Thank you Mike for getting Andrew White

[FrancoPizza]

I like Mike, but he had 1.5 Very good years here. Not enough IMO.

All you can expect these days is 1 to 1.5 good years before they declare or graduate.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

All you can expect these days is 1 to 1.5 good years before they declare or graduate.

And the fact that it took Mike 5 years to give us his 1.5 very good years speaks to his work ethic, while learning a new position and leadership role points to his deference to the team concept. Both intangibles that have to be considered, in addition to his stats and the FF.

 

[Cusefan0307]

All you can expect these days is 1 to 1.5 good years before they declare or graduate.

Do you value Mike more than you value CJ Fair or Brandon Triche?

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Do you value Mike more than you value CJ Fair or Brandon Triche?

I know you didn't ask me, but I think that is a very good question. My own ranking of those 3 would be Brandon first, for his all time starts and wins results, his FF and his production. I would then put G next, ahead of CJ, only because I think G was more successful as the go to guy as a Sr than CJ was as a Sr. But those 2 are both very close for value to the program over all, IMO.

 

[two3zone]

Do you value Mike more than you value CJ Fair or Brandon Triche?

Triche yes, Fair, no way.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Do you value Mike more than you value CJ Fair or Brandon Triche?

Or Scoop or Rick Jackson or Kris Joseph. We have been very lucky.

 

[alphaorange]

how many of those players had to learn a new position late in their career, and then did so well enough to take his team to the FF? I am sure it is zero, so Mike G will always stand alone in that regard. Objectively, sure, you can place several players ahead of him in the history of the hoops program, but I have no issue with anyone saying he is one of the all time greats. His career was amazing, at a difficult time for the program.

Ok..we will have to agree to disagree. Being great under a particular set of circumstances for a short period does not make you an all timer. It gives him a special place in our hearts but nothing more. You are thinking with your heart but not your head.

 

[alphaorange]

And Carmelo had 1, you can't really judge players on amount of college years, especially this day and age.

Would you trade 1 year of Anthony for 3 years, or even 4, of MikeG? I thought not.

 

[cmr27]

Top 20 all-time? I doubt it. He had an outstanding season but many, many guys had more than one. Top 10 is just ludicrous.
Bing
Melo
Pearl
Coleman
Sherm
Owens
Bouie
Louie
Seikaly
Wallace
Thompson
Flynn
Gmac
Shumpert
Hak
Schayes
Denny Duval
Hackett
Leo Rautins
Moten
Addison
..And there are plenty of others deserving, too. Mike G was a very good player who had a great season and is a great person, but top 20 or better is just wrong. Our history is very rich. We are SU, not Cleveland State.

Good list. Moten would be top 10 easy. Put him ahead of Billy O and Rony. Definitely ahead of the 11-20 guys other than GMac.

 

[alphaorange]

Good list. Moten would be top 10 easy. Put him ahead of Billy O and Rony. Definitely ahead of the 11-20 guys other than GMac.

It wasn't meant to be in any particular order. Just as they popped in my mind.

 

[two3zone]

Good list. Moten would be top 10 easy. Put him ahead of Billy O and Rony. Definitely ahead of the 11-20 guys other than GMac.

Not sure about that, Owens had one of the best seasons in the history of Syracuse basketball, along with a very good freshman year and an all american type sophomore year.

 

[AlaskaSU]

how many of those players had to learn a new position late in their career, and then did so well enough to take his team to the FF? I am sure it is zero, so Mike G will always stand alone in that regard. Objectively, sure, you can place several players ahead of him in the history of the hoops program, but I have no issue with anyone saying he is one of the all time greats. His career was amazing, at a difficult time for the program.

Stevie transitioned to point guard, DC played a year at center, Shump played shooting guard his senior year. Any other transitions? Lyden is probably the most flexible player ever.

 

[bballbeadle]

Trust me it's a fact Mike G was definitely the number one factor to close the deal!

VINDICATION, 20 Plus! Here are the details. That Mikey.

