sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 25,255
- Like
- 108,967
I am temporarily filling in for OE as he recovers from surgery. Get well soon Dan.
SU News
UL HC Rick Pitino
ACC Basketball Schedules for Next Two Seasons to be Announced at 11 AM Today (courier-journal.com; Greer)
The Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday will announce its men's basketball schedule for the next two seasons. The league loses University of Maryland and adds the University of Louisville, but it's unclear if U of L's schedule will just mimic Maryland's 2013-14 slate.
...
What Really Happened to the Syracuse Offense Late in the Season (clipperblog.com; Katz)
Something tells me Seth Partnow is an SU grad...
...
What happened to ‘Cuse in the tourney?
– ClipperBlog staffer Seth Partnow
Are you really going to rant about Syracuse in this mailbag? Please say yes.
– ClipperBlog staffer Seth Partnow
How many more annoying questions can I come up with in the next few days?
– ClipperBlog staffer Seth Partnow
You know what? I’m taking the bait. We’re talking college hoops.
This is what happens when your offense is based around two types of plays and two types of plays only: Tyler Ennis pick-and-roll distribution and Trevor Cooney threes. So what did teams do late in the year? They blitzed Ennis on the screen-and-roll and ran Cooney off the three-point line. And ‘Cuse had nothing. No response. No adjustment. Just nothing.
The roll men couldn’t really create on their own because Rakeem Christmas and Baye-Moussa Keita don’t have touch around the rim or the ability to score more than three feet from the basket. And so what did ‘Cuse do? They went to C.J. Fair, which is all fine and good for those who think Fair is a deserving honorable-mention All-American, but doesn’t really work – you know – if you want to score points.
Here’s the thing about C.J. Fair: He’s a really good mid-range shooter. I don’t say that in a condescending tone. He’s remarkably accurate. But that’s all he does, and therein lies the problem with our analysis of college hoops vs. basketball in the pros.
It’s strange. There’s this whole faction of people in the NBA who talk about how Andrea Bargnani is an ineffective offensive player, and that group is getting bigger and bigger. He doesn’t make threes, but he’s happy to take them. He’s efficient from mid-range, even though that phrase is somewhat of an oxymoron, and he doesn’t get himself to the rim as often as anyone would like him to do so. So Bargs finishes his first year in New York with a 44-28-82 shooting line, a 51 percent true shooting, and once we factor in his subpar (but highly entertaining) pick-and-roll defense, we realize he’s one of the most overpaid players in the NBA. Because that’s how we evaluate pro players. There’s actual analysis.
But then we get to college, and we start talking about grit and heart. We irrationally praise seniors for being mature, even if their game isn’t. It’s the narrative that makes perfect sense, but clearly isn’t true for everyone. And it certainly isn’t true for Fair, who just keeps chucking them up from mid-range.
So what was Fair’s final shooting line this year? 43-28-72, so incredibly Bargnani-like.
His true shooting? 49 percent. And meanwhile, he was using even more possessions than Bargs to throw up all those contested, 18-foot, fadeaways. An offense can’t score like that. At least, it can’t score efficiently. And yet, we have remarkably intelligent people talking about how a player who styles himself like C.J. should be an end-of-the-first- or early-in-the-second-round pick. What are we doing? Why are we assessing the college game so differently than the NBA one?
College hoops is wonderful, but it’s backwards. This isn’t helping. It’s the same game, people. Let’s start acting like it.
It’s official. This sport has driven me mad.
Will Trevor Cooney Continue to Improve His Final Two Years at Syracuse? (sujuiceonline.com; Irvine)
On April 7, The Juice Online released a story called “Based on past Syracuse shooters, Trevor Cooney will continue improvement.”
The basic premise of the article was that Cooney would become a more consistent and reliable shooter in his next two seasons based on the past track records of Demetris Nichols, Andy Rautins and James Southerland.
Will Cooney improve?
