Thoughts

[MonsterGame]

Great post Francis. Always appreciated.

My few takes are:

Cooney - My concern with him is this: If he improves his shooting consistency and ability to read screens, I think he would be best utilized as a heat check guy / super sixth man. If he wants to expand his game and improve his dribbling and ability to get into the lane, look more to rebound or be a facilitator (I know a lot of this is dependent on what JB is calling for), then I think he should still start. I just don't see him improving EVERYTHING during the off season. And to be fair, I don't think anyone outside of a very few can make that type of single off season improvement. His 3pt FG% was a very solid 38%, but that doesn't convey the impact of his streakiness and the volume of shots he would continue to take. And the larger problem, if he is to stay a starter, is that his overall FG% was at 41% (I believe). I hate knocking the kid because it's such a fire starter for this board, but he played WAY too many minutes for what he was asked to do (in a perfect world, I mean). You can't expect a kid like him to basically be Ray Allen for 30+ minutes a game. With all that said, G did himself no favors with his production this year, albeit in limited time.

Rak/Chino - if DC2 does not come back, I don't think people are giving this its rightful concern. Unless I'm totally off base, if we are depending on Chino for more than 5-8 minutes a game, we are in big trouble. That is a lot of pressure on Rak to stay in the game.

Ennis/Grant and the NBA - I think I see things differently than some. I don't know what these two will do, but I think Jerami should go to the NBA and I think Tyler should at least consider coming back, even though I think Ennis will be the better NBA player. Even if Jerami develops at a solid level, consistent mid-range game, more in control going to the rim and scoring while getting bumped, maybe even a true back to the basket fade away or baby hook, etc... I don't think he is ever cracking anything but the late lottery. He's a tweener at the NBA level and unless he adds a lot of weight to his frame or develops a serious 3 pt shot, he is who he is. Ennis, on the other hand, can contend to be the #1 PG overall next year and that means possibly a top five pick. That gives him more clout within the org that picks him, more endorsements, etc.

Making the Jump - I really hope it's Roberson. I know Bees was high on him and I can see why. I hope he starts getting the system (or whatever it is that is holding him off the court) so that he can give us that dynamic scorer and rebounder we need.

Future Recruits - I really want Bryant and Battle. Would love to get Franklin Howard as well. I want dynamic offensive players and fierce competitors.

JB and Coaching Overall - I know this won't change and I know I'm pissing into the wind, but he needs to extend his bench at least by a single player and most likely, 1.5 players. You can't ask TC to run around consistently for the amount of minutes in the amount of games we play. You can't have G be the only backup guard we have. And once DJC went down, we absolutely needed another warm body in the rotation even if meant losses during the regular season. I know these are kids with TV TOs every four minutes, but that is such a meat head response that doesn't take into consideration the wear and tear over a season. Also, as others have stated, I think we need to re-calibrate to have more ball movement overall. Reduce the dependency on one or two guys and make it a priority to board and get out in transition.

Overall, I feel like we end up with teams that are built for regular season success and not post-season success. It's tough to say that with our recent run, but that is how this team felt in retrospect. No dynamic scoring, limited ball movement, no bench and a defense that was good, but not elite. I'll always remember the Pitt game, the 25-0 start, the Duke game and the culmination of the career of one of my favorite players in CJ Fair, even though I never thought he fit the bill of the #1 man on offense (and his inability to make a pass once he started an offensive move drove me insane).

95% of college basketball fans out there would love to have our problems, but so goes it for fans of elite teams. You expect Final Fours, lots of wins and not to be upset by the Daytons of the world.

But the best part is that there is always next year. 40-0. But I'm not putting that on a t-shirt.

Cooney - Most likely is best utilized as a John Paxson/Steve Kerr type. All SU needs is MJ to draw the defenses attention for the kick out, and shoulder the bulk of the scoring load.

Rak/Chino - Worst comes to worst. It's a front line of either Grant-Roberson-CMac or MG-Roberson-CMac. Smaller yes, but should be able to open things up more offensively, in theory at least.

Ennis/Grant - Both gone until they show up on campus next year with SU jerseys on.

