A little perspective here

[TexanMark]

We're talking about hoops here...not the entire Athletic Department. The academic standing of other SU programs has been very good. As usual, you've over-stated your argument.

No I agree with him...a total athletic review is warranted. Too many stories involving other teams on the hill to dismiss.

BTW, a review can't hurt...and organizations need to self-reflect.

 

[OrangePA]

1) With very few exceptions, every high major D-1 school has a roster full of kids who are there to play basketball...rather than to go to class. Let's accept that. They have been idolized and catered to since they were in 7th grade....for their basketball skills.

2) Syracuse does as much as any school to try to make these kids take academics seriously. Team managers make sure they attend class. There are mandatory study halls throughout the semester. Tutors make sure they do their homework. However, none of that means anything if a kid decides to tune out. Totally coincidentally, I had dinner tonight with a current SU student who sits next to a prominent SU player in a class this semester. He says the player spends the entire class either sleeping or texting on his iPhone. This shows you can get a person to attend class... but not to pay attention to anything that is said in class.

3) Melo several months ago decided he was going to declare for the NBA at the end of this semester -- in part because he listens to people like those on this message board ... who have been touting him as going to the NBA this year. As a result, he totally tuned out on anything academic at SU. He was just marking time. In short, he didn't give a shxt. This, I remind you, is a kid who was strenuously recruited by a ton of schools three years ago -- all of whom wanted desperately to have him.

4) It is no secret here that I am friends with the entire Boeheim family. I have no friendships I value more. That being said, some of the stuff I have read here tonight ... directed at Jim... literally make me sick. A week ago, people here were touting Jim for national coach of the year. Tonight, some of the same people are calling for him to be fired. Which is it, folks? You have changed your mind 180 degrees because some delusional 20-year-old kid decided he didnt have to do his schoolwork any more because he's gonna get an NBA check next year????

5) No one here has been a bigger SU basketball fan than I have .... or for LONGER than I have. But guess what? It is a frigging game played by kids in their teens or barely out of their teens. It is not my friend Ray Matthieu, a genuine saint, who went into terminal hospice care today because he is about to die from final-stage Melanoma.

6) Get a grip, folks. Melo being suspended is not terminal cancer. It is not a homeless family with no money to feed their children. If you want to obsess about something important, volunteer at a soup kitchen. Or tutor inner-city kids so they will take academics seriously. But don't call for the head of the man who has done more for Syracuse University (and the entire Syracuse community) than anyone else in the school's history.

Thanks CTO.

Great post.

 

[OrangePA]

Oh, and Melo truly needs to go to school if he thinks he will play in the NBA at this point.

I can't imagine it happening.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I think JB should call it a day. The basketball program needs to be a tighter ship and as great as he is, I don't see any evidence that he can run a tight ship. He got his title, he got 800 wins, he's in the HOF. I'm worried that his hands off approach is much less effective in an environment where everyone's watching you.

I totally disagree. JB is at his peak right now. The recruiting has never been better, 5 stars as backups. And JB is adjusting, he is learning to play a deeper bench. Plus JB/SU are providing the ground work for a succession pattern. Hop is being groomed to keep the program humming. It has taken a lot of hard work and consistent winning to get to this new level. Don't give it up under some heat.

The media is unusually intense right now. Ride out the worst and it will get better. Don't let the media win and give up this overall plan. They are throwing 20 years worth of dirt at him right now. ESPN and Yahoo have finished their investigations. Ride it out. Yes, JB runs a loose ship, but he hasn't done anything wrong. And the wrongs of the players and ex-coaches are spanning decades. It's manufactured to look worse than it really is. Ride it out and stick with the plan. SU is so close to being an upper elite program and a plan is in place to make it happen.

If anything, I think this will give JB the resolve to coach a few more years. He would want to go out like this, title or not. You wouldn't want it to look like you are running away. It appears that JB is setting this program up to be elite. You don't leave under a cloud or the whole plan becomes unraveled.

As for this year, it ain't over. Us against the world. The underdog. Could be special if a deep run is made. There is this favorable draw ahead, one game at a time.

 

[Millhouse]

This is probably one of those posts where after you'd gotten your thoughts down on the screen in front of you, it would have been a better decision to not hit the send button.

Bizarre post, from beginning to end. The temper tantrums, personal attacks on Fab, etc. were what Joyce was referring to as people needing "perspective" -- not fans being disappointed about a setback for the team they root for.

