2024 - Portal Tracker

[two3zone]

I don’t think his second team is better than our starters. On paper because it’s highly ranked freshmen who maybe but I’d take a wager on that game. My point is if they can throw money at guys and get them to come even if it’s very possible they don’t play ( even if talented) then good for them. That’s a handful of teams that can do that and that’s not sustainable. It’s basically a hybrid strategy to what Cal was doing at UK.

I get it, but every year there's another reason why everyone else is good and we're not.

What's not sustainable is losing more than you bring in year after year.

Notre Dame looks good, Louisville looks better. We dont have those automatic wins this coming season.

 

[Orangezoo]

I get it, but every year there's another reason why everyone else is good and we're not.

What's not sustainable is losing more than you bring in year after year.

Notre Dame looks good, Louisville looks better. We dont have those automatic wins this coming season.

We’ve gotta prove we are good by being a good team on both ends and making the tournament. Right now that’s gotta happen with a combo of talent, players improving and coaching. So it’s not good enough until is and all we have is numbers we are worried about and unknowns.

That K St elite 8 team came out of nowhere with a roster of guys no one was going to be selling to win more than half their games. Now they didn’t do much since that year but point is- you just have to go out and prove it. That’s where Red is at. It’s why if this roster with Lampkin is what he and staff are confident will get it done (plus a couple more guys I hope) then it’s just a matter of let’s get the kids on campus and get to work and hope the tide turns.

 

[two3zone]

We’ve gotta prove we are good by being a good team on both ends and making the tournament. Right now that’s gotta happen with a combo of talent, players improving and coaching. So it’s not good enough until is and all we have is numbers we are worried about and unknowns.

That K St elite 8 team came out of nowhere with a roster of guys no one was going to be selling to win more than half their games. Now they didn’t do much since that year but point is- you just have to go out and prove it. That’s where Red is at. It’s why if this roster with Lampkin is what he and staff are confident will get it done (plus a couple more guys I hope) then it’s just a matter of let’s get the kids on campus and get to work and hope the tide turns.

Assuming Lampkin is here and Westry is healthy it's still a bubble team. If we bring another solid guard in then things change.

Carlos was brought to backup up Leffew (who I dont think is that great). He's a starter because we missed out on other targets, that's it and people around here want to sell this as something different.

 

[Orangezoo]

Assuming Lampkin is here and Westry is healthy it's still a bubble team. If we bring another solid guard in then things change.

Carlos was brought to backup up Leffew (who I dont think is that great). He's a starter because we missed out on other targets, that's it and people around here want to sell this as something different.

Assuming JJ doesn’t improve , Moore and Cuffe
don’t give much and Bell is the same player I agree on your first statement. To which I think the conservative take is to expect minimal improvement

 

[two3zone]

Assuming JJ doesn’t improve , Moore and Cuffe
don’t give much and Bell is the same player I agree on your first statement. To which I think the conservative take is to expect minimal improvement

And this is all I'm saying.

It's hilarious that we can have different opinions and go back and forth. I'm appreciative that you can write something other than

"You should be a nba gm"
"Ive had him ignored for years"

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think it's more than cash.
It's also cachet.

But seriously that's a pretty good line. Well done.

 

[RyanCuse44]

 

[RyanCuse44]

 

[RyanCuse44]

Sorry if this got posted already -

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Assuming JJ doesn’t improve , Moore and Cuffe
don’t give much and Bell is the same player I agree on your first statement. To which I think the conservative take is to expect minimal improvement

So many unknowns for next year. We could have a good (NCAA) team or we could have a losing record, I have no idea. But I do know there’s several things that need to work out for us to be good

1. Freeman has to be the real deal and have one of the best freshman seasons in Syracuse history (similar to Moten and Melo)
2. Westry has to be 100% healthy and actually better than he was before he got hurt.
3. Moore, JJ, and Cuffe all need to be consistent shooters and elevate their games. JJ especially has to reach his full potential
4. Bell has to learn how to rebound and play defense.
5. Lampkin has to be a dominant offensive force down low and be able to rebound like a beast.
6. Carlos will need to elevate his game at PG and figure out how to guard players at a higher level.
7. Davis needs to fill in all of the gaps

To me there are too many unknowns. While I would love to see everything come together, the last decade of Syracuse basketball would make that scenario seem unlikely. Red has made some odd moves this offseason. The net portal activity hasn’t been great. Syracuse basketball is in a strange place.

