A great season but next year will be even better

[kirbivore]

It wasn't next year in 2003

Grant, Coleman >>>>>> Roberts, Watkins

 

[kirbivore]

Mantonio, I love the much-needed positive spirit you bring to the board but that is some seriously weird . I'm liking it though but am not quite sure why.

 

[Rocco]

We won't have a better record because it is so tough to go through a full season with just 3 losses, but we will go to the F4 next year. Bank on it.

I said this to every SU fan I saw in Boston after we lost. Agreed completely Bees. On top of all that, we still get a great crowd name to replace Scoooooooop: Cooooooooooooney!

 

[chakka3421]

I'm all in as the team looks like it has 9 potential players again and is well balanced at each position - 3 different style guards (Trische, MCW, Cooney) 3 different style forwards (Fair, JS, Grant) & 3 centers (xmas, Baye, Coleman). Not sure about Coleman or Grant - both may need a year of development so JB at least already has his normal 7 players (3 guards are critical with the 2-3 zone) that are solid and proven already.

 

[kcsu]

I agree with Bees we have a very solid chance to go final 4 next year. If not for AO injury and Fab we would have been final four the last two years. Staying healthy is the key for next year. Our only weakness is that it would be nice to have one more gaurd on the team. Next years team will be so tough to stop in the blocks. If we are lucky enough to land NN it will be our best front court ever.

 

[BleedsOrange44]

How so, Bees? Sounds as though we are losing a lot. I know we have two freshmen coming in, but where is the leadership coming from? Don't see Brandon taking that role?

Think about it. Even without Fab and Dion, the backcourt still has MCW, Triche, and Cooney. Three pretty darn good guards there with an experienced senior. The front court will have Fair, Southerland, Christmas, Keita, Grant, and Coleman. And that's without Nerlens Noel. I love the potential there. Syracuse will have a ton of talent next year, and should absolutely be a top 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.

 

[DeGrozz]

Get a clue, please. The point is it was a great season but next years team will be even better. I agree completely. Do you really not follow that?

jsshap,

We just finished a season with a 34-3 record. We won the Big East out-right, we made the Elite 8 even with everything stacked against us, and we got bounced from the tournament where factors out of our control played a huge role. This may have been the most complete season in modern Syracuse history. What I think is strange is that people post 'bank on a final four next year' when we don't even know what our roster is going to look like, that's what I said was 'ridiculous' (admittedly, I probably should have used a different word, re-reading it it sounds combative, which I didn't want to be). The issue is that it's so fricken hard to make a final four. This year we've seen veteran teams with all the momentum in the world get shocked by 15-seeds. We've seen a team on the verge of collapse in the middle of the season make the Final 4 run and we've a team that was supposed to be a bunch of role-players produce a candidate for player of the year and make a run to the Final 4. That's why I don't get why people are already saying 'bank on a final four', it's way too tough to tell.

We're losing a defensive player of the year, most likely our two best guards, our leading scorer, and two guys that brought a lot of senior leadership to the locker room, and a defensive player of the year whose absence was really shown when we went up against an elite front line. Granted, we have some talent that can replace them, but we will be relying on young interior players and players going into their second years in the program to make big impacts. This also doesn't take into account the many years of defense that we are losing at the top of the zone.

That's a lot to replace and makes me think that we probably won't be better next year, and that's okay, in the long run we are definitely on a steady (if not pretty rapid) climb upwards, but that doesn't mean that we won't have any drop-off years (where I still think we'll be top-15, even assuming no Noel, Fab, or Dion), all great programs do.

Now, if you can show me where I need to get a clue, I'd appreciate it.

 

[joct]

Regardless of anyone else we sign, or how next regular season goes, I'm not predicting anything until next year's Selection Sunday, considering the sites we are at, and seeing the full eligibity report the day before the 1st round game. After what just happened, for the first time ever I will hope a statistical breakdown of all of the officials is is available before making any more predictions.

 

[BlueCurtain]

This also doesn't take into account the many years of defense that we are losing at the top of the zone.

Losing scoop up top = addition by subtraction. Dion also took plays off and most of his forced turnovers came against the dregs in December.

 

[dasher]

Losing scoop up top = addition by subtraction. Dion also took plays off and most of his forced turnovers came against the dregs in December.

silly

 

[br801]

Losing scoop up top = addition by subtraction. Dion also took plays off and most of his forced turnovers came against the dregs in December.

Scoop may not have been the most gifted defender, but he was experienced and was far better than many of our more recent guards. As for your comment about Dion, most players will do better statistically against weaker opponents --- that's just how things work. MCW looks like he will be an excellent defender at the top of the zone, but we really haven't seen him play extended minutes against good opponents. And no one really knows what Cooney will give us defensively at this point, but based on his size I am expecting him to be an above average defender in JB's system once he gains experience.

 

[BlueCurtain]

Scoop may not have been the most gifted defender.

It's not a question of being gifted. He was just plain lazy at the top of the zone. JB was ok with it because he made some plays on the other end of the court.

