6 OT Big East QF game from ‘09 against UConn...

[orangecuse]

I like Jim Boeheim as a coach.
I think he needs his assistant coaches to recruit better.
GMac gets crap but has been better at recruiting.
We need all 3 assistants to get better.

We need talent.

I agree with this and I couldn't agree more with your post just above it relative to sanctions. As you mention here, as well as some other posts of yours on this topic, during our sanction years we still had schollies to offer and gave them to walk-ons and last minute grad transfers, etc. Additionally, in the past, we rarely filled out all of our allotted schollies to legit D1 prospects. No doubt, IMO, our woes are due to flat out misses along with miss evaluations of those we did land by JB & his staff along the recruiting trail the past several years.

Moreover, when JB was mandated by his superiors that he had 3 years left to coach, regardless of his desire and wishes to coach longer, he generally checked-out on the recruiting trail and left it up to his assistants. The leak began, and the latent damage ensued. Hop's unforeseen bolting to UW gave JB new life along that front (recruiting) but the damage was done. As we see today, the talent we've known and have been accustomed to over the years is simply not there. Whether we ever get back to that level while JB is still at the helm, remains to be seen. Getting the verbal from Dior is great, but we'll see if he ever makes it to campus as we have 2 full seasons to get through before that time is even here.

Humbling for sure realizing that today we are nothing more than a middling middle of pack team in our conference and have been so for 5 straight years. Unless we land some significant talent upgrade for next season, unfortunately, it will just be more of the status quo and what has become our new normal.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I watched this game while in Hawaii sitting at a poolside bar watching the sunset over the pacific.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I watched this game while in Hawaii sitting at a poolside bar watching the sunset over the pacific.

Did you steal Sean McDonough's dinner revervations?

 

[721Comstock]

I agree with this and I couldn't agree more with your post just above it relative to sanctions. As you mention here, as well as some other posts of yours on this topic, during our sanction years we still had schollies to offer and gave them to walk-ons and last minute grad transfers, etc. Additionally, in the past, we rarely filled out all of our allotted schollies to legit D1 prospects. No doubt, IMO, our woes are due to flat out misses along with miss evaluations of those we did land by JB & his staff along the recruiting trail the past several years.

Moreover, when JB was mandated by his superiors that he had 3 years left to coach, regardless of his desire and wishes to coach longer, he generally checked-out on the recruiting trail and left it up to his assistants. The leak began, and the latent damage ensued. Hop's unforeseen bolting to UW gave JB new life along that front (recruiting) but the damage was done. As we see today, the talent we've known and have been accustomed to over the years is simply not there. Whether we ever get back to that level while JB is still at the helm, remains to be seen. Getting the verbal from Dior is great, but we'll see if he ever makes it to campus as we have 2 full seasons to get through before that time is even here.

Humbling for sure realizing that today we are nothing more than a middling middle of pack team in our conference and have been so for 5 straight years. Unless we land some significant talent upgrade for next season, unfortunately, it will just be more of the status quo and what has become our new normal.

It may have been more
"JB was handing the (recruiting) reins over to Hop, since he was going to be the next HC"
than
"JB checked out on recruiting" -

given the then-"mandatory" 3 years expiration date on JB's Syracuse career.

I guess different people will place their own spin/take on this as they see fit.

 

[Alsacs]

It may have been more
"JB was handing the (recruiting) reins over to Hop, since he was going to be the next HC"
than
"JB checked out on recruiting" -

given the then-"mandatory" 3 years expiration date on JB's Syracuse career.

I guess different people will place their own spin/take on this as they see fit.

Why we have been unable to recruit a big the last 2 years who is to play.
That is on Jim Boeheim and his staff.
Our frontcourt has been poor since Lydon left. Sidibe and Dolezaj this year are better than the last 2 years and they are still middle of the pack ACC quality at best.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Why we have been unable to recruit a big the last 2 years who is to play.
That is on Jim Boeheim and his staff.
Our frontcourt has been poor since Lydon left. Sidibe and Dolezaj this year are better than the last 2 years and they are still middle of the pack ACC quality at best.

Watching that game last night made me wonder if Ongenaet could have been the Marek if there had been less talent around him.

 

[orangecuse]

It may have been more
"JB was handing the (recruiting) reins over to Hop, since he was going to be the next HC"
than
"JB checked out on recruiting" -

given the then-"mandatory" 3 years expiration date on JB's Syracuse career.