 

[Orangezoo]

So many unknowns for next year. We could have a good (NCAA) team or we could have a losing record, I have no idea. But I do know there’s several things that need to work out for us to be good

1. Freeman has to be the real deal and have one of the best freshman seasons in Syracuse history (similar to Moten and Melo)
2. Westry has to be 100% healthy and actually better than he was before he got hurt.
3. Moore, JJ, and Cuffe all need to be consistent shooters and elevate their games. JJ especially has to reach his full potential
4. Bell has to learn how to rebound and play defense.
5. Lampkin has to be a dominant offensive force down low and be able to rebound like a beast.
6. Carlos will need to elevate his game at PG and figure out how to guard players at a higher level.
7. Davis needs to fill in all of the gaps

To me there are too many unknowns. While I would love to see everything come together, the last decade of Syracuse basketball would make that scenario seem unlikely. Red has made some odd moves this offseason. The net portal activity hasn’t been great. Syracuse basketball is in a strange place.

Exactly why landing a kid like Ken Davis somehow could be a huge help

 

[M2MPrinciples]

I thought Red got better as the season went on, but I can't definitively say if he's good enough. I'm also more than a little concerned that we're so far removed from sustained success that today's recruits (both HS and transfers) mostly know us as where Melo went to school once upon a time but is now a program where finishing 6th in the league would be cause for celebration, and that we don't have a big enough war chest to make up the difference.

 

[jdubs30]

I thought Red got better as the season went on, but I can't definitively say if he's good enough. I'm also more than a little concerned that we're so far removed from sustained success that today's recruits (both HS and transfers) mostly know us as where Melo went to school once upon a time but is now a program where finishing 6th in the league would be cause for celebration, and that we don't have a big enough war chest to make up the difference.

I feel bad for Red that this is the landscape he started out in. Roster construction is way different than it’s ever been

 

[Domedog84]

I feel bad for Red that this is the landscape he started out in. Roster construction is way different than it’s ever been

I feel the same way. I feel like making the tourney next year and pulling in two stud HS recruits would go a long way to making us look much more attractive in portal recruiting next year and hopefully take care of the alleged NIL issues. A solid football season can’t hurt either. Energize the donor base.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

I feel bad for Red that this is the landscape he started out in. Roster construction is way different than it’s ever been

It’s a coaches job to adapt and develop a successful strategy to develop a roster in today’s landscape. Seems like Red figured that out with last year’s portal moves, but this year is completely different. Maybe GMac was the catalyst behind the scenes?

 

[M2MPrinciples]

It’s a coaches job to adapt and develop a successful strategy to develop a roster in today’s landscape. Seems like Red figured that out with last year’s portal moves, but this year is completely different. Maybe GMac was the catalyst behind the scenes?

I don't think we'll know for awhile. If pressed, I'd say Red is at least a capable talent evaluator. Maliq, Quadir and Bell's seasons suggest he/his staff can develop talent as well, and Starling's improvement after his non-con slump suggests they can identify and fix issues (as long as the player is willing).

The UNC win that came out of nowhere and the solid finish to the season suggest that Red can coach through adversity, but would a better coach have nipped it earlier?

It's also tough to know what expectations should be given the NIL situation. I know we aren't paupers, but does Red have what he needs to regularly get tourney bids with room to spare? If he doesn't, the calculus changes.

 

[RyanCuse44]

 

[Nicknack]

So many unknowns for next year. We could have a good (NCAA) team or we could have a losing record, I have no idea. But I do know there’s several things that need to work out for us to be good

1. Freeman has to be the real deal and have one of the best freshman seasons in Syracuse history (similar to Moten and Melo)
2. Westry has to be 100% healthy and actually better than he was before he got hurt.
3. Moore, JJ, and Cuffe all need to be consistent shooters and elevate their games. JJ especially has to reach his full potential
4. Bell has to learn how to rebound and play defense.
5. Lampkin has to be a dominant offensive force down low and be able to rebound like a beast.
6. Carlos will need to elevate his game at PG and figure out how to guard players at a higher level.
7. Davis needs to fill in all of the gaps

To me there are too many unknowns. While I would love to see everything come together, the last decade of Syracuse basketball would make that scenario seem unlikely. Red has made some odd moves this offseason. The net portal activity hasn’t been great. Syracuse basketball is in a strange place.

