A great way to spend 16 minutes

[BlackSquirrels]

Great memories of being at the Dome that night.

One of my favorite parts of the video is at the beginning when Dick Vitale talks about watching UConn's shoot-around and saying they had a "look in their eye" that said this would be a special game. Then you watch the game highlights and it's a seemingly endless string of dunks off Cuse runouts and offensive boards.

I think this is the game where at least one of the basket stanchions was ruined by a student hanging on it after the game. The student was identified from a photo on the front page of the DO and ended up reimbursing the athletic department for a new basket.

#FreeTonyBland

 

[OrangeDW]

Great memories of being at the Dome that night.

One of my favorite parts of the video is at the beginning when Dick Vitale talks about watching UConn's shoot-around and saying they had a "look in their eye" that said this would be a special game. Then you watch the game highlights and it's a seemingly endless string of dunks off Cuse runouts and offensive boards.

I think this is the game where at least one of the basket stanchions was ruined by a student hanging on it after the game. The student was identified from a photo on the front page of the DO and ended up reimbursing the athletic department for a new basket.

#FreeTonyBland

Watch the end of the clip, there’s a student sitting on the basket. Then a little
later there’s several students hanging from the basket.

 

[OttoMets]

...

I think this is the game where at least one of the basket stanchions was ruined by a student hanging on it after the game. The student was identified from a photo on the front page of the DO and ended up reimbursing the athletic department for a new basket.

#FreeTonyBland

Which meant that SU had to get a new hoop -- like new new, not brought over from Manley new -- and they'd be playing on tight rims for a few weeks.

I always bitterly thought this affected the Seton Hall game. Yeah, it was two weeks later, and the rims didn't seem to bother Darius Lane (though when your shot doesn't catch any rim, that doesn't matter as much). But I'm not letting that one go.

 

[Jake]

Etan allowed Hart, Griffin, Bland and Deshaun to gamble a lot at the top of the zone.

What is hard to see in these highlights is the complete shutdown of Uconn's offense. The defense was suffocating by the guards.

 

[cto]

JB and Calhoun both look so young on the video!

 

[Ryand877]

Yup, Ceballos and the size difference (and Z Sims playing with them) are what I remember, other than the missing curtain and Roberts generally looking like an unpolished potential star.

Found this, but no photos. Globetrotters 83, Syracuse 70

I believe the night we played the Globetrotters was when we raised our championship banner for 2003! Remember that game like yesterday. I think Warrick got hurt in the first half of this game and Roberts started the second half as a freshman.

 

[Sherman20]

Some thoughts:

• Burr!
• Damone Brown was an underrated player
• I loved watching Etan Thomas play
• Jason Hart had such a weird jumper
• Allen Griffin really doesn't look that different
• I had totally forgotten how much I hated Jake Voskuhl
• Kueth looked as happy at the end of that game as he did late on 4/7/03

Highlights of the 2000 curb stomping of UConn. This was back when we liked Deshaun Williams. My favorite moment is at 7:50, fast break Hart to Damone, student section loses it's mind.

I miss the heyday of the transition basketball we were so famous for. Man, that team could get out and run.

 

[Sherman20]

Yup. Etan brought the intimidation factor. I remember Troy Murphy for ND would play like he was flat out scared of Etan.

Solid offensive player by his senior year too. I loved that kickout to Deshaun in the first half.

Hart, Etan, and Blackwell all being seniors and at minimum 3 year starters brought a ton of experience to that 2000 team.

That team could have won a championship or at least gotten to the Final Four, but we got screwed getting placed in Michigan State’s bracket as the 4 seed and having to play them in Michigan.

 

[Sherman20]

Those baggy uniforms kill me.

Pantaloons.

 

[Sherman20]

We can blame lack of depth and proper personnel, but I think it's 90% that JB just doesn't want to run anymore. Half of the break is leaking the guards out towards halfcourt to receive the outlet. The frontcourt can make that pass if they practiced it. It's not rocket science. Running is like rebounding - it's a mindset and a muscle memory. If JB doesn't emphasize it the skill atrophies. That's a big reason why we look so rusty the few times we do get a 2-on-1. FWIW, I think Battle, Marek, Brisset, and Moyer are built to run.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - everyone is getting their hopes up that next year is going to be some type of renaissance back to the run-and-gun days. I think that's setting expectations up for disappointment. Bazley and Carey won't run if JB doesn't push for it. That doesn't mean next year can't or won't be a successful year, but the vintage SU style that we love and grew up with is most likely retired.