I love CTO but I think her perspective is off here. The punchline to her post was that someone with the proper perspective would never think JB should step down.

The hospice and cancer perspective also applies to Boeheim's job. If people have had enough of all the drama and want him to retire, it's not like it's life or death for him - he's old, he's rich, he's accomplished everything a coach can accomplish.

I've lost an aunt, uncle, and cousin in the last year with a second uncle who will probably die this year. This stinks for my family but I don't know what relevance that has to whether Boeheim is entitled to a job for life.

I don't regret this post one bit. I think it's in bad taste to try to squash disagreement by bringing up irrelevant illness.

"I'm upset about this and that and I think so and so should be fired" (PS I don't want that. I kinda hope JB hangs it up soon)

"My friend is dying. Get some perspective"

Who wants to be the bad guy by pointing out that, yes, we know that everyone dies?

 

[samspann1]

So sorry to hear about your friend.

It's obviously true that basketball is ultimately just a game, but this is a basketball forum, with posters who clearly love the game, and SU. That said, most, if not all of the posters here have made a significant emotional (and often times, financial) investment in SU basketball. To expect people here to detach themselves and react objectively to news relating to SU basketball (be it good or bad) is not realistic, IMO.

No offense, but to blame posters here for Melo slacking off in his studies...I just don't see that. If we had a 50-page thread urging Melo to study his ass off, would he have done so?

Nobody can make a kid study if he doesn't want to. But maybe the staff needs to take a harder look at the kids they bring in. Maybe there needs to be more stringent academic oversight. I have a hard time believing that their personalities and study habits do a 180 once they set foot on campus. I don't know what the solution is, but I don't believe that the kids (and yes, they are kids, at least from a maturity standpoint) are always solely to blame.

Personally, unless it's a score update, I've grown tired of seeing SU's name scroll across the ticker of my TV screen. The eligibility issues, allegations against Fine, fights, domestic issues, etc...it's become tiresome, and frankly, embarrassing.

JMO. Flame away.

 

[CiscoCuse]

Joyce, I definitely will pray for your friend and his family...Godspeeed! And thank you for a post that puts this issue into context. Thank You!
PS...Let's Go ORANGE!! !!!

 

[TinyManInside]

I'm withholding judgment on the matter until I know the facts. At this point, the media reports do not even agree on whether this was academics-related.

Boeheim has been an incredible boon to the school and the community, no doubt. But that doesn't place him above reproach.

Mason

 

[br801]

If I were on trial there are some posters here I would not want to be on the jury.

Something bad happened here but I have yet to see anybody say they know exactly what happened. And yet many posters seem to be sure of the cause of the problem and the solution.

Amen, sir. I'd "like" those sentiments 20 times if I could.

 

[storange]

100% agree. Well said

 

[Cuse_MN]

If I were on trial there are some posters here I would not want to be on the jury.

Something bad happened here but I have yet to see anybody say they know exactly what happened. And yet many posters seem to be sure of the cause of the problem and the solution.

I get your point, but people are convicted in this country all the time - sometimes wrongly so, by juries that don't know exactly what happened in the case using circumstantial evidence. Those may indeed be juries determining a life and death issue for the defendant, yet people on a basketball forum can't piece together tidbits of information and draw conclusions because they don't know exactly what happened?

 

[RF2044]

I love CTO but I think her perspective is off here. The punchline to her post was that someone with the proper perspective would never think JB should step down.

The hospice and cancer perspective also applies to Boeheim's job. If people have had enough of all the drama and want him to retire, it's not like it's life or death for him - he's old, he's rich, he's accomplished everything a coach can accomplish.

I've lost an aunt, uncle, and cousin in the last year with a second uncle who will probably die this year. This stinks for my family but I don't know what relevance that has to whether Boeheim is entitled to a job for life.

I don't regret this post one bit. I think it's in bad taste to try to squash disagreement by bringing up irrelevant illness.

"I'm upset about this and that and I think so and so should be fired" (PS I don't want that. I kinda hope JB hangs it up soon)

"My friend is dying. Get some perspective"

Who wants to be the bad guy by pointing out that, yes, we know that everyone dies?