Yeah, definitely a lot of unknowns. However, if we checked the box on all seven of the things you listed, we will challenge for an ACC championship.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Yeah, definitely a lot of unknowns. However, if we checked the box on all seven of the things you listed, we will challenge for an ACC championship.

Yes, but let’s be realistic, it’s a long shot for that to happen

 

[Dmcnabbrules]

Yes, but let’s be realistic, it’s a long shot for that to happen

So you say there’s a chance?

 

[Niastri]

So many unknowns for next year. We could have a good (NCAA) team or we could have a losing record, I have no idea. But I do know there’s several things that need to work out for us to be good

1. Freeman has to be the real deal and have one of the best freshman seasons in Syracuse history (similar to Moten and Melo)
2. Westry has to be 100% healthy and actually better than he was before he got hurt.
3. Moore, JJ, and Cuffe all need to be consistent shooters and elevate their games. JJ especially has to reach his full potential
4. Bell has to learn how to rebound and play defense.
5. Lampkin has to be a dominant offensive force down low and be able to rebound like a beast.
6. Carlos will need to elevate his game at PG and figure out how to guard players at a higher level.
7. Davis needs to fill in all of the gaps

To me there are too many unknowns. While I would love to see everything come together, the last decade of Syracuse basketball would make that scenario seem unlikely. Red has made some odd moves this offseason. The net portal activity hasn’t been great. Syracuse basketball is in a strange place.

If all seven of those things happen, we're a favorite for a championship.

If Freeman plays "similar to Moten and Melo" and "Lampkin...[is] a dominant offensive force and rebounds like a beast" and those are the only big things that change from last year, will be an easy tournament team.

The team, as it stands, is pretty good. The presumptive starters of Lampkin, Bell and Starling combined to average 37.4 in major conference play last season. Freeman is coming in as a McDonald's All American. Add to that experienced players like McLeod, Cuffe, Davis, Carlos and another good recruit in Moore, and you've got a solid team. Westry is a hugely talented wild card.

But let's not be dramatic that we need a series of miracles to be good next year. We have a very solid team next year, and we have a bunch of variables that could make us very good.

I think the keys are Freeman performing like the top recruit he is, Westry coming back healthy and the dog he was in high school, and Bell/Starling greatly improving on defense while maintaining their offensive ability. If so, we'll be better than last year.

People naturally are concerned about players like Lampkin, Davis and Carlos coming over to a tougher league... But we're also overlooking the fact that we added 3 fifth year seniors, on top of our returning guys adding another year of experience.

We are now the proverbial team of experienced, less talented super seniors that knock Duke and Kentucky's freshman superteams out of the tournament every season.

 

[23Zone]

Everybody sleeping on Choppa. He is going to contribute in a major way. We are going to be substantially better this year. Upgrades everywhere.

 

[AlaskaSU]

Enjoy this next season while you can.
The ACC is on its last legs. Lots of teams want out. ESPN is not going to fill in the gap with the SEC / Big whatever.
The courts are about to decide to possibly let schools pay their athletes. Talk of a 20 million cap per school. GA has that big of a surplus. We don't and won't unless a higher paying conference wants us. They don't.

 

[Nicknack]

Everybody sleeping on Choppa. He is going to contribute in a major way. We are going to be substantially better this year. Upgrades everywhere.

I hope you're right about Choppa, but we don't really know at this point. As for upgrades everywhere, our PG position says hello. If your answer is Carlos, I want whatever gummies you're eating.

 

[23Zone]

I hope you're right about Choppa, but we don't really know at this point. As for upgrades everywhere, our PG position says hello. If your answer is Carlos, I want whatever gummies you're eating.

I personally think Carlos will be fine. And will not be a ballhog!