The trio were the last three players recruited as “sharpshooters” and all three wound up playing in the NBA despite not being NBA-level prospects when they arrived at Syracuse.
Three different TJO columnists weighed in on this story and gave their thoughts:
...
ACC News
Pitt HC Jamie Dixon
Pitt Lands a Surprise Commitment From Unknown Cameron Johnson (cardiachill.com; Hammett)
Local combo guard, Cameron Johnson, committed and signed with Pitt today.
Woah, that came out of nowhere. Pitt basketball really pulled a surprise on everyone by signing a little known recruit from right in their own backyard. Cameron Johnson from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Coraopolis, PA committed and signed to play for the hometown Panthers this afternoon. Johnson is virtually unknown by the major recruiting sites, but verbalcommitments.com says he had offers from UMass-Lowell, Bryant, Marist, and Columbia. Gorman adds in his article that Rice, Elon, and Wofford also offered.
Johnson certainly brings all kinds of different stories with his commitments. Of course, the growth spurt is the most notable one. To go from being a small point guard, to a rangy forward with the same skill set is definitely an intriguing aspect that Dixon and all coaches have to love. There is also the fact Johnson's father, Gil, played for the Panthers from 1988-90. On top of all else, Cameron Johnson joins Ryan Luther and Sheldon Jeteras the third local commitment, something that is rarely, if ever, seen by this program...
Other
Nina Davuluri (Miss America, Fayetteville NY Native)
White House Visit Today for Miss America, MCW and Dwight Freeney (PS; Weiner)
Fayetteville's Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014, is among three people with ties to Syracuse who are at the White House today for the 2014 Easter Egg Roll.
Davuluri and 12-year-old singing sensation Cam Anthony of Philadelphia are in the talent lineup for the event on the South Lawn of the White House.
Former Syracuse University basketball point guard Michael Carter-Williams and SU football great Dwight Freeney of the San Diego Chargers are among more than 50 active and retired sports stars invited to the White House for today's event. Carter-Williams and Freeney are supporting First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign to promote health and wellness...
SU News
UL HC Rick Pitino
ACC Basketball Schedules for Next Two Seasons to be Announced at 11 AM Today (courier-journal.com; Greer)
The Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday will announce its men's basketball schedule for the next two seasons. The league loses University of Maryland and adds the University of Louisville, but it's unclear if U of L's schedule will just mimic Maryland's 2013-14 slate.
...
What Really Happened to the Syracuse Offense Late in the Season (clipperblog.com; Katz)
Something tells me Seth Partnow is an SU grad...
...
What happened to ‘Cuse in the tourney?
– ClipperBlog staffer Seth Partnow
Are you really going to rant about Syracuse in this mailbag? Please say yes.
– ClipperBlog staffer Seth Partnow
How many more annoying questions can I come up with in the next few days?
– ClipperBlog staffer Seth Partnow
You know what? I’m taking the bait. We’re talking college hoops.
This is what happens when your offense is based around two types of plays and two types of plays only: Tyler Ennis pick-and-roll distribution and Trevor Cooney threes. So what did teams do late in the year? They blitzed Ennis on the screen-and-roll and ran Cooney off the three-point line. And ‘Cuse had nothing. No response. No adjustment. Just nothing.
The roll men couldn’t really create on their own because Rakeem Christmas and Baye-Moussa Keita don’t have touch around the rim or the ability to score more than three feet from the basket. And so what did ‘Cuse do? They went to C.J. Fair, which is all fine and good for those who think Fair is a deserving honorable-mention All-American, but doesn’t really work – you know – if you want to score points.
Here’s the thing about C.J. Fair: He’s a really good mid-range shooter. I don’t say that in a condescending tone. He’s remarkably accurate. But that’s all he does, and therein lies the problem with our analysis of college hoops vs. basketball in the pros.