I think your perspective is off on what she was talking about. Her post came on an afternoon where grown men were wishing harm on and hoping bad things befall a college aged kid because of what happened. Her point about her friend had nothing to do with Boeheim--it was that there are real problems / real life issues that warrant the emotion / vitriol she saw yesterday, but sports isn't one of them.

You're the one applying that filter to Boeheim, and whether he deserves a lifetime pass. To me, that is a discussion worth having, but ultimately a different discussion.

Definitely not trying to start a pissing match here [and I know you're not either, as evidenced by your thoughtful response]--just pointing out that I don't resonate with your interpretation of her post.

 

[SWC75]

I get your point, but people are convicted in this country all the time - sometimes wrongly so - by juries that don't know exactly what happened in the case using circumstantial evidence. Those may indeed be juries determining a life and death issue for the defendant, yet people on a basketball forum can't piece together tidbits of information and draw conclusions because they don't know exactly what happened?

Do we even have circumstantical evidence?

 

[Millhouse]

I think your perspective is off on what she was talking about. Her post came on an afternoon where grown men were wishing harm on and hoping bad things befall a college aged kid because of what happened. Her point about her friend had nothing to do with Boeheim--it was that there are real problems / real life issues that warrant the emotion / vitriol she saw yesterday, but sports isn't one of them.

You're the one applying that filter to Boeheim, and whether he deserves a lifetime pass. To me, that is a discussion worth having, but ultimately a different discussion.

Definitely not trying to start a pissing match here [and I know you're not either, as evidenced by your thoughtful response]--just pointing out that I don't resonate with your interpretation of her post.

Go back and read her original post again and come back and tell me if she thinks it's an entirely different discussion.

 

[Millhouse]

Do we even have circumstantical evidence?

just like it should go without saying that college basketball eligibility is not as important as curing cancer, it should also go without saying that decisions that do not result in incarceration might not require the same burden of proof.

duhhhhhh

 

[OrangeZone]

Very good post CTO; way too many seem to what to take whatever goes on in SU sports as a life and death situation with no knowledge and little regard for what they say about players.
Sure we hear about players and their in-class stuff; many students don't pay attention in class.

These emotional attacks at Troy Nunes, Paul Harris and others over time is really a sad commentary about where our prioities are. Now we attack Fab Melo; and none of us knows the truth about his life experience nor do we seem to care.

Many football and basketball players in college have come out of horrendus home and educational experiences and yet our expectation is that they will behave like model citizens and students.

This isn't just Syracuse where student athletes have problems; it's all over college basketball.

Pretty much the only school that doesn't have these issues is Kentucky where none are expected to earn a degree or even be around the following season. Is that what you are looking for at Syracuse? Fortunately, it won't be the case.

There are many folks who serve in the capacity of student athlete support; they cannot undue the players life experience nor can any coach.

The way we view life is well formed prior to college entrance for us all.

Paul Harris is one of the nicest people you could ever meet and the way he treated others (who were just regular students) went way above what most star athletes would do.

Troy Nunes, played his heart out and did the very best he could with his given tallent was made a scape goat for our coaching staff's inability to replace McNabb.

Sure college basketball is big business; however if you really want to focus in upon the problem it's the NCAA and it's total disregard for student athletes.

Thanks for sharing your toughts CTO; you get it.

 

[Cuse_MN]

Do we even have circumstantical evidence?

I don't know what posters you were trying to call out by using the jury analogy, so can't really debate the evidence without knowing the context. People have opinions. They state them on message boards. That is the reality.

The original poster is calling for perspective then goes on to say other than few exceptions, the "entire" rosters of high D-1 programs are made up of kids that don't care about school. She implies coaches are powerless to enforce their standards on kids at these programs and goes on to say some people on the board are calling for JB's job because "because some delusional 20-year-old kid decided he didnt have to do his schoolwork." That's all hyperbole, not fact, no exactly what has happened.

There are plenty of kids on high D-1 programs who care about academics. Coaches can and do kick players off teams if they don't meet team standards that can be set higher than the school standards. Who is calling for JB's job because of this one incident? I'm not in that camp, but I can assume its the body of work over the last year that has most people upset, not a single incident. You want to set a standard of knowing exactly what happened, use it consistently.