JB and Coaching - Agreed. Really felt that a more experienced Roberson and possible Patterson could have been beneficial in various games.

The Season - You win some and you lose some. As lovable as CJ is, I felt that his play actually got generally worse as the season went on. The Baylor game in Hawaii CJ was amazing. That was the first time I felt the team could be really special. If CJ had played like he did in that game, every game, SU may have never lost this year. Course, if he had to take a serious cut to the face every game like he did in that game, we might not recognize him anymore.

Next season - Need a big step up from Roberson and MG. I believe those are the first keys to the season. I believe XMas will be better next year, but still not be amazing, it will be a marginal improvement. If Ennis leaves, PG becomes a big ?-mark.

 

[Trueblue25]

Again, I don't think anyone's necessarily mad or disappointed with Cooney's shooting. He did decently alright for a third year sophomore.

Most people are upset because he contributed almost nothing else.

"He's our best free throw shooter!"

-He got to the line less than 2 or 3 times a game.

"He was in the top 5 for steals per game in the ACC"

-He may have gotten a lot of steals, but he was not a great defender at the top of the zone. I think we can all agree G is the more effective defender.

"Blame the offense around him"

-Talented players, worthy of a starting spot, help create offense. Ennis and G penetrated and would dish for open opportunities to other players when the perimeter was not open. Cooney rarely if ever did this and we suffered because of it.


These are all things Cooney can work and improve on though. He's not a lost cause, G is just probably the better option right now to start.

 

[samspann1]

Ennis and G penetrated and would dish for open opportunities to other players when the perimeter was not open.

How often did that happen? I don't remember too many times where Fair, Grant or Cooney received the ball, wide open, in a shooting position due to penetration by Ennis/Gbinije.

 

[Halfmooncuse]

With the type athletes we have we would rather play vs m2m.

With the type of athletes we had would you want to press more to nuetralize teams that want to hold ball for 30 seconds and shorten games. Also allows the vaunted bench to play.

Also with the shooters we have gives more of an oppurtunity for our O.

 

[orangejunkie]

Gbinije has a higher ceiling than Cooney. I think that Gbinije is a consistent jump shot away from starting at 2G. That is easier said than done but if he works on that part of his game I think he could be the starter at 2G. Of course if Ennis leaves that could change things he would probably be in the point guard rotation with Joseph. It is a luxury having a player that could play 3 positions on the floor. He was good in all aspects of his game last year but not great in anything. He needs to become a go to outside threat to really help the team.

 

[Trueblue25]

How often did that happen? I don't remember too many times where Fair, Grant or Cooney received the ball, wide open, in a shooting position due to penetration by Ennis/Gbinije.

Happened all throughout the first half of the season with Ennis until the whole bs 1 on 1's and iso offense started happening.

G's shown the ability to penetrate and create open looks throughout his shorter pt this season, hell he even hit BMK for a few wide open looks but stone hands did him dirty.

 

[rrlbees]

Happened all throughout the first half of the season

So in other words vs the weaker teams?

As great as Ennis was, he wasn't a drive and kick PG.

 

[HoustonCuse]

The Season - You win some and you lose some. As lovable as CJ is, I felt that his play actually got generally worse as the season went on. The Baylor game in Hawaii CJ was amazing. That was the first time I felt the team could be really special. If CJ had played like he did in that game, every game, SU may have never lost this year. Course, if he had to take a serious cut to the face every game like he did in that game, we might not recognize him anymore.

I am a Cooney believer, but I actually think most of any decline in CJ's effectiveness was Cooney's fault. Or maybe rather stated: his effectiveness in the first half of the season could be attributed to the pressure Cooney took off him when he was playing great. Absolutely nobody remembers it or wants to talk about it, but Cooney was an absolutely lethal threat in the fist half of the season, demanding to be game planned for by the defense. That gave CJ (and Grant) all kinds of leeway and they took very nice advantage of it.