I guess different people will place their own spin/take on this as they see fit.

Perhaps I should've used "lame duck" vs. "checked out" relative to the recruiting trail. In any event, with the mandate from his superiors, JB at his age, wasn't going to be "all in" on that front, as it is a complete grind, especially with these recruits in then/today's climate. As far as "handing the reins" over to Hop, I think Hop already had been doing most of the leg work anyways, but whereas JB would be the guy to close the deal or heavily pursuade there, he also left that up to Hop as well.

 

[Alsacs]

Watching that game last night made me wonder if Ongenaet could have been the Marek if there had been less talent around him.

Marek's is a better shooter. Ongenaut was toughness and scrappy guy who did the dirty work. He ran in transition and rebounded well.
Wasn't much of an offensive threat. Marek has more skill. Marek just came in more raw.
We could use an Ongenaut player on the bench. Kris Joseph was a better version of Ongenaut.

 

[Fly Rodder]

We still played an actual 2-3 back then, not the 4-1 we play now. Was this the last year of that?

Brampton ... wasn't Ennis from there?

 

[NineOneSeven]

I watched this game while in Hawaii sitting at a poolside bar watching the sunset over the pacific.

I don't mean this in a depressing way one bit but man, there are certain moments in life, and it sounds like that one fits the bill, where if for some crazy reason it all were to end (life) abruptly...well, what a way to go out.

 

[tbonezone]

gotta love paul harris. absolutely kill you then bring you joy.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I don't mean this in a depressing way one bit but man, there are certain moments in life, and it sounds like that one fits the bill, where if for some crazy reason it all were to end (life) abruptly...well, what a way to go out.

It was pretty surreal. It was "work travel" and we, the three guys from the Syracuse area, were the only ones at the bar until a newly wed couple from Sherrill came and sat down with us. That particular bar at the hotel was supposed to close at 6, but the game was sooooo good that the bartender* was getting excited about it and said, I'll keep this open if you keep buying drinks. I remember coming home afterwards and talking to people about the game and they kept saying how tired they were the next day, etc. I was like, but it was over at 8pm?

*ETA: I like to think that there's some Hawaiian dude who is still a huge SU basketball fan because of that game and our crazy fandom.

 

[Bulldog04]

The ball movement, players screening and rolling, subbing guys in and out, mix of high end athletes ...it's a completely different team.

this is so spot on. I watched the duke game with CJ fair dominating and everything was just so fluid and pure and so pretty lol. Miss those days

 

[Newhouser]

Watching that game reminds me why Rautins is one of my favorite players here - to quote the great Raf - onions...double order. The kid knew how to play.

Also reminded me how lucky some NBA team was that they were saved from drafting Paul Harris by a rule change.

 

[syrBossHogg]

Flynn was great that game, pretty nuts he only had 2 fouls at the end

 

[OrangeDW]

Watching that game reminds me why Rautins is one of my favorite players here - to quote the great Raf - onions...double order. The kid knew how to play.

Also reminded me how lucky some NBA team was that they were saved from drafting Paul Harris by a rule change.

That three he hit coming off a screen to cut it to one in one of the early OTs(lol)was huge. We probably lose without that shot.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Cant believe we got away with sticking Rautins on the back line for a good 15-20 minutes every game that season.

 

[Cusefan0307]

We still played an actual 2-3 back then, not the 4-1 we play now. Was this the last year of that?

It changed the next year when we stopped playing any man after we lost to Lemoyne.

 

[tbonezone]

ideally the game would have ended with DEVO on the table. damn replays.

 

[Vshukla]

That three he hit coming off a screen to cut it to one in one of the early OTs(lol)was huge. We probably lose without that shot.

I believe that was the first shot of OT6 and the first time we had a lead in any OT. I loved the call "Rautins! Looks fresh as a daisy".

 

[Cusefan0307]

I wonder if Andy looks back and thinks he’s an idiot for having a fohawk in 2009.

 

[Dinkyspond]

Cant believe we got away with sticking Rautins on the back line for a good 15-20 minutes every game that season.

Yes, noticing that too. I didn't remember that at all.

 

[UCHusky90]

There is nothing like SU/UConn at the BET in the Garden. I hate you guys, but that's what makes it awesome.

Embrace the hate. I have. But both teams were so good and every game so important, that's what made them great.