 

[SUGIANT]

All fine and I respect your opinions and relationships - but that does not change the fact that this season has been an embarassment for SU. This board and others mocks UConn, KU and others and the fact is that SU has been no better than any of them this year. You have as hard a time putting your bias aside as the other side does - JB has been great for a lot of reasons but at some point the buck stops at his desk. I have a grip - sadly that means that I am old enough not to get wrapped up in the whole thing anymore - but that does not change being embarrassed by all that has happened this year.

Can I ask when it is that other rivals boards don't go out of thier way to find any excuse to mock SU or any other program but their own? We are just as guilty and I think it means diddly squat. Who cares. Let them mock, UCONN, North Carolina, Penn St. etc, etc all have the same issues or worse going on and what they say means nothing. SU has survived worse and will continue to do so.

Depsite media represntations this is not a scandal, it's a 20 something year old flunking out. I'm with Joyce on this one. And I even think people are counting out SU kinda of early, after all we only lost 1 game without Melo, who knows what could happen if Dion and/ or KJo get motivated by this. They'll be winning until they lose in my book.

 

[Chip]

This thread is a little weird. It goes without saying that this stuff isn't life or death. Usually when I say "It goes without saying" I'm not being that literal about it. But it really does go without saying. People like Capt Turtle saying that anyone take sports more seriously than life. Really, Turtle?

There is stupidity about perspective here. This is a Syracuse basketball board. Within the context of syracuse basketball this is a big deal. It goes without saying that cancer is worse. but what fun is it to spend your whole life letting the worst things in the world ruin everything. I feel so shameful for enjoying 2003, what does it matter, people are dying of cancer!

It's just an empty headed thing that people say about sports. I care a lot about lots of things that don't affect whether I'm alive. You make emotional investments in lots of things to enjoy your life. And sometimes you'll be let down and it doesn't matter to me if people think they're profound by pointing out that it's worse to die.

Agree. Everyone has personal issues, whether happy or sad that are outside their love for sports (which is our entertainment freedom). People only need perspective by those definitions if they want perspective. I would venture to guess that those who sit here and type all things terrible about JB, Fab, NCAA, etc. probably wouldn't be typing on their phone from a hospital room as someone close to them was dying. Maybe they would, who knows.

You want to be a fan of a big time successful program that therefore has a large, traveling fan base? Then you better accept that a lot of those fans have opinions that probably make you ill.

As for my personal opinion on this, kind of tough without knowing all the facts. But if the facts are, as suggested, that Fab basically checked out because he was mentally NBA bound, then I have a problem with that. Probably not much anyone could do about it either. He just decided to let his team and coaches down more than anything else. Which means I wouldn't really wish him well at all, I'd just wish to move on to the next great center and hope we don't see a repeat.

 

[BonaCuse]

First of all, I am sorry to hear about your friend. Hospice is truly such a wonderful thing and such a sad thing at the same time. The service they provide is so beneficial to both the family and the patient, but just the term "hospice" carries such a negative connotation because the end is in sight.

While I am not an alum, I do consider myself a diehard fan. There have been many, many losses where I havent slept after, or was just in a horribly pissy mood the next day (or days). All of that changed in 2009, when my Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We used the 2009 season as a time to watch the games together and enjoy their the start of their magical run. SU games were away to get away from everything at least for a few hours. My Dad passed at the end of 2009. When SU lost to Butler, sure I was mad. But I slept well that night. I've learned the past couple of years that I have enough crappy things going on in life (like we all do. I am no different) to lose sleep over losses that I cannot control. Instead I like to think that sports is away to put real life situations on hold for a couple of hours.

That being said, you are entitled to your opinion. And people that come onto a Syracuse message board are entitled to theirs. I find your post to be incredibly condescending.
"It is no secret here that I am friends with the entire Boeheim family." "No one here has been a bigger SU basketball fan than I have .... or for LONGER than I have."
I know that there is a group of people on this message board that hang on your every word for any insight they can get, but sometimes you need to take a step back and realize what you are writing. I get it. You're rich and popular. The rich and popular shouldn't be reminding the lowly how rich and popular they are.

The fact of the matter is that the SU Basketball Program has been an absolute joke this year. Between the child sex abuse scandal, Fab Take I, Drug Testing Scandal, followed by Fab Take II SU can't get out of the headlines. If people want to come to a message board to vent, I don't really see the problem with that. Throwing around the "my friend has cancer card" really doesn't seem to help the matter.

 

[orangecuse]

If I were on trial there are some posters here I would not want to be on the jury.