 

[rrlbees]

I am a Cooney believer, but I actually think most of any decline in CJ's effectiveness was Cooney's fault. Or maybe rather stated: his effectiveness in the first half of the season could be attributed to the pressure Cooney took off him when he was playing great. Absolutely nobody remembers it or wants to talk about it, but Cooney was an absolutely lethal threat in the fist half of the season, demanding to be game planned for by the defense. That gave CJ (and Grant) all kinds of leeway and they took very nice advantage of it.

You might be right from a mental standpoint, but teams defended us the same way all year. Players didn't leave Cooney to help out on someone else.

 

[orangefog]

Cooney took some of the most difficult threes I could imagine. He passed up good looks but would shoot threes coming off curls with his body drifting away from the basket. One thing that GMac could do, is come off a curl and get his body locked into shooting position so that he was jumping straight up. Cooney made some very difficult threes early in the season, but it seemed that his confidence was lacking toward the end of the season. He needs to work on making sure that no matter how he is recieving the ball, his release is always the same. Run hard to the spot, but make sure you are squared up when it comes time to shoot. Easier said than done, but this kid is a great shooter when he has confidence and he is properly set. I am confident that he will be taking hundreds of three point shots every day this summer, from every spot imaginable. I hope he is working with Ennis all summer at getting that timing down on curls and that will translate to some "easier" looks next year.

 

[seanmac1844]

I have read this entire thread and many more on the main basketball board and unless I have missed it somewhere, I have not seen anyone discuss the lack of post production hurting our shooting percentage from deep. I don't know if the bigs we had are just not good passers or I they are ball hogs, but one of the reasons Andy was so good was getting kick outs from the post. Andy definitely hit shots off screens like Trevor shot all year, but it is very hard for me to remember many instances where the ball went from the post back out to Trevor. I feel this is what kills us when we play teams like Pitt and Louisville because they do this to perfection. If a shooter like Mike Marra (the kid from UL that careered it against us that day in the dome) can hit shots like that, Trevor can.

 

[007]

I have read this entire thread and many more on the main basketball board and unless I have missed it somewhere, I have not seen anyone discuss the lack of post production hurting our shooting percentage from deep. I don't know if the bigs we had are just not good passers or I they are ball hogs, but one of the reasons Andy was so good was getting kick outs from the post. Andy definitely hit shots off screens like Trevor shot all year, but it is very hard for me to remember many instances where the ball went from the post back out to Trevor. I feel this is what kills us when we play teams like Pitt and Louisville because they do this to perfection. If a shooter like Mike Marra (the kid from UL that careered it against us that day in the dome) can hit shots like that, Trevor can.

Good post and good point.

I think some of the issue is that, without even the threat of post scoring , teams do not have to double down on low post entries or provide weak side help. The net effect of that is that there is often no one left open to kick passes out to.

Teams with only one deep shooter that needs to be accounted for, and no low post threat, are relatively "easy" to defend by almost any decent team.

 

[Cusefan0307]

We haven't had any post game whatsoever since Rick Jackson left. Maybe Roc can have a senior year improvement like Rick.

 

[RF2044]

I have read this entire thread and many more on the main basketball board and unless I have missed it somewhere, I have not seen anyone discuss the lack of post production hurting our shooting percentage from deep. I don't know if the bigs we had are just not good passers or I they are ball hogs, but one of the reasons Andy was so good was getting kick outs from the post. Andy definitely hit shots off screens like Trevor shot all year, but it is very hard for me to remember many instances where the ball went from the post back out to Trevor. I feel this is what kills us when we play teams like Pitt and Louisville because they do this to perfection. If a shooter like Mike Marra (the kid from UL that careered it against us that day in the dome) can hit shots like that, Trevor can.

I've been saying it! Our offensive woes are not all just about shooting--we lack balance.

 

[kcsu]

You're gonna be one miserable dude again next year when JB trots out Cooney at the 2.

Bees what do you see in Cooney that so many of us dont?

 

[kcsu]

I'll take my chances.

You would take Triche over DW? How is Brandon doing in the NBA?

 

[rrlbees]

Bees what do you see in Cooney that so many of us dont?

Same as the staff. A kid that will out work everyone to improve his weaknesses.

 

[rrlbees]

You would take Triche over DW? How is Brandon doing in the NBA?