I hope you’re wrong. But I do think you might be partially right. Of course personnel is part of the equation, but someone needs to make him watch this to remember how good we were. I also think these players were just better on the break than many guys today.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I hope you’re wrong. But I do think you might be partially right. Of course personnel is part of the equation, but someone needs to make him watch this to remember how good we were. I also think these players were just better on the break than many guys today.

Who on this this team can run a break?

 

[OttoMets]

Who on this this team can run a break?

I don't know, I give all of them a little more credit than that. By my count, four of the five current starters are able to do what Blackwell, Hart, and Brown did on that first-half break. And it's not predicated on run-outs or rebounding; it's just an awareness that a ball in the air beats a defender on his heels.

But if your insinuation is accurate, there's something very wrong. How could a D-I player not know how to run a fast break? I weep for their high school coaches.

 

[HOFCeluck]

That team could have won a championship or at least gotten to the Final Four, but we got screwed getting placed in Michigan State’s bracket as the 4 seed and having to play them in Michigan.

In a bracket that was probably the most busted by the end of the first weekend that i can remember, our region was the only one that stayed somewhat intact.

1,2, and 4 seeds plus 6 seed ucla.

 

[Eric15]

but we got screwed getting placed in Michigan State’s bracket as the 4 seed and having to play them in Michigan.

I personally never got upset about that. We were the 4 seed and they were the 1 seed so they earned it. I would never feel guilty if we were a 1 seed and got put in Buffalo or Albany or MSG.

Oklahoma got screwed WAY, WAY more having to play us in Albany in 2003 as a 1 seed.

 

[tbonezone]

espn classics showed SU taking down Duke in the 89 challenge game 78-76 this morning . laettner fouls out late and stevie thompson shakes his hand on the way to the bench. that's true sportsmanship . DJ hits 2 fts for the victory.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I personally never got upset about that. We were the 4 seed and they were the 1 seed so they earned it. I would never feel guilty if we were a 1 seed and got put in Buffalo or Albany or MSG.

Oklahoma got screwed WAY, WAY more having to play us in Albany in 2003 as a 1 seed.

Yeah, I don't think we got "screwed." just beat Georgetown and we either have a better seed or a different region, or both.

 

[sufandu]

Guys, come on. Those guys aren't even close to being on the same level as Etan as a shot blocker, especially as the defender at the rim when the press is broken. Let's not get ridiculous here.

Edit: looked at the stats, and McNeil's 02-03 was pretty awesome, but on the per 40 minute stats (if I ran it right) Etan averaged 4.725 blocks and McNeil averaged 3.054 over their careers. Watkins averaged 3.97 over his career.

Etan was better for a career and across a season. McNeil had a great tournament run and practically won the Oklahoma St. game for us when we went to the press. During our comeback guys got so intimidated when he blocked them after breaking the press that they started just holding the ball until both teams got down the court.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Yeah, I don't think we got "screwed." just beat Georgetown and we either have a better seed or a different region, or both.

If anything game mismanagement is what screwed us over. I don't think JB deserves a pass for lack of 2nd half adjustments. You can't go +14 to -17 and just chalk it up to percentages.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Etan allowed Hart, Griffin, Bland and Deshaun to gamble a lot at the top of the zone.

What is hard to see in these highlights is the complete shutdown of Uconn's offense. The defense was suffocating by the guards.

Apologies if I'm mistaken, but it looks like they played man in that game. That team should have been 50-50 zone/man split at worst throughout the season.

 

[Eric15]

Having Jason Hart in a zone always seemed like a crime to me. The guy was in the NBA for a decade and played in 23 playoff games for one reason: he was Gary Payton without the offense.

 

[sufandu]

Apologies if I'm mistaken, but it looks like they played man in that game. That team should have been 50-50 zone/man split at worst throughout the season.

We still played a lot of man back then. I would love it if we had the ability to switch it up a little now.