Something bad happened here but I have yet to see anybody say they know exactly what happened. And yet many posters seem to be sure of the cause of the problem and the solution.

Indeed, if this were the case, however, it's not and will never be other than the court of public opinion...and perception IS reality...as unfortunate as that may be.

 

[cto]

First of all, I am sorry to hear about your friend. Hospice is truly such a wonderful thing and such a sad thing at the same time. The service they provide is so beneficial to both the family and the patient, but just the term "hospice" carries such a negative connotation because the end is in sight.

While I am not an alum, I do consider myself a diehard fan. There have been many, many losses where I havent slept after, or was just in a horribly pissy mood the next day (or days). All of that changed in 2009, when my Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We used the 2009 season as a time to watch the games together and enjoy their the start of their magical run. SU games were away to get away from everything at least for a few hours. My Dad passed at the end of 2009. When SU lost to Butler, sure I was mad. But I slept well that night. I've learned the past couple of years that I have enough crappy things going on in life (like we all do. I am no different) to lose sleep over losses that I cannot control. Instead I like to think that sports is away to put real life situations on hold for a couple of hours.

That being said, you are entitled to your opinion. And people that come onto a Syracuse message board are entitled to theirs. I find your post to be incredibly condescending.
"It is no secret here that I am friends with the entire Boeheim family." No one here has been a bigger SU basketball fan than I have .... or for LONGER than I have.
I know that the group of people on this message board that hang on your every word for any insight they can get, but sometimes you need to take a step back and realize what you are writing. I get it. You're rich and popular. The rich and popular shouldn't be reminding the lowly how rich and popular they are.

The fact of the matter is that the SU Basketball Program has been an absolute joke this year. Between the child sex abuse scandal, Fab Take I, Drug Testing Scandal, followed by Fab Take II SU can't get out of the headlines. If people want to come to a message board to vent, I don't really see the problem with that. Throwing around the "my friend has cancer card" really does seem to help the matter.

I doubt that anyone here "hangs on (my) every word." I'm just another poster here who admits (in the interest of full disclosure) that I am friends with the Boeheim family. Would you prefer that I pretend I am a totally disinterested observer? I am sure that would get even more criticism. And I sort of resent the "rich" line. Yes, because I worked harder than anyone I knew, I've had some professional success in life. But I suspect not many on this board grew up in lesser economic circumstances than I did. The only reason I went to college is that Syracuse gave me a full scholarship. So, yes, I feel some loyalty there. And maybe I should not have mentioned my friend Ray. However, right before writing the original post last night, I had just read an email from his wife about his decision to forego any further attempts at medical intervention. I apologize that I was thinking about him... rather than fully focusing on SU basketball.

 

[SarasotaPaul]

I don't know what posters you were trying to call out by using the jury analogy, so can't really debate the evidence without knowing the context. People have opinions. They state them on message boards. That is the reality.

The original poster is calling for perspective then goes on to say other than few exceptions, the "entire" rosters of high D-1 programs are made up of kids that don't care about school. She implies coaches are powerless to enforce their standards on kids at these programs and goes on to say some people on the board are calling for JB's job because "because some delusional 20-year-old kid decided he didnt have to do his schoolwork." That's all hyperbole, not fact, no exactly what has happened.

There are plenty of kids on high D-1 programs who care about academics. Coaches can and do kick players off teams if they don't meet team standards that can be set higher than the school standards. Who is calling for JB's job because of this one incident? I'm not in that camp, but I can assume its the body of work over the last year that has most people upset, not a single incident. You want to set a standard of knowing exactly what happened, use it consistently.

Those called out by the jury analogy are those that don't need facts to go off the deep end. That seemed obvious.

Secondly you have completely missed the essence of what CTO was saying. There is a limit to what coaches can do. The last resort is usually suspension and thats exactly what happened to Melo. SU has had Sean Kerins, Hal Cohen, Sonny Spera (god am I dating myself) and others that used basketball to get their educations. The majority of the basketball players now days think they are going to the NBA via the colleges. If you think differently, you would be one of the few and you would be mistaken. The higher profile the school the more likely to have an entire roster of scholarship players that have this mindset. Think N Carolina, Kentucky (I hate thinking about them) The entire Michigan Fab 5. Heck just look at those that have left SU early to very early to jump to the NBA in the last several years. Is any of the original post clearer now? I hope so since you seem to be reasonable, unlike some of the cliff jumpers in this thread.

