on the zone evolved over time. Why would you be so rigid as to demand Hop not deviate from the present day Boeheim model?

No matter what approach he takes, Hop will ultimately be judged by wins and losses and tournament performance. If he falls short in those catagories, he will lose a segment of the fan base no matter what defense he has his teams playing. The great majority of SU fans want to see a winning team that plays an exciting brand of offense. The fans that demand the wins be achieved using specific strategies and always happen with a certain level of dominance are in the minority (and probably posting on this board).

No doubt.

Personally, I look forward to the possibility of some m2m mixed in. Since Hop will have no actual head coaching experience when he eventually takes the position, it make complete sense that he'll use a lot of JB's style/methods, especially since it has been such a solid blueprint to our success over the years. He may not be a mere clone, but I wouldn't really be suprised if Hop doesn't deviate too much from it. Maybe some subtle changes, if nothing more than to not be labeled as such, but I doubt anything too unfamiliar with SU's trademark style ball...I presume, he'll be a loyal disciple in that regard.

 

[HOFCeluck]

yep...hard to see a twenty year assistant deviating too much from the current gameplan.

 

[Room 914]

Improve the run that we are on? Really, that's all. All Hop will need to do is average a little over 30+ wins a season? It's exactly those type of ridiculous expectations that threaten the stability of the coaching.

As for the recruiting, yes we got Johnson and Obokoh, and that makes you want to go M2M? The recruits fit the current scheme. They are excellent program fits for an envisioned role a couple of years down the road. And that vision and fit is a perfect match for this zone.

As for the best college teams, wouldn't that discussion have to include SU? Certainly for the last 3 years. And I like to think the reason other teams don't do it is because they are not as skilled at it as SU. And I'm hoping Hop has learned how to employ it.

I like that SU has a uniqueness to it.

I think we have the athletes to go man to man and I think it's a better defense then 2-3 zone. That's what I'm saying.