It’s strange. There’s this whole faction of people in the NBA who talk about how Andrea Bargnani is an ineffective offensive player, and that group is getting bigger and bigger. He doesn’t make threes, but he’s happy to take them. He’s efficient from mid-range, even though that phrase is somewhat of an oxymoron, and he doesn’t get himself to the rim as often as anyone would like him to do so. So Bargs finishes his first year in New York with a 44-28-82 shooting line, a 51 percent true shooting, and once we factor in his subpar (but highly entertaining) pick-and-roll defense, we realize he’s one of the most overpaid players in the NBA. Because that’s how we evaluate pro players. There’s actual analysis.
But then we get to college, and we start talking about grit and heart. We irrationally praise seniors for being mature, even if their game isn’t. It’s the narrative that makes perfect sense, but clearly isn’t true for everyone. And it certainly isn’t true for Fair, who just keeps chucking them up from mid-range.
So what was Fair’s final shooting line this year? 43-28-72, so incredibly Bargnani-like.
His true shooting? 49 percent. And meanwhile, he was using even more possessions than Bargs to throw up all those contested, 18-foot, fadeaways. An offense can’t score like that. At least, it can’t score efficiently. And yet, we have remarkably intelligent people talking about how a player who styles himself like C.J. should be an end-of-the-first- or early-in-the-second-round pick. What are we doing? Why are we assessing the college game so differently than the NBA one?
College hoops is wonderful, but it’s backwards. This isn’t helping. It’s the same game, people. Let’s start acting like it.
It’s official. This sport has driven me mad.
Will Trevor Cooney Continue to Improve His Final Two Years at Syracuse? (sujuiceonline.com; Irvine)
On April 7, The Juice Online released a story called “Based on past Syracuse shooters, Trevor Cooney will continue improvement.”
The basic premise of the article was that Cooney would become a more consistent and reliable shooter in his next two seasons based on the past track records of Demetris Nichols, Andy Rautins and James Southerland.
Will Cooney improve?
The trio were the last three players recruited as “sharpshooters” and all three wound up playing in the NBA despite not being NBA-level prospects when they arrived at Syracuse.
Three different TJO columnists weighed in on this story and gave their thoughts:
...
ACC News
Pitt HC Jamie Dixon
Pitt Lands a Surprise Commitment From Unknown Cameron Johnson (cardiachill.com; Hammett)
Local combo guard, Cameron Johnson, committed and signed with Pitt today.
Woah, that came out of nowhere. Pitt basketball really pulled a surprise on everyone by signing a little known recruit from right in their own backyard. Cameron Johnson from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Coraopolis, PA committed and signed to play for the hometown Panthers this afternoon. Johnson is virtually unknown by the major recruiting sites, but verbalcommitments.com says he had offers from UMass-Lowell, Bryant, Marist, and Columbia. Gorman adds in his article that Rice, Elon, and Wofford also offered.
Johnson certainly brings all kinds of different stories with his commitments. Of course, the growth spurt is the most notable one. To go from being a small point guard, to a rangy forward with the same skill set is definitely an intriguing aspect that Dixon and all coaches have to love. There is also the fact Johnson's father, Gil, played for the Panthers from 1988-90. On top of all else, Cameron Johnson joins Ryan Luther and Sheldon Jeteras the third local commitment, something that is rarely, if ever, seen by this program...
Other
Nina Davuluri (Miss America, Fayetteville NY Native)
White House Visit Today for Miss America, MCW and Dwight Freeney (PS; Weiner)
Fayetteville's Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014, is among three people with ties to Syracuse who are at the White House today for the 2014 Easter Egg Roll.
Davuluri and 12-year-old singing sensation Cam Anthony of Philadelphia are in the talent lineup for the event on the South Lawn of the White House.
Former Syracuse University basketball point guard Michael Carter-Williams and SU football great Dwight Freeney of the San Diego Chargers are among more than 50 active and retired sports stars invited to the White House for today's event. Carter-Williams and Freeney are supporting First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign to promote health and wellness...
