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Message: [QUOTE="SUFan44, post: 2939905, member: 39"] The reason this is a five-page thread in a matter of hours is because there's at least some merit to what the original poster said. Sanctions, coaching, recruiting, all of it plays a role. But I guess my question to everyone here is this: How do you measure a season of SU basketball and call it a successful one? In 2005-06, we stunk in the regular season and made a miraculous run in the Big East Tournament. Won the title then lost in the first round. I would consider that a successful season, based on who was on the team and who we had lost the year before. Even last year, we lost five guys (Roberson, Lydon, White, Gillon & Thompson) who had started games for us and added just two players - Brissett & Dolezaj - that would help our team immediately. They weren't very good in the regular season, barely made the NCAA Tournament but made a Sweet 16 run. I would consider that a successful season considering what we had to work with. But this year is completely different. We had all five starters back, added a transfer who was ballyhooed by our head coach as being a premier offensive talent, added a Top 50 point guard, added an elite level shooter and had a couple guys coming off injury that were presumably healthy and ready to go. Losing Howard hurt to start the season and do I know what this team would look like with the summer version of Frank at this point in time? No. I wish I knew. But there has been an alarming regression of some players, others have been basically the same and it appears to me, at least, that there is just an overall lack of adjustment to what we have and who we have. Offensive philosophy, defensive philosophy. It's all the same, no matter what. No matter who is on the team, no matter what injuries there are. It just is. This season still has a long way to go. The team could absolutely get on a run to end the season -- win against Clemson, beat Miami in the opening round and even beat Duke or UNC in the quarterfinals. Who knows, quite honestly. Then they get a six or seven seed in the NCAA's, avoid playing #1 until the regional final and make an Elite 8. I'd consider that a positive year. But the roster composition recently has been very worrisome, the talent level (and as mentioned before, the lack of improvement of players from year to year) is not what it needs to be to compete for Top 25 status and the brand of basketball just seems stale to me. And as I mentioned a long time ago on this very board and stick by today -- something needs to change. [/QUOTE]

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