As far as your assumptions, you are probably right. The flaw in that is that BF drama was resurrected by ESPN from long ago and has been shredded to pieces since then. The drug issues were many years back and SU brought them to the attention of the NCAA over a year and a half ago. And back to Melo. Thats on Melo and looks like SU did use control and used the last resort when he failed/refused to live up to his obligations and suspended him.

 

[CusefanATL]

2) Syracuse does as much as any school to try to make these kids take academics seriously. Team managers make sure they attend class. There are mandatory study halls throughout the semester. Tutors make sure they do their homework. However, none of that means anything if a kid decides to tune out. Totally coincidentally, I had dinner tonight with a current SU student who sits next to a prominent SU player in a class this semester. He says the player spends the entire class either sleeping or texting on his iPhone. This shows you can get a person to attend class... but not to pay attention to anything that is said in class.

Did it happen to be my cousin?

4) It is no secret here that I am friends with the entire Boeheim family. I have no friendships I value more. That being said, some of the stuff I have read here tonight ... directed at Jim... literally make me sick. A week ago, people here were touting Jim for national coach of the year. Tonight, some of the same people are calling for him to be fired. Which is it, folks? You have changed your mind 180 degrees because some delusional 20-year-old kid decided he didnt have to do his schoolwork any more because he's gonna get an NBA check next year????

THIS IS THE POINT OF THE YEAR. let's look at what has happened under JB's watch this year:
1. a very odd individual had a very odd sex life
2. melo suspended for grades
3. drug tests and not following procedure
4. melo for all intensive purposes kicked off team for grades

Only 1 of the 4 can fall on Boeheim's shoulders.
1. you have no idea 99% of the sex lives of any of your co-workers. I am sure you know swingers, out of the closet homosexuals, closeted homosexuals, predators, porn addicts, etc... and you have no idea. and neither do your bosses, bosses bosses, or executive management.
2. The staff took the proactive approach to suspend him. They also allowed him back to give him a 2nd chance
3. this is the only thing that can fall on boeheim on any level. but there are so many loopholes it is ridiculous. All college kids smoke. Not all AD's have actual drug procedures, they arent mandated. that was a witch hunt by yahoo if i have ever seen 1. Charles Robinson's quote the next day about deciding to look at the 'culture of syracuse inside and out' was full evidence of that.
4. fab squandered his 2nd chance at the worst opportunity. the school/staff suspended him. exactly the right thing to do.

5) No one here has been a bigger SU basketball fan than I have .... or for LONGER than I have. But guess what? It is a frigging game played by kids in their teens or barely out of their teens. It is not my friend Ray Matthieu, a genuine saint, who went into terminal hospice care today because he is about to die from final-stage Melanoma.

so sorry to hear. i'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers

6) Get a grip, folks. Melo being suspended is not terminal cancer. It is not a homeless family with no money to feed their children. If you want to obsess about something important, volunteer at a soup kitchen. Or tutor inner-city kids so they will take academics seriously. But don't call for the head of the man who has done more for Syracuse University (and the entire Syracuse community) than anyone else in the school's history.

I agree

 

[SarasotaPaul]

I doubt that anyone here "hangs on (my) every word." I'm just another poster here who admits (in the interest of full disclosure) that I am friends with the Boeheim family. Would you prefer that I pretend I am a totally disinterested observer? I am sure that would get even more criticism. And I sort of resent the "rich" line. Yes, because I worked harder than anyone I knew, I've had some professional success in life. But I suspect no one on this board grew up in lesser economic circumstances than I did. The only reason I went to college is that Syracuse gave me a full scholarship. So, yes, I feel some loyalty there. And maybe I should not have mentioned my friend Ray. However, right before writing the original post last night, I had just read an email from his wife about his decision to forego any further attempts at medical intervention. I apologize that I was thinking about him... rather than fully focusing on SU basketball.

Don't apologize CTO. Some refuse to use any perspective at all and thats shameful on their part.

I stayed awake last night, not thinking of SU basketball directly. I was thinking of those who posted that were affected by cancer but mostly of the great memories of my brother and what SU sports meant to us. My fondest memories were of attending games with him and watching the last games last year. For that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.. Again shame on those who can't understand what you were trying to say.