You need to do a better job following a thread.

 

[SoBristol]

I've been saying it! Our offensive woes are not all just about shooting--we lack balance.

Right. If you have stronger inside play from the C position, a few more put-backs, better drive moves from the 2G, and better transition play, the 2-point shooting percentage goes up. Not because the shooting skills are better but because the shots are easier.
Better balance leads to better 3-point shooting as well -- since the defense has to adjust.

 

[SoBristol]

Same as the staff. A kid that will out work everyone to improve his weaknesses.

I wonder about that -- despite the fact that I agree with you that Cooney will hold his starting position.
Cooney works hard to improve his shooting -- his strength. He has worked on his S&C. Does he work at rounding out his game, more than others on the team?

 

[sandman525]

Right. If you have stronger inside play from the C position, a few more put-backs, better drive moves from the 2G, and better transition play, the 2-point shooting percentage goes up. Not because the shooting skills are better but because the shots are easier.
Better balance leads to better 3-point shooting as well -- since the defense has to adjust.

As many have said, Syracuse did not seem to get that many drive and kick opportunities in the latter part of the season. As you said, better inside play, as well as more aggressive drives to the hoop will lead to a better 2 point percentage, and also to more kick outs for three. I love C.J. and Jerami, but one of the big weaknesses in their offensive games is that neither drives with their head up, looking for open teammates. They both drove almost exclusively to finish. Their paltry assist totals (less than 50 for each on the season) are indicative of this. I think a healthier dose of a confident, aggressive G can help solve this problem next season.

 

[rrlbees]

I wonder about that -- despite the fact that I agree with you that Cooney will hold his starting position.
Cooney works hard to improve his shooting -- his strength. He has worked on his S&C. Does he work at rounding out his game, more than others on the team?

JB specifically mentioned it in an interview. Said he will next add dribble and shoot.

 

[Francis03]

Right. If you have stronger inside play from the C position, a few more put-backs, better drive moves from the 2G, and better transition play, the 2-point shooting percentage goes up. Not because the shooting skills are better but because the shots are easier.
Better balance leads to better 3-point shooting as well -- since the defense has to adjust.

That's what I see from a team like Zona. Not the most skilled overall on the offensive side but they just seem to always find a way to grind out points. Whether it's tip-ins, put backs, keeping possessions alive, and making the most out of their opportunities in transition. The dunk that Gordon had in transition last night when it looked like the ball was going to go out of bounds was just ridiculous. Too bad we hardly saw this team get out and fly in transition this year. That's one department that I think you'll see Joseph be an upgrade over Ennis.

 

[longislandcuse]

That's what I see from a team like Zona. Not the most skilled overall on the offensive side but they just seem to always find a way to grind out points. Whether it's tip-ins, put backs, keeping possessions alive, and making the most out of their opportunities in transition. The dunk that Gordon had in transition last night when it looked like the ball was going to go out of bounds was just ridiculous. Too bad we hardly saw this team get out and fly in transition this year. That's one department that I think you'll see Joseph be an upgrade over Ennis.

Arizona bothers me every time I watch them play. They are as close to a replica as our team this year as you can get. They play great defense and have trouble scoring/shooting. They even lost one of their best players yet somehow they're still playing. Somehow they finished the season strong. They had some close calls like we did but they grew as a team and got better as the season went along, not worse.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Arizona bothers me every time I watch them play. They are as close to a replica as our team this year as you can get. They play great defense and have trouble scoring/shooting. They even lost one of their best players yet somehow they're still playing. Somehow they finished the season strong. They had some close calls like we did but they grew as a team and got better as the season went along, not worse.

Good post. Can you imagine if we played SDSU, lol? First of all, Arizona MUST have superior conditioning and be mentally tough. They play a thin bench, weathered the storm of constant tough SDSU pressure D, and weathered the storm of Tarczewski getting an early 4th foul. I made a post yesterday about it but one factor which makes Arizona excellent is their passing. Not a lot of ball stopping either yesterday at least. Ball stopping would've gotten them beaten. Also Gordon and RHJ are better than people think at passing and putting it on the floor.