 

[br801]

It's not a question of being gifted. He was just plain lazy at the top of the zone. JB was ok with it because he made some plays on the other end of the court.

Just out of curiosity, based on your assessment of how Scoop and Dion played at the top of the zone, how do you think they would have performed playing man-to-man on a regular basis? And how would that have translated in terms of wins and losses?

 

[armory]

At the beginning of the season I didn't have many expectations and was mostly looking forward to the vast potential of 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 ... until we kept winning and winning and winning... and winning. The improvements of Dion, J-So, CJ, and Melo were shocking & cause for excitement.

However, next year was always in the back of my mind as likely to be a better team.

(And the year after even better)

Strange thing to say considering that an epic season just ended... but it's a great time to be a 'Cuse fan.

 

[caw]

It's next year with 67 out 68 teams who make the tourney.

66 out of 68.

As a UConn fan we get to say, "In two years".

I don't know how that one got by everyone here.

 

[anglerman]

Losing scoop up top = addition by subtraction. Dion also took plays off and most of his forced turnovers came against the dregs in December.

Losing Scoop and Joseph = addition by subtraction. I really won't miss Joseph at all. MCW will likely be 1st team all BE and possibly an AA.

 

[GardenOrange]

Losing scoop up top = addition by subtraction. Dion also took plays off and most of his forced turnovers came against the dregs in December.

I don't disagree, but I also do not see any of the guards next year equaling what Waiters did overall this year.

 

[br801]

MCW will likely be 1st team all BE and possibly an AA.

So you anticipate this happening next season? Gotta love the realistic expectations.

 

[CaptainJ]

Mantonio, I love the much-needed positive spirit you bring to the board but that is some seriously weird . I'm liking it though but am not quite sure why.

His post and yours made me feel the best out of the whole thread. Mantonio's post resonated with me now that I'm sober and feeling better, and yours flat out made me laugh! That video clip in reference to it made me laugh as well. Good stuff... and I know we have it better than most teams' fans, but I think guaranteeing a final 4 or guaranteeing that next year's team will be better IS ridiculous, even though someone else got attacked for pointing it out.

Don't get me wrong, I hope next year will be better, but it seems like the people setting a very high bar for first year starters have already forgotten Fab's performance last season. I expect us to be good, but very little is guaranteed in life, much less a final 4 and a team that is better than a team with the best record in the school's history. Making these claims in this situation isn't quite as bad as predicting some apocalyptic date, but the there is a very good chance those bold predictions will meet with the same result. Even if things look better on paper(and even that can be argued at length), that doesn't always translate into wins. That's why the games are played. I do indeed hope next season is even better, but what I do know was that for a long while this season this team was special and found a way to win that transcended the names listed on the roster.

 

[Reyes39]

I'm on board.

I expect Christmas to improve along the lines Jackson did. High % shots but with a little big more motor. 8-10 PPG - 5+ RPG shooting 50%+ is a possibility in my mind. Keita as the "Defensive specialist."

I could see the offense running through Fair next year...his mid range game is hard to defend. Wouldn't be surprised if he averaged a double-double but I think 12 PPG 8 RPG is a very realistic possibility.

Don't know what to expect from Triche. I got over the whole "Dynasty" thing pretty quick but I wish Triche had a little of that "swag." I'm sure he busts his ass and it's just generally his composure - but I feel like he's holding something back. 10 PPG is a must...but is he that true PG that can give us a desired 3:1+ A/T ratio? If Christmas/Fair show up as I expect in '12-13 I think that's easily attainable.

As we all know...MCW is an elite talent - but I'm not sure how he's going to be used...aka does he get the keys or does Triche? I'm just pumped to watch the kid play more meaningful minutes. Only thing I'm going to prognosticate with MCW is that he'll make the Top 10 at least four times next year.

Hope Cooney is as good as a shooter as many say. Love being able to add 3 without even having to see the ball go through the net. Have we ever really had a 3pt shooting specialist (like Diebler was for Ohio St last year or Heslip at Baylor this year?)

Southerland is a coin flip. I could see him ending up as the 7th/8th man - and I could see him as the next DNic. 6'8''...a bit lanky...can drop 25 in and out...decent rebounder. Mirror image if you ask me...even down to the jersey number (Dnic 34 Southerland 43...I rest my case.)

Never know what to expect with incoming freshman. Always expect them to come in and sweep me off our feet - but for the most part they're on a short leash or aren't ready. Anything Grant/Coleman contribute is a bonus...yes Coleman could be that impact Freshman...but I'll wait and see. Not even going to think about Noel until he makes his decision of course.

 

[Orangepace]

It's always next year with this team

is that so bad? We could have a team that was a one trick pony.

 

[Orangepace]

I'm on board with bees. Next year we will have leaders...

I will miss scoop.. I will not miss jojo. Kris joseph disappeared when it mattered most. Sad, but true.

agreed, Kjo really regressed as the season wore on. I doubt he's a 2nd rounder.