How Michael Gbinije pitched Andrew White to choose Syracuse's basketball program

 

[HoustonCuse]

VINDICATION, 20 Plus! Here are the details. That Mikey.

How Michael Gbinije pitched Andrew White to choose Syracuse's basketball program

Ha! So all that time the speculation was the wait was for JB to get back from Rio. It was for MIKE to get back from Rio so they could talk in detail about Syracuse.

 

[Oráiste]

I have no issue with anyone saying he is one of the all time greats.

For me, he'll be well remembered & honored as a key member of our most surprising Final Four team, but not as one of the all time greats. He just doesn't have the overall body of work, and the two teams on which he was a featured player lost 13 and 14 games, the most ever in back to back seasons in Boeheim's career.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

For me, he'll be well remembered & honored as a key member of our most surprising Final Four team, but not as one of the all time greats. He just doesn't have the overall body of work, and the two teams on which he was a featured player lost 13 and 14 games, the most ever in back to back seasons in Boeheim's career.

G shouldn't be shouldered with those losses. He's not the one who recruited KJ or MD, or 'Fab'ricated homework. Without G learning his leadership role and a new position, the most important position on the floor, those losses would be even greater.

 

[orangefog]

This is hilarious if true.

 

[Oráiste]

G shouldn't be shouldered with those losses. He's not the one who recruited KJ or MD, or 'Fab'ricated homework. Without G learning his leadership role and a new position, the most important position on the floor, those losses would be even greater.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I am not trying to talk you out of yours, but it is awfully convenient to give Mike inordinate credit for a team success while at the same time absolving him from team disappointments.

I love MG, I honor him and the entire 2016 team. But IMHO he does not quite rise to the level of "greats," neither all time nor over the last 15 seasons (during which period we've had more than a dozen guys make an All American list).

 

[HOFCeluck]

G shouldn't be shouldered with those losses. He's not the one who recruited KJ or MD, or 'Fab'ricated homework. Without G learning his leadership role and a new position, the most important position on the floor, those losses would be even greater.

MD?

 

[SoBeCuse]

I actually valued Mike more than CJ or Triche. He literally saved the team being able to be a competent ACC level PG. We had NO other option basically for two years because Joseph was a fail. He could play the 2 or 3 as well even better. PG is the most important position on the team. I liked Fair and Triche of course but they were pretty one-dimensional, imo. Sure he had his limitations but Mike could do a LOT on the court.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Triche yes, Fair, no way.

Triche never became a star, but he was an essential teammate on all those teams, just like Craig Forth and Billy Edelin were essential to the championship team. Dude was a great teammate, worked very hard and deferred to others to help the team succeed.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

MD?

Former Syracuse commit Moustapha Diagne will head to Western Kentucky

 

[two3zone]

Triche never became a star, but he was an essential teammate on all those teams, just like Craig Forth and Billy Edelin were essential to the championship team. Dude was a great teammate, worked very hard and deferred to others to help the team succeed.

I don't disagree with anything that you say in your post, but Mike G put up one of the best individual seasons that also lead to great team success.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Former Syracuse commit Moustapha Diagne will head to Western Kentucky

LOL forgot about him already.

 

[OrangePA]

Top 20 all-time? I doubt it. He had an outstanding season but many, many guys had more than one. Top 10 is just ludicrous.
Bing
Melo
Pearl
Coleman
Sherm
Owens
Bouie
Louie
Seikaly
Wallace
Thompson
Flynn
Gmac
Shumpert
Hak
Schayes
Denny Duval
Hackett
Leo Rautins
Moten
Addison
..And there are plenty of others deserving, too. Mike G was a very good player who had a great season and is a great person, but top 20 or better is just wrong. Our history is very rich. We are SU, not Cleveland State.

Jimmy Lee and Rudy Hackett must be on the list. They led the Orange to its first Final Four, of course, and played brilliantly along the way.

I know that Dave Bing is given the credit for establishing the SU BB program, but for me it was really Mike Lee, Mark Wadach, Greg Kohls, Dennis DuVal and Jimmy Lee and Rudy that created what we now have on the Hill.